TENCHI WAKUSEI
by Joe Meadows
Summary: A sequel novel to "Tenchi Universe," full and complete.
1. PROLOGUE: No Need For Nightmares

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
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PROLOGUE  
  
No Need For Nightmares  
  
______________________  
  
When you dream, no one can hear you scream...even on the planet Jurai.  
  
However, neither a scream nor a sound of any kind could be heard throughout the dimly lit, richly draped halls of the Juraian royal palace. In the wee hours during the mid-year solstice, all the occupants of the palace, the members of the supremely powerful and influential Jurai royal family and their numerous servants, retainers, employees, unwanted distant relatives, and other hangers-on, should have been asleep.  
  
Most were. But two were not.  
  
In the royal apartments, located in the heart of the soaring and massive palace, King Azusa and his Queen (actually, his second Queen), Misaki, were wide awake. They had performed this vigil for several nights now, and the King, for one, was not happy about it.  
  
The rug covering the parquet floor was a exquisite, priceless heirloom, woven of the finest material, irreplaceable. But the King mindlessly trod that carpet, back and forth, all but wearing a furrow through it. The Queen looked at her lovely carpet ruefully, but she knew she could not stop the King from pacing the room. She spoke:  
  
"Perhaps it shall not happen tonight, dear."  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
"Perhaps it was just a phase...as that nice Doctor Pangloss said."  
  
"That quack said that? I have good reason to worry, then!"  
  
Queen Misaki smiled knowingly, fondly, at his brusque words. "Husband, you really do not need a reason to worry...for you to worry." She regarded the barrel-chested regent with the great power and the greater love for his people warmly. "You carry the Galactic Union on your shoulders...and your family as well."  
  
The King responded with a sound that could have been a chuckle. "I don't know what's worse sometimes, Wife--the Union or the family!" He looked at his Queen and then actually smiled. "I really didn't mean that--about the family, that is. Of course, if your Uncle Takai could perhaps be persuaded to visit some other relatives..."  
  
She gave him a look that stated definitely: Don't go there.  
  
The King didn't go there. His second wife was a lovely woman, mostly, except when riled, and she was most protective of her less useful family members. When his normally sweet and obliging wife was on a tear, he had no wish to be within the vicinity. Besides, the Queen was pregnant with their second child and she was definitely not one to provoke during such a time.  
  
Protective...that reminded him why he was pacing the night away.  
  
"I'm just so worried about her. It isn't natural."  
  
"Everyone has bad dreams, Husband."  
  
"Night after night? Week after week?"  
  
The Queen's face, usually serene and beautiful, suddenly reflected the strain she too had been laboring under all these weeks. "Yes, it is troubling. I worry about her, too."  
  
"At least you admit it, Wife! Those doctors, pooh-poohing our concerns. "Indigestion"! I'll give them indigestion! As if that were the only cause for nightmares. Oh, yes, there was also her "unsuitable reading material." She isn't reading anything that I didn't read as a boy, aside from those silly romantic stories."  
  
"She does not find them so silly, dear," the Queen replied with a tiny smile.  
  
"Of course not. She's just a child and hasn't grown up to find out what all that silly romance counts for in the real world."  
  
"As you say, Husband." The Queen grimaced suddenly. "Ooof!"  
  
The King turned to face her swiftly. "Our second child?"  
  
She smiled beatifically. "Yes. The child will kick...but ever so gently."  
  
The King hesitated. "I am sorry...that it pains you." For just a moment, his voice seemed muted, his manner unsure. Like most men, he seemed nonplused by the miracles--and the miseries--of childbirth.  
  
"Never mind, Husband. It is just what all that silly romance counts for in the real world."  
  
King Azusa stared at his wife for a long moment. Then he shook his head fondly. Despite her appearance of uncomplicated domesticity, the Queen was the equal to him, and no mistake. Then he asked, "Shouldn't you be sleeping, Wife?"  
  
"Ohhh, I am not so fragile, Husband. The doctors say I should remain active."  
  
"Quacks!" the King snorted. "Well, those quacks have had their day. One more instance of those nightmares and I'm taking action. The Galaxy Police will listen to me this time and they will act--finally!"  
  
The Queen viewed him with concern. "Yes, Husband, you can use your influence to make them act. Perhaps to even make them act quite precipitously. But what if you are wrong? Many young children of high birth attend the Lyceum, from planets all over the galaxy. We have had no word of other...similar situations."  
  
"There's no need to speak so delicately, Wife. You mean, no other poor children have been afflicted--at least as far as we know!"  
  
"Exactly. It seems rather...rash...to blame a wonderful program designed to prepare children of distinction to assume their roles in society. The Lyceum also serves to bring children from different worlds together, which is beneficial to the Galactic Union. And the Professor is so highly regarded."  
  
"So was Professor Washuu Hakubi, if you'll recall!" King Asuza began pacing again. "Those naps the child takes...every day at that place, she says...yet she never wants to take naps during the day when she's with us. That means something."  
  
"What, dear?"  
  
"I don't know. But something!"  
  
"You are working yourself into a rage, Husband," the Queen warned.  
  
"Yes? Well I've had enough sleepless nights. I think I've earned this rage." It was more than loss of sleep than enraged him. As King of the First Family of the Galactic Union, the fountainhead of the mysteries and fantastic powers that the heavens had reserved for the royal house of Jurai, he could fairly be called the most powerful man in the galaxy, perhaps even the universe. Yet he felt powerless in this case--seemingly powerless to protect his own. It galled him, immeasurably.  
  
"It will not help her for you to lose your temper, dear," his wife told him quietly.  
  
He stopped pacing. Then, as so many people had recommended to him (including that quack, Pangloss) he took a long, deep breath. It helped, perhaps, a little.  
  
"I know," he admitted. "It's simply that--"  
  
His words were cut off by a thin, ragged scream.  
  
Again! The King of Jurai scowled terribly.  
  
It was not an ordinary scream. It was a childish scream, a helpless scream--a scream that the King and Queen had heard too many times before. To the Queen, it was desperate, heart-wrenching. To the King, it was a scream that could only be wrenched from a child by a horror that walked by night, which could not be avoided, and could not be escaped.  
  
For a big man, the King moved swiftly, striding out of his chambers and down the dim corridor. The rich draperies adorning the walls fluttered at the swiftness of his pace. Yet, as quickly as he moved, his wife was just a step or two behind him, regardless of her rather prominent pregnancy.  
  
The royal couple paused at a door. Another scream erupted. Cursing, the King wrenched open the door and bulled inside, his wife close behind.  
  
Inside, the chamber was spacious and beautifully furnished, with the soft pastel colors and intricate lace and frippery that a young girl loved. Its occupant lay on the curtained bed that dominated the chamber. Her small face was pale and beaded with perspiration. She shook and groaned, wearily, dreadfully.  
  
Her two Guardians, Azaka and Kamidake, round wooden cylinders of profound loyalty and massive weaponry, hovered around the child's bed. Their pilot lights flickered with agitation.  
  
"Please, Princess...wake up! Please wake up!" Azaka said.  
  
"The Princess suffers! We can do nothing! It is not fair!" Kamidake added.  
  
King Azusa knew how they felt. However, unlike them, he had hands and arms to first shake a child back to wakefulness and then to try to comfort her as she sobbed. Finally, he turned the now gently weeping little girl over to her mother.  
  
He stood. "I'm calling the Galaxy Police now. They will take that cursed Lyceum apart, stone by stone, and yes, that blasted Professor too, or they'll think the heavens have fallen upon them! I'll go to the Grand Marshall, if I have to. I'll go to the High Commissioner! Or I'll send in the Royal Yeomen! I'll get action!"  
  
With that pronouncement, the King strode out. He did have enough presence of mind in his rage not to slam the bedroom door behind him.  
  
Watching him depart, Queen Misaki held her weeping young daughter, who pressed against her mother, snuggling against her mother's soft form and against the softer bulge in that form that would eventually become her little sister. The Queen stroked the child's deep purple hair.  
  
"Don't cry," she murmured. "Don't cry, Ayeka." 


	2. CHAPTER 1: No Need For Spring Break

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
No Need For Spring Break  
  
________________________  
  
Spring had bloomed beautifully in Japan. In fact, thanks to unseasonably high temperatures, spring had busted out all over. Even that bellweather of the Nippon summer, the semi, or cicada, had left its burrow early to add its insect song to the season.  
  
The sun gently warmed bared arms and legs, chasing away the chilled shadows of winter. Sakura (cherry tree blossoms) bloomed early, their delicate scent adding to the riot of awakened fauna and floral life in the island nation. Yes, it was spring, glorious spring everywhere in Japan, including the region of Chugoku, Prefecture of Okayama. And spring, of course, is when a young man's fancy lightly turns to--  
  
"Yow!"  
  
"Shrewd move, grandson."  
  
--trying to avoid having his head cracked open by his grandfather.  
  
Tenchi Masaki, AKA Lord Tenchi of the Jurai royal family (estranged) and his venerable grandfather, Katsuhito, AKA Lord Yosho of the Jurai royal family (also estranged) and priest of the Shinto temple known locally as the Masaki Shrine, now slowly parted from practice combat.  
  
Tenchi, wiry and slender, with dark, extraordinarily even features, brilliant brown eyes, and coal black hair, was dressed in a white ghee closed with a purple belt. His grandfather was taller, slim but not thin, with a flowing mustache tinged with gray, and frameless spectacles perched on his nose. As always, he was clad in the simple but elegant white kimono of a Shinto priest. He also wore hakamas, the pleated trousers often worn with a kimono. His feet, sheathed in white tabi socks, were shod in traditional setta sandals.  
  
Both grandfather and grandson held the long, thin wooden staves they used for the ultimate form of physical chess, Shintaido Bojutsu, or the Japanese art of stave-fighting (and head-fracturing). It was a useful substitute for sword practice and a part of the overall Bushido, "The Way of the Warrior," Tenchi's continuing training in the five warrior requirements: fidelity, politeness, virility, truthfulness, and simplicity. At the moment, Tenchi was being very truthful to his grandfather.  
  
"Grandfather--you nearly cracked my skull!"  
  
"You show improvement, grandson. The last time I executed that move, I did rather make contact with your head."  
  
Tenchi ran a hand over the left side of his head, wincing at the memory. "I remember!"  
  
Grandfather and grandson smiled fondly as they stood facing each other.  
  
"I think we can end today's lesson, Tenchi," Yosho said.  
  
"Thanks, Grandfather."  
  
Tenchi bowed to his grandfather, who returned the bow.  
  
They both lowered their staves. Tenchi panted slightly; his grandfather not at all.  
  
"Grandson, you're a bit out of form. The lack of daily practice shows."  
  
"You know I can't practice at college, Grandfather. The weekends and holidays here are the only time I have."  
  
"I know, Tenchi. You shouldn't lose your edge, however."  
  
"Yes, Grandfather." Tenchi moved to place his stave on the nearby rack. His grandfather did likewise.  
  
The two were practicing the martial art in a low outbuilding just adjacent to the imposing temple structure itself. In the past, such practice was conducted outdoors. However, holding practice in the improvised dojo near the temple added a bit of piety to the practice sessions and it allowed those sessions to take place even in severely inclement weather. Besides, the climb up the many stone steps to the temple from the house helped in developing one's wind...important if one's pupil spent most of his time sitting in a classroom.  
  
Tenchi was now nineteen years old. In a year, he would be one of those honored at the annual Coming of Age holiday in Japan. Yet, in a very real sense, he had already come of age. He had graduated from the local high school a year past and was about to enter his second year at Okayama University, Tsushima Campus, located in Okayama City (specifically, Tsushima-Naka), the capital of Okayama Prefecture, some distance from his rural home. Due to that distance (his father worked in the city and it was a real misery for him to tsukin (commute) daily to and from his architectural firm there), Tenchi had gained permission to lodge in a dormitory at the University during the weekdays.  
  
However, to keep peace in the Masaki family--especially with certain female members of his extended family--Tenchi traveled back to rural Okayama to spend every weekend and holiday at home. Thus, his comment was accurate as to his time and opportunity to brush up on his Bojutsu. Classes and study consumed nearly all of his time on campus.  
  
"But now you're home for Spring Break, Tenchi...nearly a whole month. Plenty of time to hone your skills sharp again."  
  
"Yeah, Grandfather. I really look forward to that." Tenchi winced slightly at the thought of Grandfather's training regimen, but kept his voice even. "You know, Grandfather, after we defeated Kagato...well, I had kind of thought I was pretty proficient."  
  
"You were adequate, grandson. You met the challenge. However, you must always keep practicing. That is the only way to stay proficient and to improve."  
  
"I understand." Tenchi glanced at his Seiko to check the time, knowing his grandfather never wore a timepiece. "I supposed I'd better get down to the house. Tris is due pretty soon."  
  
"Yes," his grandfather said with a chuckle. "The game is about to commence."  
  
"Aw, Grandfather..."  
  
Tenchi walked out the door of the outbuilding/dojo. His grandfather followed.  
  
"I know it's all a bit elaborate. But Tris is my roommate and my friend. He's all alone here, you know, and I couldn't go off on Spring Break without having him over for at least a couple of days. Even if we all have to put up sort of a false front to do it. I felt rotten enough not inviting him home for Christmas. He ended up spending it with friends in Tokyo. I got the impression he felt like a fifth wheel there. Not to invite him to visit during another holiday--I just couldn't, Grandfather."  
  
"I understand, Tenchi...and I agree."  
  
"You really do, Grandfather?" Tenchi looked quickly at Lord Yosho, then looked down as both began to descend the lengthy flight of stone steps, down to where their house seemed to reflect the soft glow from the gleaming lake. It seemed so peaceful...so deceptively peaceful...  
  
"Certainly. Your father and I know how hard it has been on you, Tenchi. Due to...circumstances...you haven't been able to enjoy the close friendship of other young men and you've had to spend a great deal of time here at home. We're both glad and grateful that you finally have a close friend. It's important to you, we know."  
  
"Even if he's my American college roommate?" Tenchi stopped descending the steps to ascertain his grandfather's reaction. His grandfather stopped, too.  
  
"Yes...even so." His grandfather smiled ever so slightly. "If we can accommodate six women from distant planets, I believe we can accommodate an American for a few days! After all, we do virtually the same thing when your Grandfather Hideo and Grandmother Itari visit."  
  
Yosho referred to Tenchi's grandparents on his father's side. The elderly couple had retired to Hiroshima and paid flying visits to their son and grandson on a highly irregular basis. The visits were short and, up to now, Tenchi's paternal grandparents were ignorant of the true origins of his female houseguests. They did not approve of all those unmarried women living at the Masaki Shrine, however, which accounted for the brevity and infrequency of the visits.  
  
"I'm glad you feel that way, Grandfather. Dad works with Americans sometimes and he likes them. I'm hoping you'll like Tris. He's more than just my roommate. He's really become a good friend...a buddy. I guess that sounds weird, but..."  
  
"Not a bit, grandson. After all, we've made rather a habit of befriending visitors from strange cultures," Yosho reminded his grandson. "Remember, I was a stranger from a strange land when I arrived here, Tenchi. I was accepted by open-hearted and open-minded people and I've never forgotten that."  
  
Grandfather and grandson resumed walking down the stone steps leading from the temple to the valley below.  
  
"I'm really relieved you feel like that, Grandfather. Tris is kind of an offbeat guy, really funny and friendly. I've never known anyone like him! He has a wisecrack for everything...you'll see. Kind of clumsy, though. Practically every time he walks out the door of our room, he bangs his elbow on the doorknob. Says the same curse word each time too." Tenchi grinned.  
  
"You must hold him in high regard to notice such details about him," Yosho observed.  
  
"We hit it off from the start, Grandfather. I mean, there he was, an American surrounded by Japanese and a few other foreign students. He's the only American International Exchange student we have in our dorm. He didn't let it get him down, even when some people snubbed him. I admired that about him...and I sure understood about feeling isolated from people."  
  
Lord Yosho smiled gently. Yes, he could picture it. Two young men...his grandson who had to keep to himself for many reasons, and an American who was detached from the other students living around him almost by cultural definition. He could imagine the two of them, assigned to living quarters together, over time drawing together for companionship, a companionship that had evolved into a friendship.  
  
"But didn't you say he spent many years living in Tokyo, grandson?"  
  
"That's right. His father was an American Air Force pilot and his mother was an Air Force officer, too. They and Tris were stationed at that American air base--I think it's called Yokota--near Tokyo for eight years, starting when Tris was eight years old. His parents encouraged him to learn Japanese and they lived off the base, so Tris became very fluent, even to the point of reading our language, and he got to observe and learn our culture pretty thoroughly. You'll be surprised when you meet him, Grandfather."  
  
"I look forward to it. He sounds like an excellent candidate for an exchange program," Lord Yosho remarked approvingly. "Our language is very difficult for gajin--outsiders--to learn. I cannot imagine an American without a similar background being able to profitably attend our University."  
  
"It's all kind of sad, though, how he came here," Tenchi said, his voice quieter. "His parents--he was real close to them--were killed in an accident back in America a year ago. Some rotten stuff happened between him and his relatives at the funeral and later. I think he really volunteered for the exchange program to escape...all those bad memories."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded his graying head slowly. "Then it is our duty to make your friend feel at home while he's here...if that is at all possible. I take it you briefed our young ladies again this morning on their responsibilities?"  
  
Tenchi nodded. "Right after breakfast. Both Ayeka and Kiyone are very levelheaded. I know they will be discrete and play along. Of course, poor Kiyone is still so bummed at being demoted and stationed back here that she doesn't show much interest in anything. That was a while ago, and she's still hasn't snapped out if it, Grandfather."  
  
"Yes. That is unfortunate. Perhaps a visitor will prove a welcome change for her, if only for a short time." Tenchi did not notice his grandfather's rather enigmatic smile.  
  
"I hope so too, Grandfather. Sasami and Mihoshi are both pretty excited at meeting a real American after watching all that American TV, thanks to Washuu. Sasami won't do anything to make Tris suspicious, but Mihoshi...well..." Tenchi shook his head.  
  
His grandfather chuckled. "Our young Detective First Class does show rare self-poise from time to time. She also enjoys playing games. We will have to count on that."  
  
"Yes, I guess so, Grandfather. Then there's Ryoko..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Well, she's sort of agreed not to upset things while Tris is here. But she's not happy about him coming here even for a few days. She made that clear. And how!"  
  
They had reached the bottom of the steps.  
  
"Ryoko resents anything that takes your time away from her, Tenchi," Lord Yosho told him gently. "In her mind, she finally has you home for a long while, and the first thing you do is bring in a rival for your time. I'm afraid Princess Ayeka feels the same way, although she is too well mannered to openly admit it."  
  
"I guessed that too, Grandfather. But I should be able to have a buddy over without having to worry about him being toasted by those two!" Tenchi sounded aggravated.  
  
"Yes, you should." Yosho changed the subject. "What about Ryo-Ohki?"  
  
That made his grandson laugh, as Lord Yosho knew it would.  
  
"Well, Ryoko promised to keep Ryo-Ohki away from Tris as much as possible. If Tris does see Ryo-Ohki, I guess I'll just have to say something about special hybrids. I'm not too worried about that...as long as Ryo-Ohki doesn't transform into Ryoko's pirate cruiser in front of him!" Tenchi laughed again. "You know, Grandfather, it would almost be worth it to see the expression on that wise guy's face!"  
  
Yosho smiled. "Undoubtedly. Incidentally, your father moved one of the extra futons to your bedroom before he left for the office this morning. I trust your friend will not find it too uncomfortable."  
  
"After sleeping on those dorm beds?" Tenchi shook his head. "You know, Grandfather, he'll probably think it's like being back at the University--complete with co-eds!"  
  
------  
  
Meanwhile, the "co-eds" had gathered at the low chabudi dining table in the Masaki dining room...all except Washuu. The great scientist was, once again, holed up in her sub-dimensional laboratory, working on some experiment that hopefully wouldn't blow hell off its hinges.  
  
Little Sasami had made some of her ambrosial tea. That was fortunate. The good tea was helping to improve somewhat a collection of mainly bad humors.  
  
"Okay," said Ryoko, setting down her teacup. The platinum-haired space pirate was not in the best of moods. "So the chump has to come and we have to put up with him for a few days. What's the good news?"  
  
"He's new," Sasami replied.  
  
"He's an American!" Mihoshi added, her voice happy with anticipation.  
  
"I'm still waiting for the good news," Ryoko said.  
  
"He's here only for a few days," Kiyone muttered. "Thank God!"  
  
"Thanks, Kiyone," Ryoko told her. "I see you feel the same way I do."  
  
"Aw, Tenchi's stupid roommate is coming. So what?" Kiyone shrugged. The one-time Detective Sergeant, now merely a Detective First Class again, sat moodily staring into her teacup. Her pretty, sharp-featured face was dull. "He's got to be some loser. Can't cut it where he belongs so he comes over to this country. Tenchi likes him because Tenchi's a big-hearted guy. He probably feels sorry for this loser. Tenchi would be nice to a stray dog...you all know that."  
  
"Kiyone!" Mihoshi objected.  
  
"You know it's true, Mihoshi. Just drop it."  
  
Mihoshi subsided. But her face mirrored her disquiet.  
  
"Well..." Princess Ayeka now weighed in, using that formal tone of voice that made Ryoko grit her teeth just to hear. "You may be correct in your assessment, Kiyone. I would not be surprised. But he is Lord Tenchi's friend nevertheless, and we promised to make him welcome."  
  
"I didn't," Ryoko told her. "I just promised not to blast him."  
  
"You promised to help make his stay comfortable and calm, just like the rest of us," Ayeka insisted, locking eyes with Ryoko.  
  
"What do I look like--a hotel porter?"  
  
"I will not tell you what you look like, Ryoko. You promised, and that is that."  
  
"All right, all right, I'll keep my promise. Sheesh!" Ryoko took a sip of tea. "These next few days will seem like years, I'll bet. You know, Princess, you're just as ticked as I am at having this chump barge in on us--you just won't admit it."  
  
Ayeka spoke with cold formality. "I admit that I am not pleased with Lord Tenchi spending time with this person during the first long interval he has had at home since he began attending that University. But I am thinking of Lord Tenchi, as you should, Ryoko."  
  
"I am thinking of Tenchi--that's why I'm ticked off!" Ryoko grimaced.  
  
"I wish you'd give him a chance, Ryoko," Sasami said, a bit somberly. The little Princess rose to gather the tea things. "He could be very nice, you know."  
  
"That's right," chimed in Mihoshi. "American men are handsome and rich and they drive neat cars."  
  
"That's just TV, Mihoshi." Kiyone sounded bored. "Most American men are overweight and drive cars because they're too lazy to walk. Ryoko, just cool it for a few days. He'll be gone then and everything will be back to normal."  
  
"It had better," Ryoko muttered.  
  
------  
  
Some miles away, the subject of discussion, Tristram Xavier Coffin, was driving through the small village of Mabi-Bisei, close to the Masaki shrine.(1) He was peering at road signs through his sunglasses and alternatively summoning up Tenchi's detailed verbal directions in his mind. So far, both matched.  
  
Thus, he was unmindful of the curious stares he was garnering from the village's inhabitants. Even if he had been aware of the stares, he was well used to attracting curiosity from the Japanese, especially outside the major metropolitan areas.  
  
It was understandable. The vision of a young American male (Amerika-jin) in a battered A-2 goatskin flight jacket and Ray Ban pilot's sunglasses was an unusual sight even in downtown Tokyo, much less rural Okayama. The jacket, sporting a painted insignia of a fighter squadron in back, had been his father's, as had the sunglasses...and the car as well.  
  
It was the car Tris drove that no doubt attracted the most attention. In a land of Toyotas and Hondas, any domestic American car would have stood out. And Tris's car was as American domestic as they came...a gloriously restored 1969 Ford Mustang GT convertible, with the 351W V-8 engine, four on the floor, and Candy Apple Red paint. The white canvas convertible top was down, allowing the breeze to ruffle Tris's auburn hair.  
  
Actually, the car represented one of the twenty-year-old's few actual successes in the last year. His father's old wingman and drinking buddy, Colonel Hiram "Pinbag" Groves, was now a military attaché with the American embassy in Tokyo. The Colonel had pulled strings with the Japanese immigration bureaucrats and had gained permission for Tris to ship his father's pride and joy into Japan (it was officially classified as an "antique").  
  
Colonel Groves had been surprised and not overly pleased to see Tris back in Japan. The old stick jockey knew about Tris's difficulties with his relatives following his parent's deaths and considered the young man's return to Japan as plain old running away. Colonel Groves had made it clear that he felt Tris's father and mother would have wanted their son to stay in Boston and try to reconcile somehow with his three maternal aunts. These aunts were, along with his uncles by marriage, the only family he had left. But Tris was still Air Force in the Colonel's mind and he had helped his deceased buddy's son where he could.  
  
That proved to be fortunate; the Okayama University Exchange Program, called EPOK, hadn't been very helpful at all. The program's officials had even tried to stick him into the Foreign Student's dorm--Dweeb Manor, as it was known on campus--until they finally realized how well he could speak and (to some extent) read Japanese. Since he had not been a Monbusho (Ministry of Education, Japan) scholarship case, but paid his own way, they had relented. He had been assigned to Handayama Dormitory, where he had been roomed with Tenchi Masaki. They were both entered into the Faculty of Letters (humanities, behavioral science, history and culture, language and literature) so they shared many of the same classes. They soon become fast friends.  
  
Having Dad's old Mustang was a real comfort, Tris thought, as he finally passed the last few houses comprising the village. In a way, he knew, it was like retreating back into the womb...driving Dad's car, wearing his jacket--even his sunglasses!--but Tris needed such comforts around him these days. The death of his mother and father, so brutal and sudden, right in the middle of his first year at a university in America...it still ached, awfully. A tractor-trailer driver had plowed into their rental car one foggy night and killed them. Tris wanted to hate that driver, really needed to hate him, but could not. The poor guy had been obliged to drive many hours without sufficient sleep to keep his rig payments up and feed his family--and he had died, too. Two families blasted, and not a single goddamn good reason for it...  
  
Tris shook his head. Enough of that. His roommate and now buddy, Tenchi Masaki, had invited him to his home for a few days It was a really big deal to Tenchi, Tris had divined, and it was rather a big deal to Tris, too. So, he told himself, put on the happy face, meet and greet everyone, and scope out those female houseguests Tenchi had told him about. Family friends, Tenchi had called them. Tenchi had also said they were not Japanese. Interesting...  
  
Suddenly, a cat (Tris thought it was a cat, at least) streaked in front of his car--and stopped, right smack in front of him. The animal seemed confused.  
  
Tris immediately applied the brakes. Dad had really restored the car well, and the disc-drum brakes bit deep. He stopped, lurchingly, avoiding the small creature by inches.  
  
The critter shook its head and slowly hopped away. Tris stared at it, nonplussed. What long, long ears you have, pussy cat! Kind of like a rabbit's ears--and cotton ball tail. What breed of cat was it, anyway? Or was it a cat?  
  
Suddenly he heard hands clapping. He looked around and saw a few of the older villagers politely applauding his action. Tris politely bowed his head. The villagers politely bowed back. He grinned. Only one dimple showed in his grin, causing rather a lopsided look to the young American's visage.  
  
No doubt about it...he loved Japan.  
  
------  
  
Tenchi and his grandfather had just about reached the house. They stopped by the narrow gravel drive adjacent to the Masaki abode, right by the gate. Azaka II and Kamidake II, the two large wooden cylinders standing at either side of the entrance to the gate, blinked welcomingly. Princess Ayeka had instructed her Guardians not to utter a word while the new guest was around them. Both were even now carrying out her instructions.  
  
"I think I hear Tris's car now, Grandfather," Tenchi remarked.  
  
"Indeed? I've heard it for a few minutes now," his grandfather replied mildly.  
  
"Grandfather! You have ears as sharp as Ryo-Ohki's, I swear." Tenchi laughed.  
  
"Not as prominent, though, I trust," Yosho parried, with good humor.  
  
Tenchi was pleased. His honorable and venerable grandfather was getting into the spirit of things. One less to worry about...  
  
------  
  
Tris found the small access road from the main road that lead to the Masaki grounds. Tenchi's directions had been excellent.  
  
He piloted the Mustang slowly along that access road, his tires crunchingly proclaiming the change from macadam to gravel. He took his time, trying to take everything in.  
  
And there was a lot to take in. First he spotted the Shinto temple with its tall arch-like Torii (Shinto gate) in front of the sprawl of stone steps leading up to the temple where Tenchi's grandfather maintained and officiated at, perched atop a hill. It was a surprisingly large structure for such a rural area. It was also beautifully designed. Tris couldn't help but compare the airy and soaring Shinto temples to the spires and flying buttresses of the ancient cathedrals he had seen in Europe. Both structures seemed designed to point the pious pilgrim toward heaven. Speaking of soaring heights, Tris's legs ached as he saw the long, long flight of stone steps leading up the temple. Well, he would just have to hump up those steps at least once to visit the temple. It was the only polite thing to do, and politeness was primary and primal in the land of Nippon.  
  
The lake glistened as he turned his eyes from the temple. Tenchi had mentioned the lake...very nice...but there was a massive tree anchored right in the middle of it. Tris tried to identify the tree's species, but could not; it somewhat resembled a raintree, but much bigger. He would have to ask Tenchi about it.  
  
Now the road--pretty much narrowed to a single lane--turned Tris and his car toward the Masaki house. That was another noteworthy structure. Surrrounded by a wooden fence, the multi-tiered house somehow managed to appear modern and functional, yet maintain the delicacy, simplicity, and dignity of Japanese architecture. Tris noted the very traditional engawa, or wide veranda, that surrounded the house, an aspect of Japanese design that he particularly favored-- it was like having a porch/patio all around the house. Large windows with narrow moldings, wooden walls that appeared thin and delicate but were no doubt sturdy as iron, sharp edges that bespoke precision and purpose...Tenchi had said his father was a good architect. Typical Japanese understatement. Tris thought he was a great architect and resolved to tell Tenchi's father so at the first opportunity.  
  
The entire compound, with the majestic temple, gleaming lake and delicately manicured grounds, the beautiful, inviting home--it was like a sanctuary, Tris thought, the sort of sanctuary folks spend a lifetime seeking. No wonder Tenchi seemed happy to spend all his weekends and holidays here.  
  
Then Tris spotted his buddy Tenchi and what had to be Tenchi's grandfather--he could be no other--standing by the fence's open gate. He drove up to them.  
  
------  
  
"My..." said Yosho quietly as he watching the young American drive up. "That is certainly a beautiful automobile. I believe the last time I saw such an automobile was decades ago, during a trip to Tokyo."  
  
"Yeah, it's a cool looking car, Grandfather," Tenchi affirmed. "Tris and I have had some fun tooling around in it. You know, Grandfather, it's great to have a car when you're in the city."  
  
"I can well imagine, Tenchi."  
  
Tris stopped the Mustang and applied the parking brake. He opened the door, stepped out of the car (taking just a moment to stretch his six-foot frame that was cramped by being behind the wheel for hours), and slowly walked toward Tenchi and his grandfather. He carried a gaily wrapped package.  
  
Lord Yosho studied the young American as he approached: Tall, lanky, dark hair cropped close, wearing a black polo shirt and khaki jeans along with the battered old leather jacket, shod in oxblood loafers. Now that the young man had removed his sunglasses, Yosho could see that Tristram had friendly eyes, with tiny laugh crinkles at the corners of those eyes. A good sign. The elderly priest thought he had never seen anyone more American in appearance.  
  
There was more...an aura around the young man. Was it significant? Yosho wondered.  
  
Tris was immediately impressed with Tenchi's grandfather. The elderly gentleman, clad in the traditional Shinto priest's white kimono tucked into wide, pleated hakamas, stood ramrod straight. His mustache and frameless glasses lessened the acetic affect, however. He wore his graying hair in the traditional manner with a long queue down his back. Standing next to him, Tenchi was certainly still the Tenchi Tris knew, but, dressed in the robe-like ghee, Tenchi really did resemble his grandfather. Tenchi, in fact, had a small queue of hair down his back as well (some clods called it a "rat tail"). Tris recalled that Tenchi was destined to replace his grandfather as the temple priest someday.  
  
Tenchi's smile was broad and welcoming. "Greetings, Tris! Please allow me to introduce you to my honorable grandfather, Katsuhito."  
  
Tris stopped and executed a perfect bow to Yosho. "It is an honor to meet you, sir."  
  
Yosho returned the bow. Yes, this young American has lived a while in Japan, he thought. "It is my pleasure to meet my grandson's good friend. Welcome to our humble home."  
  
Then Yosho held out his hand. Surprised and pleased, Tris shook the elderly priest's hand, noting the great strength behind the hearty handclasp. Shinto priests did not normally engage in akushu suru (shaking hands), but Tenchi's grandfather was making the gesture to make the young American feel both at home and welcome. Tenchi beamed at both of them, clearly quite pleased himself. Then he and Tris shook hands.  
  
Tris offered the package to Lord Yosho. "Thank you so much for inviting me to your wonderful home." The package was the traditional gift that visitors brought their hosts in Japan. Beneath the packaging was a fine collection of delicate Japanese teas. At college, Tris had noticed that Tenchi was very traditional about tea...in that way, the Japanese rather resembled the British friends Tris made when he lived in England.  
  
Lord Yosho accepted the package, smiling in acknowledgment. Indeed, this young American did have some understanding of Japanese customs.  
  
"You're pretty much right on time, Tris," Tenchi said, immediately lapsing into the complete informality he enjoyed with his American friend. "Did you make good time?"  
  
"Relatively good time, I guess. The traffic was only bumper-to- bumper, not dashboard-to-dashboard for once."  
  
Tenchi laughed. Behind him, he heard his grandfather chuckle. Yes, everything was turning out all right, he thought gratefully.  
  
------  
  
That assessment was not shared by at least a few of the women inside the house. Tris couldn't have known it, of course, but five pairs of beautiful alien female eyes were studying him from the spacious living room window. Studying...and evaluating.  
  
"See," said Mihoshi triumphantly. "He's got a neat car, and he's tall and slim. Not a bit overweight. I'll bet he's rich, too. I like him already."  
  
"You like everyone already, Mihoshi," Kiyone told her.  
  
"Well...what's wrong with that?"  
  
Kiyone did not bother to reply. She was peering at the American with interest--more interest than she had shown in anything for some time. "He does have a cool car, that's for sure. I'll bet that's a real pilot's jacket he's wearing." Kiyone, as a matter of course, had studied Earth's airborne military forces. "United States Air Force, I think."  
  
"He's in the Air Force?" Sasami asked, surprised.  
  
"No...he wouldn't be going to college with Tenchi if he were," Kiyone explained.  
  
"Well, he should have joined the Air Force," Ryoko opined. "And left Tenchi alone."  
  
"He looks like a nice boy, Ryoko," Sasami remonstrated. As always, the very young Juraian Princess was prepared to like anyone and wanted everyone around her to get along.  
  
"He looks like a wet noodle to me," Ryoko said. "That nose! What a honker! And look at those big feet! Bigger than Mihoshi's!"  
  
"Hey!" Mihoshi protested.  
  
"And those ears belong on a jug. He's a tall drink of water. Bet he bangs his head a lot." (Ryoko was actually right on target there.) "Look at him smile...one dimple! Wonder where he lost the other one!" Ryoko laughed.  
  
Ayeka could keep silent no longer. "That is not fair, Ryoko. He is not a bad-looking boy. He cannot help those other things about himself."  
  
"I call 'em like I see 'em, Princess." That was Ryoko's tag line.  
  
Ayeka shook her head. Ryoko had said nothing but the truth that time. Regardless of whom she hurt, the space pirate usually spoke her mind. It was an indulgence in bad manners that continually exasperated Ayeka. "Well, please hold your tongue when you are around him, will you? I will admit...he is certainly no Lord Tenchi."  
  
"That's a news flash!" Ryoko said sardonically.  
  
Kiyone moved from the window. "Well, if we're all finished dissecting the poor guy, shouldn't we go outside and greet him? Get it over with?"  
  
"Exactly, Kiyone," Ayeka said. "Let us proceed...and please watch what you say, Ryoko."  
  
"I'll watch what I say, all right," Ryoko promised. "I won't say anything!"  
  
------  
  
"Like I told you, Tris, we have some houseguests...friends of the family, really," Tenchi said carefully, as he, his grandfather, and Tris walked through the open gate and toward the house.  
  
"Six women, didn't you say?"  
  
"That's right."  
  
"And they're not Japanese?"  
  
"No. They're just visiting. Sort of like you are."  
  
"Oh...okay," Tris said with equanimity.  
  
"You see, Tristram," Yosho spoke up. "We have many visitors to our humble home. We rather like houseguests."  
  
"That's great, sir. But you should try putting up my Cousin John-John sometime. Motels make his parents pay a damage deposit when they check in."  
  
"Tristram," Yosho said. "You needn't call me "sir.""  
  
"Yes, sir. I mean..."  
  
Tenchi's grandfather chuckled. "All right, Tristram. "Sir" is fine if you're more comfortable with that."  
  
"Thank you...sir."  
  
The front door slid open. Five young women stepped outside. Tenchi, his grandfather, and Tris stopped. Tris, in fact, stopped cold, causing Tenchi to bump into him.  
  
Tenchi stifled a groan. He had wanted the women to meet and greet Tris one at a time, in a casual setting, inside. They were startling enough, one-on-one, but all of them at once...!  
  
Tris didn't even feel the bump. The sight of Tenchi's houseguests, even from that distance, transfixed him. He had never before seen five more attractive--and more exotic-looking--young women. And he'd been places.  
  
The first, taller than the rest, almost as tall as he, had a spiky mane of absolutely platinum-hued hair. Not platinum blonde. Platinum. In a tight-fitting, but ankle-length violet sheath dress, accentuated with lemon piping, she was stunning. She was also not amused, judging from the look she gave Tris. For some reason, the old American colonial motto, "Don't tread on me," popped in Tris's head. Her eyes--they were golden--surveyed him without interest. She placed her hands on her hips and appeared bored.  
  
Beside her stood an exquisite young woman whose long robes and formal, intricate hairstyle may well have pronounced her high-born Japanese, although her features were not Asian. Her deep purple hair was sculptured rather helmet-like, with two extraordinarily long queues trailing down her back. There seemed to be a jeweled band around her forehead, obscured by bangs of hair. The robes she wore seemed actually more like a dress, a robed gown, actually, belted with a wide, satiny sash. Her bearing was simply regal. The look she gave Tris--favored him with would be more precise--was polite but not warm. Her ruby eyes were not exactly welcoming. At least she smiled slightly, unlike the platinum-haired bombshell standing beside her.  
  
Tris had to lower his gaze a bit to view the next female in line and he couldn't help inwardly smiling a bit as he did. She was a little girl, clad in a robed gown secured with a wide sash, similar to that worn by the stately young woman. She had a bit of jewelry--a small, iridescent, inverted triangle, bisected in the middle, made from some gemstone--on her forehead. Even without those clues, it was clear that this little girl was the formal woman's younger sister. She was cute and adorable in very long pigtails and a dusting of freckles around her upturned nose, and she smiled with genuine welcoming warmth at him. Her hair was electric blue in coloration and her eyes a coral pink, an odd but endearing combination. Tris returned her smile, knowing he already had at least one friend in the group.  
  
The next in line, a tallish woman, smiled at him with the friendliest and most amenable demeanor he could remember ever seeing. She was blonde, very blonde, and tanned, like a California beach girl, but Tris doubted she had ever been anywhere near Big Sur. That smile was as warm as California sunshine, though. She possessed a very pleasing shape, outfitted in a pink pullover and elaborately accented stone colored denims. Her blue eyes were very wide and her expression was absolutely sweet and innocent. Whereas the little girl was childishly adorable, this young lady was, well, womanly adorable.  
  
Tris's gaze then took in the last female...and stopped.  
  
She was another shapely young woman. She had long, dark teal hair that flowed past her shoulders and down to the small of her back. He noted that she was wearing a short-sleeved khaki blouse and indigo blue jeans, real Levis 501s from the look of them. She also affected a red headband. She possessed the clearest and gravest blue eyes imaginable. Tris found himself staring into her eyes. They were violet blue eyes, unlike those of the blonde woman beside her. One could get lost in those brilliant blue eyes...  
  
Millions of words, rivers of ink, and forests of trees have been sacrificed in attempts to describe the look Tris and the teal-haired young woman shared at that moment. Rather than add to the carnage, it is sufficient to record that "something clicked." Then they both studiously avoided each other's eyes.  
  
Glancing again at the tanned blonde, Tris noted that (from what he could tell at that distance) she appeared to possess somewhat pointed ears--not unattractively pointed, but pointed. Odd. Perhaps her ancestors hailed from Kentucky.  
  
"So these are your houseguests?" Tris asked Tenchi.  
  
"Ummm...yeah. That's Ryoko with her hands on her hips. Next is Ayeka, then Sasami, then Mihoshi, and finally Kiyone."  
  
"Their names sound Japanese. But they're not--boy, are they not!"  
  
"I guess our houseguests aren't what you expected, Tris," Tenchi temporized. He hoped his friend was not too overwhelmed. He had an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach that all of his planning was going for naught.  
  
"No...they're really something! Of course, the way a couple of them are looking at me, you'd think they were relatives of mine."  
  
"They don't mean to be unfriendly. They're just not used to you, Tris. Yet."  
  
"A couple of them look like they don't want to get used to me. Say, Tenchi, I only see five women there. Didn't you say there were six?" Tris asked innocently.  
  
"Yeah. The last is probably busy somewhere and--" Tenchi stopped. He went pale.  
  
Yosho looked at Tenchi with concern. "Tenchi...what's wrong?"  
  
Tenchi looked miserable. "Grandfather, I...I forgot to remind--"  
  
He was interrupted by the Earth moving.  
  
Trembling, actually. Beneath their feet, the ground quivered, trembled, and shook; not enough to upset balances but enough to upset nerve endings. A dull rumble rose from somewhere. It sounded as if it were coming from the house.  
  
"Earthquake?" Tris shouted worriedly. Earthquakes were not unknown in Japan. The tremors increased.  
  
"No!" yelled Tenchi. "No...please no!" He wasn't referring to Tris's conjecture. He knew what the cause of the disturbance was.  
  
Easily maintaining his balance behind Tenchi and Tris, Lord Yosho just shook his head grimly.  
  
Some distance away, the five women were swaying as the Earth quivered and quaked beneath their feet, too. Exclamations--and a few curses-- filled the air around them. Like Tenchi, they also knew with certainty the cause of the extremely localized quake.  
  
Then, as he struggled to maintain his balance, and succeeded--just-- Tris saw a light, a blinding white light that appeared to first seep, then pour out from the house's foundations. The light increased in intensity--he started to shield his eyes--the rumbling reverberated around him, louder--  
  
And then--incredibly--the house rose--off its foundations--into the air--  
  
"Wha--" Tris said.  
  
"No!" Tenchi said.  
  
"Unfortunate," said Yosho.  
  
The house rose--and rose--at least six feet in the air. Then it stopped. Just stopped. So did the rumbling. But not before the platinum-haired female houseguest named Ryoko leapt into the air--and stayed there--hovering--going into what looked like a defensive position--now ten feet in the air--and something long and black was whipping from the woman's posterior--a tail--?  
  
"Wha...wha..." Tris said.  
  
"No! Ryoko!" Tenchi said.  
  
"Most unfortunate," said Yosho.  
  
Not only that--but two large wooden lawn ornaments suddenly lifted from the ground. Lights blinked from tiny portholes in each. They immediately flew to the formally attired young woman, Ayeka. They hovered in the air around her. And--they seemed to be talking to her--  
  
"We'll protect you, Princess," said one.  
  
"Count on us," said the other.  
  
"That really will not be necessary," Ayeka said quietly, although it was clear that she was perturbed by the turn of events.  
  
The two lawn ornaments blinked in response and flew back to their original locations by the gate. They slowly settled back on the ground.  
  
Tris said--nothing. He was speechless.  
  
Tenchi wasn't, though. He yelled with anger and despair (and a dollop of self-recrimination, just for the record): "Washuu!"  
  
His shout rent the now deathly still air.  
  
All was quiet now. Even the insects stopped chirping. No one else spoke. The women, aside from the floating Ryoko, looked at the three men with concern. Ayeka was wringing her hands. Mihoshi began to sniffle, just a little, as she released Kiyone from a panic-clutch. Sasami shook her pig-tailed head.  
  
Tenchi groaned with frustration. Another disaster! He looked at Tris, more than a bit anxious to see how his college roommate was taking all this. Tris seemed unmoved, surprisingly.  
  
Then Tris spoke.  
  
"Tenchi." His voice was calm, almost conversational in tone.  
  
"Um...yes, Tris?"  
  
"Your house...it's floating in the air."  
  
"That's right," Tenchi replied, unable to contradict his friend.  
  
"Yeah." Tris seemed to pause and collect his thoughts. "Houses aren't supposed to float in the air, Tenchi," he added.  
  
"Uh-huh. That's true," Tenchi admitted.  
  
Tris now directed his attention to Ryoko.  
  
"One of your houseguests is floating in the air, too," he observed mildly. "A few feet higher than your house, I believe."  
  
"Yes, Tris."  
  
"Houseguests don't normally do that, Tenchi. Do they?"  
  
"No, Tris," Tenchi agreed.  
  
"Uh...why does she have a tail?" Tris queried.  
  
Hovering above them all, the platinum-haired woman laughed.  
  
"Let's talk about that later," Tenchi requested.  
  
"Okay," Tris said agreeably. His calmness was amazing to Tenchi. It fact, it seemed unnatural.  
  
Tris's eyes now took in the two wooden cylinders that were no longer hovering around the purple-haired young woman but were still blinking their small pilot lights.  
  
"I think we'll just pass over..." He paused. "Well, no, we won't. Tenchi, two of your--lawn ornaments?--flew around another one of your house guests. I distinctly heard them speak to her."  
  
"Yes, Tris," Tenchi said, helplessly.  
  
"Lawn ornaments shouldn't do that. Of course, that's just my opinion. Boy, it's warm out here." Tris's voice sounded odd suddenly.  
  
"Tris...!"  
  
Tenchi viewed Tris with alarm. The American was swaying a bit and he had that glazed look, exactly the look he had when he was hit on the head with a baseball a month ago while rounding third base in that pickup game against Yogashi Dormitory. That game had been called on account of concussion.  
  
The young American was indeed feeling a bit woozy. Sensory overload. He stared at the ground. It wasn't moving now, thank heavens, but it did seem to be beckoning to him. Rather invitingly.  
  
"Tenchi," he said, weakly. "I--" He swayed, more.  
  
"Tris! Pinch yourself! Hard!"  
  
Tris obliged. "Ouch!" He had pinched himself pretty hard. He looked up again at the airborne house and the airborne houseguest. "Didn't work. Everything's still floating." But his voice was stronger. And he stood still now.  
  
Tenchi cast a relieved look at his grandfather. Lord Yosho smiled at him. The Shinto priest placed a hand on Tris's shoulder. "Steady, young man. This can all be explained."  
  
"That Washuu!" Tenchi said, aggrieved. "Washuu!" he yelled, our of pure, unadulterated, pent-up frustration.  
  
"You rang?" A cheerful female voice responded.  
  
Seemingly from beneath the house, a petite girl--she didn't look that much older than the little girl in the robes--with a shaggy mass of bright red hair appeared. She wore a kind of banana-colored jumpsuit. One of her cheeks was smudged with dirt.  
  
"Hi, everybody. Another triumph for super science!" she said, beaming, her sea green eyes merry. Her voice was that of an adult.  
  
Tris was taking this new personage in--houseguest number six, no doubt--when suddenly, what appeared to be a small puppet version of her, labeled "A," jumped up from behind one of her shoulders. Then another, its exact twin (except that it was labeled "B"), jumped up from the other shoulder.  
  
Puppet A: "Hooray for Washuu! Greatest genius in the universe! Solver of all problems!"  
  
Puppet B: "Yes, Tenchi's father will now have no problem checking for damp beneath the floorboards--thanks to the great Washuu!"  
  
The two puppets darted out of sight.  
  
The woman, Washuu, smiled modestly.  
  
Tris started to sway again. Yosho held him firmly.  
  
"Hey..." Washuu said, noticing Tris for the first time. "Who are you? You aren't...you couldn't be..."  
  
"Yes, Professor Washuu. He is," Yosho responded before Tenchi could say it much more forcefully.  
  
"I thought he was coming tomorrow." Washuu looked aggrieved.  
  
"You were wrong," Lord Yosho said simply.  
  
"Hmmmm. I guess I was." Washuu appeared to ponder that development for a moment. "Wait. I can take care of this. Just wait there, what's-your-name."  
  
Tris found his voice. "It's Tris."  
  
"Whatever. Don't go anywhere." She walked quickly back toward the still hovering house.  
  
"Yeah, that's right Tris," Ryoko called down mockingly from the air. "Don't worry. The mean old mad scientist won't do anything more to scare you...will you, Washuu?"  
  
"Can it, Ryoko," Washuu said over her shoulder.  
  
"Professor Washuu," Yosho also called after her. "I think you may lower the house now."  
  
"Ohhh...right. I'll take care of it right away." She seemed to disappear as she approached the house.  
  
Of course, Tris thought. Why not? He noticed the insects were chirping again. Sure, go right ahead. Act like everything's back to normal. "You don't have to hold me up anymore, sir," he told Yosho. "I think I'll stay vertical now."  
  
"Good." Yosho released his hold on Tris.  
  
Then the ground trembled briefly, and the light and the rumbling returned. But, at least this time, the house went down, not up. The structure settled back onto its foundations with a last rumble. Perfect four-point landing.  
  
Tenchi groaned audibly. He looked up at Ryoko, who had observed the proceedings from on high with undisguised merriment.  
  
"Ryoko. You can come down now."  
  
"Is your friend going to faint again if I do?"  
  
"He didn't faint. Come down, please."  
  
"I like it up here, Tenchi," Ryoko said sweetly. Just from her tone, even Tris could tell the floating woman had quite a thing for his roommate.  
  
"Please come down, Ryoko."  
  
"All right, Tenchi. Just for you."  
  
Ryoko floated earthward. She settled on the lawn. Perfect two-point landing.  
  
Suddenly, something small and furry bounded through the grass toward Ryoko. It had a round fluff of a tail, long, fuzzy ears, and a feline (sort of) face. "Me-ower!" it said.  
  
Ryoko bent down and ruffled its ears. "Bad Ryo-Ohki. I told you to stay put...well, I guess it doesn't matter now."  
  
Tris recognized the furry little critter. He'd almost squashed it back in the village. He decided he had better not mention that.  
  
"That rabbit looks like a cat," he said, studying Ryo-Ohki. "Or--that cat looks like a rabbit. Which is it?"  
  
"Yes." Tenchi managed a small grin. "Actually, we just call it a cabbit."  
  
"Appropriate," Tris admitted. "It belongs to that Ryoko woman, huh?"  
  
"That's right. Her name is Ryo-Ohki."  
  
"It's a girl cabbit, huh? Does she fly, too?" Tris joked.  
  
"Actually..." Tenchi paused. "Let's talk about that later."  
  
"Right-o." Tris was agreeable. He was still a bit overwhelmed, truth to tell.  
  
"Goofball," Ryoko cooed to Ryo-Ohki. She petted the cabbit with affection. "He's such a goofball. Isn't he?" She obviously was not referring to Tenchi.  
  
The cabbit took in Tris. "Me-ower," she replied, not unfriendily, blinking bright eyes at the new being. Perhaps she recalled how good Tris's car's brakes had been.  
  
"Oh, Ryo-Ohki!" Ryoko protested. "Don't you fall for him!"  
  
Tenchi smiled, glancing at Tris. Then he looked in Ayeka's direction. She caught his look.  
  
"I apologize, Lord Tenchi," she said. "My Guardians are programmed to respond automatically to danger, as you know."  
  
"It's not your fault, Ayeka."  
  
Ryoko rose from petting her cabbit and folded her arms across her chest. "Who's fault is it, then? Mine?"  
  
"No, of course not, Ryoko. It's mine. I forgot to remind Washuu this morning. I just...forgot about her." Tenchi looked bemused.  
  
Ryoko, mollified, bent down again to resume ruffling Ryo-Ohki's long, furry ears. The cabbit quivered with delight.  
  
"Easy to do, Tenchi," Kiyone offered. "She spends so much time in that lab of hers. I forget about her myself."  
  
"She doesn't even eat her meals with us," Sasami added. "Most of the time."  
  
"Or even sleep in the house with us," Mihoshi agreed. She smiled a little dolefully at Tris. He looked so confused. She felt bad for him. She felt bad for Tenchi, too. He looked so sad.  
  
"Tris, I'm really--really--sorry about all this," Tenchi said.  
  
"Why? It's not your fault...unless you're going to start flying around, too."  
  
"No." Tenchi had to smile. "Not me."  
  
Behind the two young men, Lord Yosho cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should conduct further introductions and explanations..."  
  
He stopped.  
  
Washuu had reappeared again, carrying a small metallic-looking box. She walked up to Tris, opened the box, and reached in. She withdrew a small wafer that glowed eerily.  
  
"Here, you," she said. "Put this on your forehead."  
  
Tris back-pedaled from her. "And...why would I do that?"  
  
Washuu looked a bit exasperated. "Never mind. Just put it on your forehead."  
  
"Wait a minute, Washuu," Tenchi interceded. "What's that going to do to him?"  
  
"You really want me to say--in front of him?"  
  
"Yes, I do," Tenchi said firmly.  
  
"Well..." Then Washuu smiled and said lightly, "It'll just wipe his memory clean. That's all. Won't hurt a bit."  
  
"Huh?" Tris exclaimed. "What?"  
  
"Are you hard of hearing? I said--"  
  
"He heard what you said, Washuu," Tenchi said. "How much of his memory are you planning to...wipe out?"  
  
"Ohhh, just the past day or so. Can't narrow it down any more than that. There's no pain, like I said. No big deal."  
  
"No big deal?" Tris responded incredulously.  
  
"Listen, are you going to repeat everything I say--?"  
  
"Forget it, Washuu," Tenchi interrupted.  
  
"What?"  
  
Tris couldn't resist. "He said, forget it. Are you hard of hearing?"  
  
Washuu gave him a quick look of grudging respect. Then she returned to Tenchi. "But, Tenchi--he knows. At least, he knows too much!"  
  
"So...he knows."  
  
Washuu stared at Tenchi, her expression puzzled.  
  
Ryoko stopped petting Ryo-Ohki. She now rose into the air and zipped down to the small group. She hovered above them.  
  
"Tenchi, make him put that thing on his head. You can't let him know about us."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It's dangerous!"  
  
"Why, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Well, it's obvious! He's an outsider. He's not one of us. He'll tell--he'll ruin everything!" Ryoko insisted.  
  
Tenchi turned to Tris. "Will you tell?"  
  
"I'm no fink," Tris said. "Ask any kid at recess. Besides, I don't care for the tailoring of the strait-jackets they make these days."  
  
Tenchi turned to Ryoko and Washuu. "There you go."  
  
"Good for you, grandson," Yosho murmured behind him.  
  
Washuu looked at Tenchi, then at his grandfather. She shrugged. "Okay. I can see where this is going. See ya."  
  
She turned and walked back to the house.  
  
"There's a candidate for my fan club, for sure," Tris remarked.  
  
"Oh, she's always brusque like that. It's nothing personal." Tenchi said it with more confidence than he felt.  
  
Ryoko hovered above Tenchi now. She spoke anxiously. "I can't believe you're not going to do something about this. Letting some outsider in, letting him know...hey, help me out here, Princess."  
  
"She has a point, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka spoke, her voice soft but firm, from where she stood with the other women. "It is quite a risk."  
  
""Lord" Tenchi?" Tris asked. He'd finally caught on to how that formal-looking young woman addressed his roommate.  
  
Tenchi waved it aside. "Later, buddy."  
  
"Right-o," Tris said. Later for a lot of things.  
  
"Listen, all of you," Tenchi said slowly and deliberately to the women. "Tris is my friend. I trust him as I trust all of you. I just didn't want to...well, burden him with all this. That's why I asked you all to kind of deceive him. It wasn't because I didn't trust him." Tenchi stopped. "That sounds pretty lame, I know."  
  
"Not to me, old buddy," Tris said, grinning. "Sounds about right. It all kind of makes sense now. Kind of," he added.  
  
"That was well spoken and truly spoken, grandson," Yosho said. He gently laid a hand on one of Tenchi's shoulders.  
  
Ayeka regarded Tenchi with consternation. "You have only known this person for what--a few months? Can you be so certain, Lord Tenchi? Please reconsider. An outsider!"  
  
"Yeah," chimed in Ryoko. "What she said."  
  
"Yes, I can be certain," Tenchi said, firmly. "I knew all of you for a lot less time before I learned to trust you. And you were all outsiders, at first."  
  
Standing behind his grandson and Tris, Lord Yosho nodded approvingly.  
  
Suddenly little Sasami spoke up. "Tenchi is right, big sister. If Tenchi trusts him, we should too. Don't you think so?"  
  
"He's nice!" Mihoshi burst out. "He's funny, too. I want him to stay."  
  
Tris smiled his thanks at the bubbly tanned blonde. He also smiled at the cute little girl with the long, long pigtails. Then he regarded the quiet, pretty woman standing beside the blonde. This was the lady who had made such an indelible impression on him. She still did. Tris found himself caring, caring awfully, what she would say.  
  
Kiyone smiled slightly. "Well, first if all, I suggest we stop talking about him as if he weren't here."  
  
"Thank you," Tris said.  
  
Kiyone looked at him with those grave blue eyes. "You're welcome." She turned to the other women. "Frankly, I don't think any one of us whose last name isn't "Masaki" has anything to say about it. We're all guests here, we're all different, and we all have to trust each other. If Tenchi trusts Tris--boy, that's a tongue twister--" she grinned "--then that's good enough for me. It should be good enough for you."  
  
All of the other women--even Ryoko--took a moment to stare at Kiyone with amazement. That was the most animated speech the Galaxy Police officer had uttered in some time. And she had made a joke! If nothing else good was happening, Kiyone seemed to be withdrawing from her despondency at last.  
  
"I couldn't have said it better myself, Detective," Yosho told her.  
  
Kiyone bowed respectfully to the man who was, among other things, a Juraian Prince of the blood. Lord Yosho bowed back.  
  
"Yes, well said, Kiyone," Tenchi added gratefully.  
  
Tris just smiled at her again. She returned the smile...and even gave him a small wink.  
  
Then she grimaced as her partner, Mihoshi, delightedly patted her back. "That was neat, Kiyone!"  
  
"Okay, Mihoshi, that's enough." Mihoshi stopped patting but she didn't stop smiling at her partner.  
  
"You're all wrong!" Ryoko insisted. She sounded (and was) severely exasperated. It appeared to the space pirate that everyone was turning against her. Ironically, her only ally seemed to be-- "Princess, say something!"  
  
Ayeka pursed her lips. In her heart, she agreed with Ryoko, but it would be useless to remonstrate with Lord Tenchi. He wanted this outsider to stay and insisted on trusting him. Lord Tenchi was entirely too trusting, but now was not the time to tell him so. Well versed in court intrigue, First Princess Ayeka Jurai know when to make a tactical retreat.  
  
"I cannot entirely approve," she said, quietly. "Time will tell. But it is Lord Tenchi's wish, and we should accede to it."  
  
"Oh...balls!" Ryoko spat out. She streaked away.  
  
"My fan club grows and grows," Tris observed, watching Ryoko fly to the house. Then he saw her disappear into the house. Through a wall.  
  
"No...we'll just let that one pass," he muttered.  
  
"What?" Tenchi asked him.  
  
"Nothing." He gave Tenchi a lopsided, one-dimpled smile. "Nothing at all--"Lord" Tenchi! Should I bow or just kiss your ring?"  
  
Tenchi placed a hand at the back of his head in a characteristic gesture and laughed embarrassedly. "Like I said, I'll explain all that," he promised.  
  
"And as I was saying," Yosho resumed. "I suggest we all go inside, now that the house is back on its foundations. It is time for luncheon. We can go into the introductions and explanations there."  
  
"Yay!" said Mihoshi. "I'm hungry!"  
  
"So what else is new?" Kiyone rejoined, rolling her eyes heavenward.  
  
Mihoshi just laughed with delight. Even exasperation was much more preferable from her partner than all that glum silence.  
  
"Good idea! I can have a meal prepared quickly," Sasami smiled. "First, I'll make some tea for all of us."  
  
"She does the cooking?" Tris muttered to Tenchi. "That little doll?"  
  
"Later," Tenchi muttered back.  
  
"I'll help you, Sasami," Ayeka offered. She had decided to make the best of a bad situation. But she still privately agreed with Ryoko. The next three days couldn't pass quickly enough for her.  
  
"Thanks, big sister!"  
  
The group, now including Tris Coffin, moved toward the house. Ryo-Ohki joyfully bounded along behind them, sensing that the mood had lightened. As did Sasami, the cabbit liked it that way.  
  
------  
  
The Masaki household indulged in an extended luncheon that day.  
  
With all the questions and answers, and the need to ingest food, the midday meal seemed almost endless. But at least Tris was brought up to speed (in a very shallow sense) with the unique status of both his hosts and his fellow guests.  
  
Unique status! They were all space aliens, except for Tenchi, who was only part space alien but also a space alien prince, as was his grandfather, who was a full-blooded space alien (his real name was Yosho, Lord Yosho, and that was how everyone addressed him). However, Tenchi's father, who was at work, was fully terrestrial. The women were clearly not guests, not really. They were all part of the Masaki family now. Tris was the only real guest...and not a very welcome one.  
  
Ryoko, the space pirate and super-powerful being...Ayeka Jurai, the crowned Princess of the distant planet also called Jurai, possessor of the mighty Jurai power...her little sister, Sasami, also a Princess of Jurai and a terrific cook...Mihoshi Kuramitsu and Kiyone Makibi, Detectives First Class of the Galaxy Police, piloting vehicles and using weaponry that made anything on Earth seem like sticks and stones...that redheaded scientist who had wanted to whack out his memory, Washuu Hakubi, not present, said to be in her lab somewhere...that cute little feline rabbity creature, Ryo-Ohki, who was Ryoko's pet, said to also be Ryoko's starship (Tris would have to see that to believe it, though)...and, oh, yeah, those two lawn ornaments, called Guardians--Azaka II and Kamidake II. Evidently they were the "second generation," whatever that meant.  
  
It was a lot to absorb and to keep track of. Almost too much, really. It also turned certain tenets of Tris's basic belief system on their collective ear. It was rather like finding out that there really was a Santa Claus and an Easter Bunny...and that the Easter Bunny was not very happy to see you.  
  
Yet there was one factor that helped Tris accept the unacceptable-- the fact that, space aliens or not, these were clearly people he was meeting. Extraordinary people, but people. Aside from a few examples of exotic hair and eye coloring and the shape of a few ears, the women, in appearance, might well have come from Earth. In manner, they seemed like regular folks--regular folks who normally lived, worked, and played many light years away.  
  
Nearly all the women had willingly, and, in a few cases, even eagerly, answered his questions and volunteered information he would never have thought to ask for. All except Ryoko. The most-wanted fugitive space pirate (Tenchi had told him a little about her as they walked to the house) had just floated down from the high ceiling's heavy beamed rafters when Sasami served dinner. Ryoko had eaten her meal in a silence punctuated only by grunts, then had floated away once she finished. In short: She was ticked off, mightily. Still.  
  
It was an uncomfortable situation, Tris realized. Here was a woman who could blast open steel walls and doors with power beams and she was less than pleased with him. That alien Princess, Ayeka, was also long on super powers and short on regard for him despite her cold politeness, he also realized. It was a ticklish situation. Like the house slippers on his feet. He grinned inwardly. He, of course, followed the standard practice of exchanging his Weejuns at the house's entryway, or genkan, for house slippers--only, the family didn't have house slippers that fit American size 12D. Oh, well, he'd have to adjust to that, too.  
  
Now only Tris, Kiyone, and Mihoshi still sat (actually, squatted on their tatami mats) around the traditional chabudai rectangular dining table, set on an elevated platform in the dining room. Through an open serving window at one end, Tris could see that the kitchen gleamed with modern gadgetry. Tenchi's home was an interesting mixture of the traditional and the contemporary. Tris noticed that the walls enclosing the dining room seemed somewhat newish. He had the impression that the dining room had once been an open space, adjacent to the living room. The ceiling beams looked relatively recent as well. He would have to ask Tenchi the reason for the remodeling sometime.  
  
"So you and Mihoshi were assigned here...to Earth?" Tris now asked Kiyone. She was the easiest one to talk to, and really, the one he wanted most to talk to for the matter of that. Sasami was a sweet kid and Mihoshi was a bigger sweet kid, but Kiyone really seemed more attuned to him, somehow, although she was from outer space, too. "After you found Mihoshi, who got stranded here trying to capture Ryoko?" It was hard to keep everyone's story straight.  
  
"Uh-huh. Actually, assigned to this section--our patrol sector. It covers a pretty wide area of open space. It's also a restricted area, since none of the inhabited planets in it are members of the Galactic Union."  
  
"Are there other inhabited planets in your sector?" Tris asked, his curiosity piqued.  
  
"Ummmm...no," Kiyone replied, glancing down at her teacup. "Just this one."  
  
"Yeah? Then, why--"  
  
"Oh, we're really just traffic patrol for the few ships that pass through!" Mihoshi burst into the conversation, eager to enlighten. "And we stop ships that aren't authorized to be here. Sometimes we help folks who have breakdowns. Not much action at all!"  
  
"Thanks a lot, Mihoshi!" Kiyone grated. Clearly, this was a sensitive topic for the teal-haired Galaxy Police officer.  
  
"Ummm..." Tris thought it wise to change the subject. "So after you found Mihoshi here, and then were assigned here, the Masakis invited you to move in?"  
  
Kiyone seemed to hesitate in answering the question. Then Mihoshi shoved her oar in again.  
  
"Oh, no! Kiyone and I tried to live in our own apartment in Okayama City where you go to college. But we didn't have enough money left after our salary deductions to pay the rent and to buy food and stuff. We were starving! We got part-time jobs but always got fired somehow. So we had to come here to eat and then--"  
  
Kiyone clapped a hand over Mihoshi's mouth. "You always say too much, Mihoshi!"  
  
Moving right along...Tris asked, "That was the first time you were here, right? And this is your second stay here?"  
  
Mihoshi nodded but said nothing, since Kiyone's hand still sealed her mouth.  
  
Time to change the subject again. "Well, do you have any questions for me?"  
  
Mihoshi pushed Kiyone's hand aside. "Are you a cowboy?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Then a voice floated down from the rafters: "Why, Mihoshi? Do you think he looks like a cow?" There was a peal of laughter. "Moo!"  
  
Tris didn't bother to look up. He knew who said that.  
  
"Ignore her," Kiyone advised.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Tris, you didn't answer my question," Mihoshi protested.  
  
"She thinks all Americans are cowboys from watching American TV," Tenchi explained with a grin, walking over to them from where he had been talking to his grandfather.  
  
"I do not, Tenchi," Mihoshi denied. In fact, she also thought, thanks to TV, that Americans were doctors and lawyers and detectives and poor, put-upon fathers. "I just like cowboys and horsies and things." Her wide blue eyes turned to Tris again for his answer to her question.  
  
"Well, my Uncle Bosley has horses. I've ridden them...fallen off of them..."  
  
"Wow! Tris is a cowboy!" Mihoshi was excited. "I knew it!"  
  
"Where's your ten-gallon hat, Tex?" the voice from the rafters asked.  
  
"In the trunk of my car with my spurs and six-gun," Tris couldn't resist answering. He was getting annoyed at Ryoko.  
  
"I told you to ignore her," Kiyone said.  
  
"Yeah, you'd better," Tenchi advised, looking a little irritated as he surveyed the rafters.  
  
"You rode a horse, Tris?" little Sasami queried, walking in from the kitchen. She and Ayeka had carried the luncheon dishes in there. "That's so neat! I love horses. I'd love to ride one."  
  
"How about falling off one?" the voice from the rafters snickered. "Tris can show you how!"  
  
"I'm sure Tris is a fine rider," Sasami, the little sweetheart, said to the rafters. She was wrong, of course, but Tris chose not to enlighten her. Sasami smiled at him and returned to the kitchen.  
  
"Say...how is it that you can watch American TV?" The question had just occurred to Tris. He was not razor sharp today by any means.  
  
"You forget Tris, we come from an alliance of planets where people speak all sorts of different languages," Kiyone explained. "We become adept from a very young age to learn new languages. English is actually easier to learn than Japanese." She smiled and then said, in English, "What's up?"  
  
"You know what's up!" Tris grinned at her. "That's great. But I meant, how is it that you can watch American TV programming here? Japanese cable has only a little American programming and no American channels. I know. I have to maintain a huge video vault here just so I can see my favorite old movies."  
  
"He does!" Tenchi grinned. "Takes up about half of his closet in the dorm. Those old movies are fun to watch, especially the horror movies."  
  
"So...how do you do it?" Tris repeated his question.  
  
"Oh, that." Kiyone waved a hand. "We pick up all the American and other satellite channels here."  
  
"But how?" Tris was puzzled.  
  
"Come over to the TV set, and I'll show you," Tenchi offered.  
  
Tris rose, along with Mihoshi and Kiyone, and followed Tenchi to the living room. The specious, well-sunlit room, furnished with two comfortable and matching couches and several chairs, also boasted a largish TV monitor. Tris noticed his leather jacket draped over one of the couches where he had deposited it. He slipped it on, although the weather was quite balmy. He just liked to wear it.  
  
"See this black box on top of the set?" Tenchi asked him.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, Washuu rigged it up. It collects all satellite channel transmissions, from everywhere on Earth, and brings them to the set. We can tune in any channel."  
  
"Like MTV!" said Mihoshi.  
  
"And Court TV," Kiyone added. "Very informative...from a strictly professional standpoint, of course."  
  
"But to pick up satellite transmissions you need line of sight. You can't just pick up satellite signals from anywhere, like radio waves..." Tris stopped. The others were grinning at him.  
  
"Got a clue yet, genius?" The voice from the rafters had moved and was right above them now.  
  
"Okay, okay, you got me," Tris admitted. "Washuu. If she can raise the house, I suppose she can make satellite beams bend, too."  
  
"Not exactly like that," Tenchi told him. "Washuu explained it once. It's sort of like a scanner. It seeks out and grabs the satellite beams...that's all I could understand."  
  
"Good enough." Tris shook his head wonderingly. All the world's satellite stations! He wished he were staying longer. Maybe not, though. He could become a regular couch potato here.  
  
He felt a touch behind him. He turned and found himself facing Kiyone. She smiled at him.  
  
"Nice jacket!" she said. "Leather, right?"  
  
"That's right...lambskin. USAF official issue. It was my Dad's."  
  
"Hah! He wears animal skins!" the voice from the rafters pointed out. "Who's the barbarian around here now?"  
  
Kiyone acted as if she had not heard. "United States Air Force, huh? What's that emblem in back?"  
  
"My Dad's first fighter squadron--the old Fifth Fighter Interceptor Squadron.(2)"  
  
"Why is there a kitty cat on the emblem?" Mihoshi wanted to know.  
  
"It's a bobcat. But you're right in a way, Mihoshi. The squadron was known as the "Spittin' Kittens" during World War Two."  
  
"Spitting?" Mihoshi looked confused.  
  
"They flew Spitfires," Tris said.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"British fighter planes, Mihoshi," Kiyone explained.  
  
Tris regarded her with admiration. "You're good."  
  
"Of course I am." Kiyone walked over to the large picture window that faced the front lawn.  
  
Tenchi smiled, watching her. Kiyone was good--she was the best. And now definitely coming out of her shell...good for Tris!  
  
"That's a cool car," Kiyone said, looking out the window. "Why don't you show it to me, Tris?"  
  
"Sure. Let's all go."  
  
Tenchi walked to the front door and slid it open. He, Tris, Mihoshi, and Kiyone exchanged house slippers for street shoes and stepped outside into the brilliant spring sunshine.  
  
The voice stayed where it was in the rafters.  
  
------  
  
"Where's everyone going?" Sasami, hearing the front door open, asked her big sister in the kitchen. The little Princess was laying out the vegetables that needed to be sliced up for dinner. She wanted to soak them for a few hours in a special oil she had discovered before stir-frying them later. She and Ayeka had just finished washing and drying the luncheon dishes.  
  
"Oh, outside," Ayeka replied, with a show of disinterest. "I shall help you cut up these vegetables, Sasami."  
  
"Thanks!" Sasami beamed.  
  
Then the little girl's smile faded as she observed the violence with which Ayeka attacked the defenseless vegetables. She wielded the knife with gusto, chopping with rather disturbing speed and power.  
  
"Better be careful, Ayeka," Sasami cautioned. "You don't want to cut yourself."  
  
"I am perfectly capable of cutting vegetables, thank you very much," Ayeka said curtly. "I know I cannot cook, but I can certainly cut vegetables."  
  
"I'm sorry..." Sasami said in a small voice.  
  
Ayeka put down the knife, which was all but smoking. She regretted snapping at her little sister. The real objects of her anger were outdoors.  
  
"I am sorry, too, Sasami dear. I am not angry at you."  
  
"Are you still upset about Tris staying here?"  
  
"Yes. It is wrong of me, perhaps...but I just do not think it was wise to have him here. And to let him know about us! So far, Lord Tenchi is spending all his time with him." Ayeka sounded genuinely distressed.  
  
"Now she tells us!" Ryoko's voice sounded from the ceiling beams.  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka looked up. "You come down now!"  
  
"I don't wanna."  
  
"Come down this instant!"  
  
"Please, Ryoko," Sasami added.  
  
"Oh, okay...since the Junior Princess asked me."  
  
Ryoko floated down. She stood before Ayeka and Sasami, her hands on her hips.  
  
"You sure changed your tune, Princess," she charged. "Again!"  
  
"I have not changed my tune, as you put it. And please stop calling Sasami "Junior Princess," Ryoko." Ayeka hated the silly nickname that Ryoko had recently begun using to refer to Sasami. The Princess was convinced that Ryoko did it just to annoy her.  
  
"I don't mind it, big sister," Sasami said.  
  
"I do," Ayeka said firmly.  
  
"Well, which is it?" Ryoko asked. "Do you want that chump here or not?"  
  
"I do not want him here. I have made that quite clear. But Lord Tenchi wants him here. And I know that the first day is almost over, which leaves only two more days until he is gone."  
  
"I can count, too, Princess," Ryoko said sourly. "What about him knowing about us? Washuu had the perfect solution and Tenchi stopped her. It would have solved everything"  
  
"But that was wrong!" Sasami objected. "Tris didn't do anything to deserve that. Tenchi invited him here. Why should he have that awful thing done to him?"  
  
Ayeka smiled fondly at Sasami. "Do you think she might have a point there?" she asked Ryoko.  
  
"Yeah, well...maybe."  
  
Ayeka now spoke softly but earnestly. "Ryoko, it is not to my advantage to tell you this. But all you are doing is alienating Lord Tenchi. That person will soon be gone--and good riddance--but Lord Tenchi will remember how you treated his friend."  
  
Ryoko lowered her eyes. The good sense in what Ayeka said had obviously penetrated her truculence. "I guess I really didn't think," she admitted. She raised her eyes. "It's real decent of you to say that, Princess...seeing we're both after the same guy."  
  
"Fair fight, I believe you said once."  
  
"Yeah...fair fight. Okay, I'll ease up on the chump. I won't kill him, but I'm not about to like him. He's so goofy and he clumps around on those big feet of his and he talks so loud. Jeeze! Do all Americans talk so loud?"  
  
Ayeka sighed. "I understand that they do. America is not a very civilized country, I understand."  
  
"Good thing those Americans have their own country. They ought to stay there!"  
  
"We agree on that at least, Ryoko!"  
  
"I don't agree," Sasami said. "Americans are like everybody else. I think Tris is nice and funny...and interesting. He's not bad looking at all. He has a nice smile."  
  
Ryoko smiled. "Sounds like the Junior Princess has a crush on the chump."  
  
Ayeka smiled, too. "It seems she may have to fight Kiyone for him," she kidded. "And please stop calling Sasami "Junior Princess," Ryoko."  
  
Sasami colored, but said nothing. She walked to the cupboard, stood on the footstool she used to reach high objects, and began putting the washed teacups away.  
  
"That Kiyone! She's sure snapped out of her slump. And it's about time," Ryoko noted. "She was getting to be a pain to be around."  
  
"Yes, that is good to see, anyway...I think," Ayeka replied thoughtfully.  
  
------  
  
Tenchi, Tris, Mihoshi, and Kiyone had gathered around Tris's vintage car. Kiyone and Tris were leaning on the passenger side door, looking into the interior, while Tenchi was showing Mihoshi the rear of the Mustang so she could see "where the smoke comes from."  
  
"Cassette player, huh?" Kiyone remarked, examining the dashboard. "Why not a CD player...or even an MP3 player?"  
  
Tris looked at her, surprised.  
  
"Hey, I keep up with things around here. I don't just take up space," Kiyone said, feeling a bit irritated.  
  
"I'll say! Well, to answer your question, I have a bunch of old cassette tapes my Mom and Dad loved--they're the old, classic rock and pop songs. Guess I grew to love them, too. That's about all I play now. They're in that black container on the floor there."  
  
"It sounds as if you keep your parents pretty close to you," Kiyone said softly  
  
"Yeah...I guess I do." Tris looked away.  
  
Sensing she had broached a sore subject, Kiyone changed it. "Don't you like the new stuff?" she asked Tris. "Some of what they call "alternative rock" isn't too bad at all."  
  
"Yeah, I like some of that stuff, too. I'll put in a CD player someday."  
  
"Hey!" cried Mihoshi from the rear of the car.  
  
"I told you not to put your finger in the exhaust pipe, Mihoshi," Tenchi's voice came from there also.  
  
Mihoshi and Tenchi rose into view. Mihoshi was extending her right index finger. It was black.  
  
"It's all sooty," she said with wonderment. "Does you car burn trees, Tris?"  
  
Next to her, Tenchi grinned. Tris heard Kiyone groan softly beside him.  
  
"No, just gas." Tris whipped out his handkerchief. He went to Mihoshi, and took her hand. He gently wiped off her index finger, until all the exhaust residue was gone.  
  
"There...that's better," he smiled at the tanned, blonde galactic police officer. "You want to be more careful where you stick your finger next time."  
  
Mihoshi just stared at him, her blue eyes shimmering. Tris couldn't have known it, but such acts of simple kindness were rarely shown to Mihoshi and it impressed her greatly. She treasured kindness above all else.  
  
"I've told her that before," Kiyone said resignedly. "A few thousand times."  
  
"Well, no harm done," Tenchi said.  
  
"Tris, thanks for showing me your car," Kiyone told him. She smiled at him. It was about a million-candlewatt smile, Tris decided.  
  
"Well...why not come out on a drive with me?" Tris surprised himself by asking. "Say tomorrow afternoon."  
  
Kiyone glanced behind her. Mihoshi was slowly spelling out the letters M-U-S-T-A-N-G on the car's rear end, while Tenchi explained to her what a mustang was.  
  
"You're a fast worker," Kiyone said sardonically.  
  
"It's just a drive. I don't have much time here, you know. How about it?"  
  
Kiyone said no. That is, she started to say no. Then she decided she would like to get away from the Masaki homestead for a little while. This guy wasn't anything special, but he was okay. Besides, he would be gone in a few days. Going out with him once wouldn't mean anything. Why not?  
  
"Okay, then. After lunch tomorrow. Just a drive, understand." Kiyone wanted to make that crystal clear.  
  
"Of course. It's not like it's a date or anything."  
  
It was an unfortunate choice of word. At the word "date," both of them cast their eyes away from each other. Kiyone felt a blush creep into her cheeks. She shook her head angrily. She was on the verge of canceling the drive.  
  
"You got that right! I don't know, Tris...it could be fun, though."  
  
"What could be fun?" Mihoshi asked brightly, walking up to her.  
  
Kiyone relented. It would be just a drive.  
  
"Enough fun!" she told her partner. "It's time we put some work in around here, Mihoshi. We've had enough time off. We still have those drapes upstairs to shake out."  
  
"Aw, do we have to?" Mihoshi objected. "I want to stay and talk to Tris about horsies and things. His car is named after a horsie, you know."  
  
"We have to, Mihoshi. You can talk to him later." Kiyone took Mihoshi's arm and firmly led her away.  
  
"Bye Tris...Tenchi..." Mihoshi called out sadly. Her blue eyes remained on Tris until she and Kiyone reached the front door. Then they both disappeared inside.  
  
"Well." Tris said. "That was fun. Kind of."  
  
Tenchi agreed. "You sure made an impression on them. Mihoshi really likes you. And Kiyone's almost like her old self again."  
  
"I'm glad. Of course, I kind of like that Kiyone's new self, too."  
  
"Tris..." Tenchi spoke a bit hesitantly. "Don't make any mistakes about Kiyone. She's tough, very, very smart, and has loads of common sense. She's completely dedicated to the Galaxy Police and her career. She's never had time for guys before. Just so you know."  
  
"Right-o," Tris said. "I got that impression. You know I'm not looking for anything serious, buddy. She's pretty nice and we might go out for a drive or something, but that's it."  
  
"Good!" Tenchi looked relieved. "Now let me show you the rest of the place. We have a cave--that's where we found Washuu--and a garden, and some nice woodlands."  
  
"Lead on, Mark Trail," Tris said. "I will follow."  
  
------  
  
Dinner at the Masakis turned out to be much briefer than luncheon and considerably less strained. Everybody had, more or less, adjusted to Tris's presence, or at least appeared to. Even Ryoko was cordial to him, which relieved both Tris and Tenchi--especially Tris, who recalled again what Tenchi had told him about her powers. Ryoko even asked him casually, "Have you ever been shot at?"  
  
"What?" Tris dropped his chopsticks on the table and stared at the platinum-haired space pirate.  
  
"I watch TV, too, and even some of the American shows. Everybody's always shooting and crashing their cars in them."  
  
"That's just TV, Ryoko. Not real life in the States," Tris assured her.  
  
"Too bad." Ryoko grinned. "It sounded like my kind of place!"  
  
"Un-doubtedly..." Ayeka commented.  
  
"Hey, I thought we were on our best behavior, Princess," Ryoko said to Ayeka, nettled.  
  
"I am," Ayeka replied sweetly. "I, for one, did not denigrate our visitor's homeland."  
  
Ryoko scowled. She had a real hot one to hand off to the Princess. But then her eyes caught Tenchi's eyes. He gently shook his head. She smiled slyly. Best behavior, huh? Okay, but just for her Tenchi. Ryoko turned to the American. "Tris, try some of these cabbage rolls. They're delicious and good for you, too."  
  
Tris, caught off guard again, now dropped his chopsticks on his lap.  
  
"You spastic or something?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Don't worry, Tris," Mihoshi comforted him. "I sometimes do that myself."  
  
"Believe her," Kiyone added.  
  
Tris retrieved his chopsticks quickly. "Thanks, Ryoko," he said. "I'll be glad to." He took several cabbage rolls from the platter. Then he popped one into his mouth. Ryoko was right. They were delicious. Sasami was a wonderful cook.  
  
The meal proceeded without further incident.  
  
------  
  
It was after dinner when Tris finally met Tenchi's father, Nobuyuki Masaki.  
  
Tris had risen from the table and heard Tenchi's grandfather in the hallway talking to someone. He followed Tenchi to the hallway. There he saw Tenchi's grandfather and a tall, heavy-chested, somewhat stooped middle-aged Japanese man, wearing a business suit and carrying a fully packed briefcase. He wore glasses and had a mustache, but otherwise he was an older version of Tenchi.  
  
Lord Yosho stepped out the front door after nodding amiably at his grandson and Tris.  
  
"Tris," Tenchi said. "I am pleased to present my honorable father, Nobuyuki."  
  
Before Tris could bow, Tenchi's father held out his hand. They shook hands. Nobuyuki smiled a broad, friendly smile at Tris.  
  
"Welcome to our home," he said cordially. "I'm glad to finally meet my son's roommate. He's told me a lot about you."  
  
"He did? Well, I'm taking medication now, so don't worry, sir."  
  
Tenchi's father laughed. "You live up your billing." He walked toward the stairs. "If you'll excuse me, you two, I'll put my things away."  
  
"We'll go with you, Dad," Tenchi said quickly.  
  
"Fine."  
  
Tenchi and Tris followed Nobuyuki up the stairway. They all walked into a small, cramped bedroom-cum-office, where a wooden draftsman's easel stood amidst filing cabinets and a small computer hutch in one corner.  
  
Nobuyuki placed the briefcase down on a small, paper-strewn table. He opened it, and began to take stacks of documents from it.  
  
"Oh Dad, don't start working again already," Tenchi said, distressed. "You've already missed dinner from working overtime."  
  
"I had a quick dinner at that café by the office. And I really need to get a little more done today, son."  
  
"You're putting in so many hours, Dad. It's not fair."  
  
"Well, life isn't fair, Tenchi." Nobuyuki raised his head and smiled apologetically. "When we finally finish the Teijun project, I should have more free time."  
  
"You said that about the Yosung project, Dad," Tenchi reminded him quietly.  
  
"I know...I'm sorry, Tenchi. Tristram, I hope you don't feel I'm a poor host."  
  
"No, sir, not at all. I understand about overtime. My parents put in a lot of it sometimes. Especially during the Gulf War."  
  
"In your Air Force, weren't they?" Nobuyuki said a bit distractedly, already ruffling through drawings and estimates.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Well, Dad, I guess we'll go," Tenchi said, hesitantly.  
  
"All right. Tristram, let's have a talk before you leave."  
  
"It's a promise, Mr. Masaki. By the way, I love this house!"  
  
Tenchi's father smiled at him. "Well, thank you!"  
  
Tenchi and Tris left Nobuyuki, who was busily powering up his Apple computer.  
  
"Ummm..." Tris said, as they walked down the stairs. "Not going to tell him about the house-raising party?"  
  
"No," Tenchi said shortly. "Not right now. Dad has enough on his plate."  
  
Tenchi was glumly silent as they walked downstairs. Tris kept quiet too. He knew Tenchi was upset about something.  
  
They reached the ground floor.  
  
Tenchi glanced into the living room. The women, aside from Washuu, were watching TV. Ryoko and Ayeka turned their heads and smiled at him. Ryoko patted a space on the couch beside her, invitingly. Tenchi shook his head. He was not in the mood for TV.  
  
"Tris," Tenchi said. "Let's go for a walk. Okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
The two young men left the house and walked together into the lowering twilight. Neither spoke. A slight breeze massaged their faces. The insects had set up a jam session in the grass. Their twilight song was robust. The stars twinkled dimly as the sky darkened.  
  
"I don't know what to do about Dad," Tenchi said suddenly.  
  
"Do?"  
  
"He's working himself sick. He's got that long commute every day to work and back and now they're piling up the overtime on him. He often misses dinner and then has to spend his evenings in that home office of his. I hardly ever see him."  
  
"It's not his fault, is it, Tenchi?" Tris asked.  
  
"No...but I'm not talking about fault. You know the economy isn't very strong right now. His firm grabs every job they can and they don't want to hire more people, so they just dump the excess on their employees like Dad. It's wearing him down, I can tell."  
  
"That's pretty rotten, all right," Tris commiserated.  
  
"Grandfather has talked to him, but..." Tenchi paused. They were near the edge of the lake--the lake with that amazing mammoth tree. Tris recalled he was going to ask Tenchi about that tree. Not now, of course.  
  
Tenchi slowly squatted down and sat on the cool, thick grass. Tris followed suit.  
  
The fireflies flickered out their romantic messages around them. Judging from all the flickering, some of them must have scored. Tris was quite warm even though he wasn't wearing the lambskin A2 jacket. It was unseasonably warm, in fact, for spring.  
  
Then Tenchi spoke. "But Dad's afraid--really afraid--that they'll fire him if he complains about all the overtime. We can't afford to get by very long without his salary. I couldn't have afforded to go to the University without winning that scholarship first. So Dad feels he has to work so hard. He's trapped and it's not his fault. It's really my fault for the household costing so much to maintain."  
  
"Hey, kids always cost, Tenchi. And parents always pay somehow."  
  
"Yeah. But how many families have six extra females living with them?" Tenchi pointed out.  
  
"Well...you said they're like family now."  
  
"I know. They are family. I just hate Dad carrying that burden. It's just not fair."  
  
Tris really did not know what to say. Tenchi was right. Guilt lay heavy on him. Tris knew all about guilt.  
  
"I suppose," Tris tried to comfort Tenchi, "that as long as your father knows how you feel about him...that you appreciate how hard he works...the burden won't be too bad. You know?"  
  
Tenchi's worried expression slowly relaxed into a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Tris. You know, you're the only one, aside from Grandfather, whom I can talk to about this. If I discussed it with any of the girls..." his voice trailed off.  
  
"They'd feel awful and it wouldn't help things, anyway. Yeah, I see."  
  
There was another silence between them. It was a friendly, companionable silence. Then Tenchi asked, "Well, Tris...what do you think?"  
  
Tris knew what Tenchi meant by that question. "Well, buddy, you're either the luckiest guy I know or the unluckiest. I haven't made up my mind yet."  
  
"I'm probably a little of both," Tenchi said with a faint touch of bemusement in his voice. "Still...I don't think I'd trade places with anyone I know."  
  
For a little while longer, the two young men sat on the grass, watching the moon begin to rise slowly, its progress marked by its iridescent reflection on the silvery lake. It was a quiet, calm, silent time that they basked in together, as only two young males could.  
  
Tenchi glanced at Tris. He thought about how they would come back to the dorm room after a particularly stressful day, and how they would just keep silent a while, resting on their beds. That silence had been comforting, somehow. It was a funny thing, but Tenchi felt he had gotten to know Tris better when they did not talk. He supposed that was a sign that a guy was a real pal and not just another acquaintance.  
  
Absorbed in their thoughts, neither Tenchi nor Tris heard the sounds of footsteps behind them.  
  
Suddenly a pair of soft hands covered Tris's eyes.  
  
"Guess who?" a sweet voice challenged from behind him.  
  
"Oh, Mihoshi!" Kiyone's irritated voice also sounded from behind.  
  
"You told him!" Mihoshi said, disappointed. She removed her hands from Tris's eyes.  
  
Tris and Tenchi stood up. Mihoshi and Kiyone stood there, smiling. Tenchi noted with wonderment that Kiyone's smile was almost shy as she looked at Tris.  
  
"Hi, girls," he said.  
  
"Great to see you two," Tris added. He looked directly at Kiyone. "Really great."  
  
"Well, thanks," Kiyone returned. "The fact is, Mihoshi and I are on a mission."  
  
"A mission?" Tris asked.  
  
"That's right." Kiyone turned to Tenchi. "We were instructed in no uncertain terms to bring you back to the house."  
  
"Yeah!" Mihoshi added. "You should have heard Ryoko and Ayeka!"  
  
Tenchi groaned. "Those two!"  
  
"Now, Tenchi." Kiyone grinned and waggled a finger at him. "After all, this is your one and only Spring Break. You do need to spend some time with them. It's only right, you know."  
  
"I know. Com'on Tris, we'd better go back."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The four of them walked back to the house, whose lighted windows now glowed golden in the early evening dusk. They started out as a loose foursome. But, along with her other attainments, Kiyone was agile. Somehow she ended up walking beside Tris, leaving Mihoshi with Tenchi.  
  
It was a great night for an evening stroll. They were laughing at a funny story that Mihoshi was telling about one of her three older brothers, Takei, when either a slight depression or slight elevation met Tris's foot. The usual result occurred. Tris tripped and plowed into the turf.  
  
"Tris!" Mihoshi cried.  
  
"Clumsy!" Kiyone snorted.  
  
Tenchi shook his head. He'd seen that happen before.  
  
Kiyone and Tenchi pulled Tris to his feet, while Mihoshi brushed him off.  
  
"Ohhh...you aren't hurt, are you?" Mihoshi asked anxiously.  
  
"I think the ground got the worst of it, Mihoshi," Tris said, quite embarrassed.  
  
Still grasping his buddy's arm, Tenchi laughed. "Sorry. But I was just waiting for it, Tris. I knew a day couldn't go by without you stumbling."  
  
"Glad I didn't disappoint you," Tris told him sarcastically.  
  
"You didn't." Tenchi grinned.  
  
Kiyone said, "Mihoshi, he's clean enough. Stop brushing him off. I'll hold on to him, Tenchi." She looked into Tris's face and brushed a blade of grass off his nose that Mihoshi had missed. That was one silly looking nose he had. "Now, you just take one step after another, Tris, and let's see if you can make it back to the house without falling again. Okay?" Her voice dripped with mock solicitude.  
  
"Gee, do you think I can, Officer?" Tris gritted.  
  
"I think so. If you take small steps and concentrate real hard."  
  
"Thanks a heap!"  
  
"No need to thank me. It's my duty to help the handicapped."  
  
Tris was going to pay her back with interest, but Kiyone just slipped her arm around his arm and began to lead him forward...taking small steps. Tris gave up and went along with her. Besides, he rather liked being so close to the pretty galactic police officer.  
  
Mihoshi and Tenchi smiled at each other and followed Kiyone and Tris.  
  
They all made it back to the house without further mishap. All the way there, Tris could feel Kiyone shake with silent laughter as she held onto his arm. No doubt about it. He sure knew how to make an impression on a woman.  
  
------  
  
"Well, Tris," Tenchi murmured sleepily. "Quite a day for you..."  
  
They were in Tenchi's--and now Tris's--bedroom. The room was dark, the house quiet. They had been lying in bed for a little while now--Tenchi on his actual bed, Tris on the futon. Sleep eluded them both.  
  
"Hell of a day," Tris agreed, yawning. "Not a day I'd like to repeat, frankly."  
  
"I understand, buddy. Tris, I have to say--you've taken all this a lot better than I would have expected."  
  
He heard the American snort in the darkness. "Nothing to it! I just learned that there really are space aliens, and they're gorgeous! Also that space alien women make Wonder Woman look sick...that there's an extraterrestrial police force and they have the cutest cops I ever saw...that houses can fly...girls can fly...lawn ornaments can fly...and talk...that my college roommate is a space alien prince...that a little girl can cook up a storm." Tris yawned again. "No big deal...as that space alien scientist would say."  
  
"Nope," Tenchi said, chuckling. "No big deal."  
  
"But I'm still not clear about that Ryoko. She's super powerful and you say she's sort of like a demon, only she isn't, and she has a tail sometimes, so she's kind of a cat woman, only she isn't. Do I have it straight now?"  
  
"You have it straight. But it's not a real tail, Tris," Tenchi said.  
  
"Huh? It looked real."  
  
"It's supposed to. Ryoko has a few outfits that have this kind of articulated tail attached to them. It moves and all, but it's just a prosthetic device. Ryoko told me she used to wear those outfits to frighten folks she robbed into thinking she really was a demon. Now she wears the outfits when she feels bored or...well, frisky." Tenchi chuckled again.  
  
"A cat suit, huh? Well, I prefer Catwoman's, myself--with Michelle Pfeiffer in it."  
  
"To each his own," Tenchi said. "Anyway, be patient with Ryoko and Ayeka, too. They're really wonderful. They just take a little while to warm up to strangers. They'll come around, believe me."  
  
"I believe you, buddy. After today, I'll believe anything! No new taxes! Peace in our time! The check's in the mail! Anything!"  
  
Tenchi grinned in the darkness. "Good night, Tris."  
  
"Good night, Tenchi. And if this is a dream after all, don't wake me up. It's kind of fun, in a way."  
  
"Yeah," Tenchi said, stretching out and yawning. "It really is fun. Like a carnival."  
  
"It sure is." Tris agreed. "A carnival on steroids!"  
  
------  
  
Sasami was asleep. Then...she wasn't.  
  
The room was dark. It was the spacious former master bedroom of the Masaki home that had been converted into a communal bedroom for her, Ryoko, Ayeka, Kiyone, and Mihoshi. All slept on futons. There was a rolled-up futon for Washuu as well, but the reclusive scientist usually slept in her sub-dimensional laboratory, where she usually ate as well.  
  
Nobuyuki had designed his house for a small family--his immediate family--and it only had so many bedrooms. In the past, only Ryoko, Ayeka and Sasami had slept in the house itself, with Washuu bunking in her sub-dimensional laboratory, and Kiyone and Mihoshi staying in their own apartment in the city.  
  
But now Mihoshi and Kiyone were obliged to live at the Masaki manse, too. On their return to Earth, they had tried to reside at their old apartment in the city. But since they were still paying rent for their apartments near GP Headquarters, their disposable income had dropped even lower. They practically starved just to pay the rent, even with part-time jobs. Then Kiyone had determined that they were taking an awful chance this time around holding down part-time jobs. It was against GP regulations to moonlight and Kiyone and Mihoshi were already on bad terms with their service. So they had abandoned their part-time jobs...and, in turn, had to abandon their apartment. It had been another humiliation for them, especially for Kiyone, in a series of humiliations. Both Kiyone and Mihoshi now paid a little money to Tenchi's father each month to help defray their room and board. But it was not enough to cover what their staying there cost the Masakis, and Kiyone, for one, knew it. It was not a happy situation.  
  
Thus evolved the "women's dormitory," as Tenchi called it, or the "cat house," as Nobuyuki called it (but, wisely, only around his son and father-in-law). With the addition of Kiyone and Mihoshi, the spacious room teemed with futons. But the room itself was airy, with a high vaulted ceiling complete with skylight, and large windows (on the second floor, so there was sunlight and privacy, too). Each of them had a separate large wooden wardrobe. It wasn't so bad. Sasami rather enjoyed it. She loved being around the women and hearing them talk. She was secretly pleased Kiyone and Mihoshi had come to live with them this time around. The little girl wanted everyone in the family--her second family--near her.  
  
Sasami could hear the steady, glottal wheeze of Mihoshi's snoring. But that hadn't wakened her. Rather like an alarm clock's ticking, all the women had become accustomed to the sound of Mihoshi's snores. Sasami thought it a comforting sound, really.  
  
Then she sensed movement on the futon beside hers. Her older sister, Ayeka.  
  
Ayeka was trembling, her eyes closed, sweat beading on her forehead. Then, with a spastic shudder, her eyes opened. Her mouth opened too, to scream.  
  
Sasami, from long practice, clamped her hand over her big sister's mouth. Ayeka's eyes glared wildly at Sasami...then they softened.  
  
Sasami knew she could remove her hand now.  
  
"Another awful dream?" she whispered to Ayeka, her childish voice full of concern.  
  
"Yes, dear. They seem to get worse, somehow. And I am so tired after I have them." Ayeka's whisper sounded weak, indeed.  
  
"We need to tell someone..."  
  
"No, Sasami. They are just dreams. I had them when I was about your age, you know. They went away. They will go away again."  
  
"What if they don't?" Sasami was on the verge of tears. Ayeka looked so drawn and tired. She was so brave. She would burden no one with her problems.  
  
"They shall." Ayeka settled herself back on her pallet. She pursed her lips. "I must admit...I am almost afraid to go back to sleep," she said ruefully.  
  
Sasami's little hand found her sister's hand. "Maybe if I hold your hand, big sister, it might help you to sleep all right."  
  
Ayeka smiled tenderly. "It just might, dear. Let us try, anyway. Shall we?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
Sasami and Ayeka settled back to sleep. Sasami held her sister's hand tightly. Perhaps it was just coincidence, but Ayeka enjoyed a deep, dreamless sleep the rest of the night.  
  
_____________________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) That name actually represents the (nonexistent) "town" or "village" approximation of "Makibi-Mihoshi."  
  
(2) There really was a Fifth Fighter Interceptor Squadron, which had the honor of protecting America's airspace. That job has been farmed out to the Air Force Reserves and Fifth Fighter is no more. 


	3. CHAPTER 2: No Need For Watermelon

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel. ------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
No Need For Watermelon  
  
______________________  
  
Thanks to parents who had to roll out of the sack at the break of dawn for staff meetings, Tris Coffin always awoke at six o'clock a.m., rain or shine, sick or well, hung over or not. Thus, as the cock crowed (figuratively) the next morning, he groggily rolled out of bed--and hit the floor.  
  
Huh? he thought. Oh, that's right...I'm sleeping on a futon.  
  
He stood up. He was wearing his pajamas--actually a size XXL tee shirt with Bullwinkle J. Moose emblazoned on the front with the "official" crest of "Wotsamatta U." He found it amusing to explain to his fellow college students all about that esteemed seat of higher leaning located in Frostbite Falls.  
  
Tris glanced at Tenchi's bed, where his buddy lay sleeping. Tris smiled. Yesterday had been a trying day for Tenchi, too.  
  
Trying! Tris's mind was suddenly overwhelmed with all the incredible and impossible things he had learned yesterday He was almost tempted to view it all as a dream, a weird dream and a sexy one too, considering all the women involved in it. But it was no dream. It was a reality he would have to face and try to co-exist with.  
  
He scratched a place that doesn't merit recording here and yawned. Actually, getting up when he did make sense in his new surroundings, since the Masaki manse, as well designed as it was, had only one bathroom. The way it worked out, as he and Tenchi had doped it last night, was: Lord Yosho was up at an ungodly hour, always, and used the facility first; Tenchi's father had to rise and shine at 5:30 a.m. (ouch!) to make his train to the city and so utilized the bathroom next. Then Tris would have a clear shot at the bathroom at 6:30 a.m. and Tenchi would be the clean-up batter (pun intended).  
  
Of course, last night when Tris had leaned there was but one single solitary bathroom and six--count 'em--six women, it had floored him. No way, he had said. Way, Tenchi had replied.  
  
Washuu, the super-brain (and didn't she know it), had constructed a monumental bath palace that would have put the public baths of ancient Rome to shame, according to Tenchi. She had placed it in the vicinity of the regular bathroom, but in a different dimension. (Fourth dimension? Fifth Dimension--no, that was an old singing group.) When the women entered the bathroom, they actually entered that dimension and enjoyed what Tenchi described as the Taj Mahal of public baths...or the Grand Baths, as the watery paradise was better known. When the Masaki men (or any male) entered the same bathroom, they simply found themselves in the normal lavatory. Obviously, it worked--but what a party-pooper that Washuu was!  
  
Tenchi had also told him that his father, who was pretty frustrated sexually as a widower, had actually tried to crash the women's Grand Baths, but had failed, miserably. That seemed to bother Tenchi about his father. Tris privately thought if Tenchi's old man had not shown some interest in that direction, that would be a real reason to worry. He kept that opinion to himself, of course.  
  
Tris always jogged when he could first thing in the morning. Not because he was an exercise fiend--he wasn't--but because he would fatten up like a whale if he didn't work out constantly, despite his slim stature. The Coffin men fought the battle of the bulge throughout their lives. His poor Dad had sweated buckets in daily exercise so he could continue to fit in those narrow F-15 cockpits. It had amused Mom a lot.  
  
He pulled on his jogging shorts and top (this one with the Okayama University crest), slipped on tube socks and carried his Reeboks to the front door, where he tied them on. He opened the front door and stepped outside.  
  
Dark...! And cool. Good enough, though.  
  
Tris began jogging on the grass, aiming toward the steps of the shrine. He wasn't worried about taking his usual spill. For some reason, he rarely fell when he ran, probably due to Coach Nelson keeping an eagle eye on him back when he ran high school track. For every fall, Coach Nelson had made him run extra laps. The punishment had built up his wind, at least, if not his coordination.  
  
He had gotten about a hundred yards when he spotted a tall, white figure ahead of him. He jogged on and discovered it was Tenchi's grandfather, Lord Yosho. The priest (and space alien prince) turned. Tris stopped when he reached the venerable old gentleman.  
  
"Good morning, Tristram," Yosho greeted him amiably. "You are an early riser, I see."  
  
Tris smiled. "Good morning, sir. Yes, a bad habit my parents drilled into me."  
  
"You jest, of course. A good habit. Would you care to walk with me a bit?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
They walked. The sky slowly brightened, but it was taking its own sweet time about it.  
  
"Tenchi requested that you stay with us the entire Spring Break period last night," Yosho said.  
  
"Uh...yes, sir, we talked about it. He said he'd catch you and his Dad before you both went to bed and ask." Tris felt uncomfortable. Tenchi's rationale was that the only reason he hadn't invited Tris for all of Spring Break was because of the secrets he had to keep. Now that the cat--the cabbit?--was out of the bag, there was no reason to send Tris packing in two more days. At least, not according to Tenchi.  
  
According to Tris, however, there were two full and ample reasons-- one was named Ryoko and the other Princess Ayeka. But Tenchi had insisted that it wasn't their decision to make. Tris had picked up on the fact that Tenchi was determined to live as normal a life as possible and if he wanted a friend over for a holiday, that was what was going to happen. Actually, Tris had been quite pleased. His plans after leaving the Masakis had been to visit Colonel Groves and his family in Tokyo (three hours away by bullet train, and more like five by car with all the traffic) and hang out there. He'd already seen what few sights there were to see in Okayama City, such as the Korakuen Garden, (rated as one of the three finest gardens in Japan), Okayama Castle, and the Kibitsu Shrine. The problem with staying with Colonel Grove and his family was the Colonel's daughter, Alexia. She was a bossy debutante type just a year younger than Tris. She seemed to think she owned Tris or something. She bossed his about, insisted he take her out to eat and go shopping with her, and kept bugging him about what he was going to do with his life. Alexia was beautiful and smart and absolutely hell on heels. So Tris hadn't demurred further with Tenchi about the hazards of his staying on. But it would likely prove to be a sticky wicket, as his Brit friends put it.  
  
Yosho, not for the first time, seemed to read Tris's thoughts. "I gave my approval, of course," he said. "My son-in-law, Tenchi's father, also gladly assented You are a welcome guest here, Tristram."  
  
"Thank you, sir," Tris said, gratefully. "I appreciate that. My concern is..." He stopped, not knowing quite how to express it to Tenchi's grandfather.  
  
"I think I understand your concern," said Yosho mildly. "There will be some--discussion--about it and perhaps some concerns will be raised. My grandson will handle those, I am certain."  
  
They were approaching the steps to the shrine.  
  
Tris looked at Lord Yosho. The elderly priest was as calm as still water. It comforted Tris...which was exactly what Yosho intended, no doubt.  
  
"Well, you know best, sir. One thing, though..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I know that I'm a guest, sir. But considering all the time I'll be staying here, I'd feel much better if I could help out with the chores around the house."  
  
Yosho regarded the young American. "That is not necessary at all, Tristram. As you said yourself, you are a guest. You know our customs regarding guests, do you not?"  
  
"Yes sir, I know. But I'd really prefer to pitch in. I'd feel as if I...belonged more."  
  
Yosho smiled genially. "I understand. The coda of an industrious people. Certainly, you may "pitch in." In fact...do you see all the pathways?" He waved a robed arm.  
  
Tris took in the stone paths that ran throughout the property. He already had a strong suspicion of what he had volunteered for. His heart sank.  
  
"Those pathways truly need to be trimmed of grass and weeds. It's a daunting task and we don't have enough time to attend to it. But if you could devote some part of your day to the task..."  
  
The task: Stooping down for hours, cutting stray and renegade blades of grass and pulling weeds from around the stones in the paths. Stoop labor. For stupes. But he had volunteered.  
  
"Yes, that's fine, sir," Tris lied. "I suppose you don't have a trimmer?"  
  
"Hmmm..." Yosho considered. "I believe so. It's rather a small pair of hand clippers for trimming grass, is it not?"  
  
Inwardly, Tris groaned. He had known it was a only remote chance that the Masaki homestead would have a powered, plastic-wire weed chopper. Garden shears! His hands ached already. "Yes, sir," he lied again.  
  
"Then you're in luck." Yosho smiled. "We also have a hoe, a trowel, and a rake."  
  
"That's great, sir. I'll get started this morning."  
  
"Fine, Tristram. In a month, my visitors will exclaim at the beauty of our pathways."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
They reached the stone stepway leading up to the temple.  
  
"Here's where I leave you, sir," Tris said.  
  
"I know you run every morning," Yosho remarked. (How did he know?) "But have you ever run up steps like these?"  
  
"Well...no."  
  
"Why not make it a goal for yourself? Run as far as you can up these steps each morning. When you can finally reach the top without stopping, you will have achieved great fitness...and, perhaps, greater inner peace, Tristram."  
  
The rising sun's rays glinted off Yosho's glasses. Tris had the distinct impression that Lord Yosho could divine his thoughts and that he had a special reason for revising Tris's exercise routine. It was spooky.  
  
"Sure, sir. I'll give it a try. Just keep the paramedics handy."  
  
It was a weak joke, but Yosho smiled anyway. "I'll leave you now, Tristram. Perhaps some time we can talk about running away from demons...and the best way to deal with them."  
  
"Uh, yes sir."  
  
With a final smile, Yosho turned and started up the stone steps.  
  
Tris watched the elderly priest ascend the steps...not quickly, not slowly, but steadily...inexorably. Prince of Jurai, eh? Lord Yosho could have won anyone's vote for King, if folks voted for their sovereign on Jurai. The Shinto priest just had that aura of complete, competent power and authority that one could have faith in.  
  
Yosho reached the top of the steps in an astonishingly quick time and disappeared into the Shinto temple. Tris turned and trotted back to the house. If he was going to start running up those steps, he'd better conserve power now, he rationalized. He reached the gravel drive where his car was parked and saw Tenchi's father, Nobuyuki Masaki. The middle-aged man was dressed in a conservative business suit, in observance of the unofficial (but very real) Japanese business dress code, and carried that stuffed briefcase again.  
  
Nobuyuki was peering into the car. He heard Tris' Reeboks crunch on the gravel. He turned and smiled at Tris.  
  
"Good morning, Tristram. You're up early."  
  
"So are you, Mr. Masaki."  
  
"Yes...needs must, you know. This is a wonderful car, Tristram. I understand it was your father's?"  
  
"Yes. Dad's pride and joy, kind of like me, except no tax write- off."  
  
Nobuyuki laughed. "I'm glad you're staying, Tristram. We can use a little more good humor around here." He stared wistfully at the Mustang. The pony car's paint job glowed like liquid fire, bathed in the rays of the ascending sun. "When I was very young," he murmured, "I dreamed of fast cars and...well..." He smiled.  
  
"Say, Mr. Masaki, may I drive you to the bus stop? It's no bother."  
  
Tenchi's father shook his head. "That's a very tempting offer, Tristram. But, you see, the walk to the bus stop provides me with what little exercise I get these days. I spend most of my time behind a desk or a drafting board. But I'll certainly take--what is it called--a rain check?"  
  
"Yes, sir. You have a dozen rain checks, all redeemable at any time, Mr. Masaki."  
  
"Thank you. I'll see you in the evening, Tristram." With a last fond look at the car, Nobuyuki turned and walked down the gravel drive. That briefcase must have been pretty heavy, but Tenchi's father carried the burden seemingly without strain. He was certainly used to carrying burdens, Tris thought.  
  
Then Tris noticed what he should have noticed all along--the car's convertible top was down! It had been down all night. He looked at the seats and winced. They were damp with morning dew. Dummy! Well, he'd have to let them partially dry in the sun and then wipe them off before the drive with Kiyone. At the thought of the teal-haired galactic police officer, Tris couldn't help feeling better. At least he had done something right since arriving here.  
  
Tris trotted back to the house.  
  
When he came back to the bedroom following his shower (he had put his ear to the walls of the bathroom and had been disappointed at not hearing any of the women splashing around), Tenchi was up, stretching and yawning.  
  
"Hope you left me some hot water, Tris," Tenchi said sleepily.  
  
"Think so. You can always use the fancy women's baths, I'll bet...if you ask real nice."  
  
"Hah!" Tenchi shook his head, fully awake now. "Never again! I got stick in there once, thanks to Washuu, and it was pretty tense, believe me. I prefer cold showers, anyway."  
  
"You would, with all these sexy women around."  
  
"Hey, don't make it worse, Tris." Tenchi pulled off his simple two- piece white pajamas. Tenchi was slim, but there wasn't an ounce--not a gram--of fat on him. Tris knew that Tenchi, like many fit but slim Japanese males, had muscles like coiled springs. Tenchi slipped on his kimono and bath slippers.  
  
"Did you jog already?" he asked, tying the kimono's belt.  
  
"Yup. Met your grandfather and father too." Tris told him about the two conversations.  
  
"Yeah, they both said yes to your staying. I would have told you last night, but I just plain forgot."  
  
"Understandable! Hard day, yesterday."  
  
"Yeah," Tenchi said significantly. "I hope it won't be a harder day today."  
  
"Oh, I really don't mind doing the trimming."  
  
"Not what I meant, although you sure took on a rotten job, Tris." Tenchi shook his head, smiling. "I do the outdoor chores, too, so at least we'll both get fresh air."  
  
"Yeah, fresh air, cramps, grass stains, chigger bites..."  
  
"Slacker! Anyway, I'm not worried about that. The thing is, I plan to tell the girls about your staying after breakfast." Tenchi smiled again, but this time it was a grim smile. "It may cause some indigestion."  
  
"It may cause three-alarm heartburn," Tris returned dryly. "I'm sorry to be the cause of you having to face those women like that."  
  
Tenchi shrugged. "If I didn't confront them and be firm, I wouldn't be attending college now. Don't worry. It'll be tense, but only Ryoko and Ayeka will kick up a real fuss."  
  
"Ummm, Tenchi, that's like saying only King Kong and Godzilla--you know?"  
  
Tenchi grinned. "Don't let those two hear you talking about them like that! Or there really will be fireworks!" He padded off in his bathroom slippers to take his shower.  
  
Watching Tenchi depart, Tris had a bad feeling that fireworks would be the order of the day.  
  
------  
  
The women stirred around eight o'clock a.m. Following their ablutions in the Grand Baths, Kiyone arrived downstairs first (as usual), immediately followed by Sasami, who made a beeline to the kitchen. Then Ryoko and Ayeka appeared. They were in the midst of a frank discussion.  
  
"Don't burst a blood vessel, Princess. I only said you looked a little raw this morning," Ryoko was saying, her voice irritated.  
  
Ayeka seemed even more irritated. "I did not look "raw," as you put it, Ryoko. I always look my best."  
  
"Well, your best is none too good this a.m.," Ryoko commented. "Are you having trouble sleeping or something?"  
  
"No, I am not! It is very bad of you, Ryoko...trying to plant the idea in Lord Tenchi's mind that I do not look well."  
  
"I don't have to plant anything. Tenchi has eyes. Anyway, I'm sorry I brought it up. That satisfy you?"  
  
"Yes!" Ayeka snapped. Abruptly, she turned from Ryoko and walked into the kitchen.  
  
"You know," Kiyone commented, "I think I'm with you this time, Ryoko. Ayeka did look a little rocky when she got up. The hot baths helped, but you can sure see it still."  
  
"Yeah. I hate to admit it, but I'm getting a little concerned about Princess Pain-In-The Patoot." Despite the jibe, Ryoko's mien was serious. "I think I've heard her groaning and moaning at night--even over that racket your partner makes."  
  
"I think I have, too." Kiyone appeared a bit worried. "But if she won't admit anything...what can we do?"  
  
"Wait until it gets worse--or until Mihoshi's snoring gets loud enough to drown her out."  
  
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone enjoyed her first teeth-gritting of the day. "Where is she?"  
  
"Still sacked out the last time I saw her," Ryoko answered.  
  
"Of course! And she'll whine all day if she misses breakfast."  
  
Kiyone stalked back up the stairs on her way to the communal bedroom. Aggravation radiated from her like cobalt 60.  
  
Ryoko waited by the stairwell. She began the countdown:  
  
"Five...four...three...two..."  
  
Then she heard: "Get up, Mihoshi!" followed by a loud thud.  
  
The space pirate grinned. Those two cracked her up, they really did.  
  
Then she smelled yummy smells emanating from the kitchen. Her stomach made its usual response, loudly. Ryoko, the Galaxy Police's most- wanted space pirate, blushed. Jeeze, that was embarrassing! Good thing no one else heard. She lazily floated into the air and drifted toward the dining room.  
  
------  
  
Noodles and eggs for breakfast...it was a great combination.  
  
Tris had mentioned to Sasami that Americans ate eggs for breakfast and Sasami just happened to still have a few eggs left over from a cake she had made (she and Mihoshi had seen the cake on an American TV commercial, and Sasami had resolved to make it, which she did, quite successfully). She thought eggs for breakfast would be a nice way to welcome Tenchi's friend.  
  
Sasami had made the simple repast a real taste treat. She beamed at the praise she received and readily agreed to Tris's half-kidding request for the recipe.  
  
"You can cook?" Ryoko asked Tris, her voice incredulous.  
  
"No. I can prepare food, somewhat, if I have to. My Mom showed me. Now, Sasami, here--she can cook! She'd make the Michelin Guide anytime."  
  
"That's so sweet!" Sasami was delighted, although she was not certain what the Michelin Guide was. "Thank you, Tris."  
  
"You're welcome, Sasami."  
  
"What kind of guy knows how to cook?" Ryoko wondered, somewhat caustically.  
  
"A smart guy," Kiyone interjected.  
  
"That's right," Mihoshi added, smiling sweetly at Tris. "I mean..." She thought a moment. "If a guy can't cook and he doesn't have a wife who can cook for him...what would he do?"  
  
"Get to know the pizza delivery guy real well," Ryoko cracked. She laughed. "Tris, you'll make someone a great wife someday."  
  
"Is that a proposal?" Tris asked her.  
  
Ryoko stopped laughing. "Huh?"  
  
"Good one, Tris." Tenchi chuckled. He turned to Ryoko. "I can "prepare food" too, you know. I did some of the cooking before you all came here. So did Grandfather and Dad. Dad cooked the first meal you ever ate here, Ryoko...remember?"  
  
Lord Yosho, sitting at the head of the table, nodded but didn't comment.  
  
"Of course you can cook, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka intervened, swiftly and sweetly and pointedly. "I knew you could all along."  
  
"Yeah, you did," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"So, Tristram." Ayeka, having grabbed the conversational reins, forged ahead. "What do you plan to do the next two days you are here? We all have our duties to perform to maintain the household, I am afraid, and we do not have the free time to entertain you. It is a pity. I understand, however, that the village has a few points of interest. Perhaps you could drive that car of yours into town and view them. There is even an outstanding restaurant in the village, I understand, so you may even sample the local cuisine."  
  
Ayeka delivered this clear invitation for Tris to scram in such a soft, sweet voice that one could not possibly take offense.  
  
Yes, she was good at playing hardball with velvet gloves. She was a princess who had survived and even thrived in a highly competitive royal family. Tenchi marveled at her, as he often did. But she was not going to get away with it this time. He glanced around the table. Tris was keeping his face neutral...smart. Grandfather seemed oblivious to what was going on. Ryoko was staring at Ayeka with rare respect. Sasami looked upset. She clearly knew what her big sister meant. Mihoshi appeared confused by Ayeka's words. Kiyone did not appear confused at all--she looked damned mad.  
  
Then Lord Yosho spoke. "Actually, Princess, Tristram came to me this morning and volunteered to take on a very worthy project--to perform some needed trimming on our walk paths. He has his duties to perform now, also." He collected a bite of egg with his chopsticks, transferred it to his mouth, and chewed it with perfect equanimity.  
  
Ayeka recoiled--for just a moment, by just a millimeter--then recovered with swiftness and sureness. "But Lord Yosho...is it right, do you think, to burden such a temporary guest with household duties? He does not have the time to finish any project he may begin. Certainly, he would be happier to see the sights in the village than to work on the grounds."  
  
Very quietly, Ryoko whispered to Ayeka, "You go, girl."  
  
"I am surprised," Kiyone spoke up, "to see us lapse again into the very impolite behavior of talking about somebody as if they weren't here."  
  
Mihoshi now seemed to have an inkling of what was going on. Her pretty, friendly face flushed with indignation. She didn't speak-- because her partner had, without even looking at her, covered Mihoshi's mouth with her hand.  
  
Tenchi groaned inwardly. It was staring already! He saw that Sasami looked miserable. Now Tris did, too. Grandfather just continued eating.  
  
Kiyone's well-aimed rebuke hit Ayeka amidships. The Juraian Princess stared at the Galaxy Police officer with surprise and hurt. Kiyone stared back at her with her clear blue eyes. Ryoko glowered at Kiyone. Kiyone ignored her.  
  
Lord Yosho finished eating. He lay down his chopsticks. "That was a wonderful breakfast, Sasami."  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yosho," Sasami said in a small voice.  
  
"Tristram, are you finished as well?"  
  
Tris glanced down at his unfinished meal. "Yes. It was very good, Sasami. My appetite just went south, that's all."  
  
"I understand," Sasami said softly.  
  
"Well, then." Yosho stood. "Tristram, if you'll come with me, I'll show you where we keep the garden tools. I know you're eager to get started on taming those errant blades of grass that blight our walk paths."  
  
"Oh yes, sir," Tris said. "Eager." He stood up too.  
  
"Tenchi, you might tell everyone about our decision after we leave," Lord Yosho suggested to his grandson.  
  
"Yes, Grandfather. I will."  
  
"Very good." Lord Yosho led Tris out of the dining room.  
  
The front door had barely closed when Ayeka said, "Kiyone...that was hurtful. I was simply suggesting to that person--"  
  
"I think it's hurtful to try and talk around somebody like that. You just did it again, calling him "that person." It's also hurtful to imply that Tris isn't wanted, and to all but tell him to go away and stop bothering us." Kiyone spoke in a low voice. It wasn't a loud voice and didn't need to be. Tenchi gained even more respect and affection for the highly competent--and quite compassionate-- professional law officer.  
  
"Look Kiyone, this doesn't concern you," Ryoko told her. "You may feel sorry for that goofball, and that's okay, but he needed to know where to get off. The Princess handled it much nicer than I would have."  
  
"Yes, Ryoko," Kiyone said. "You would have been more open and direct. I'll grant you that."  
  
Tenchi now intervened. He was angry and showed it.  
  
"Goofball? Where do you get off calling him that, Ryoko? He's my friend. So, by extension, I'm a goofball too. Right?"  
  
"No, Tenchi!" Ryoko recoiled with shock. "I never meant that!"  
  
"No, she did not, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka intervened. Tenchi's anger at Ryoko somehow seemed to dismay the Princess as well.  
  
Tenchi glared at Ayeka. "So he's not wanted, huh? I invited him here just so all of you could make him feel lousy and shoo him away. Is that it?"  
  
Mihoshi began to cry. Kiyone unstopped her mouth and shook her shoulder, but Mihoshi keep sobbing.  
  
"I--I want Tris here, Tenchi," Mihoshi tried to explain through her tears. "I--I like him a lot--and Kiyone--she likes him, too--"  
  
"Oh, Mihoshi." Kiyone still shook her, but gently now. "Stop crying. He knows."  
  
"Yes, please, Mihoshi, don't cry," Tenchi said. "I was wrong to say "all of you." Sasami has been very nice to Tris, too."  
  
Sasami did not seem far from tears herself. "I know Tris is a good person." She turned to her big sister. "Ayeka, Tris isn't going to hurt anything by staying here. It'll be more fun, that's all."  
  
"Yeah, like a clown show," Ryoko muttered.  
  
Despite herself, Ayeka felt herself begin to bubble with laughter as she imagined that silly Tristram person covered with clown makeup and attired in funny clothes. She placed a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Gas?" Ryoko queried.  
  
Ayeka's inner merriment ceased. She removed her hand. "No, of course not! How dare you!"  
  
"Just a joke, Princess."  
  
"Tris tells funnier jokes than you," Mihoshi said with rare heat to Ryoko. "And if he makes fun of anyone, it's himself."  
  
Kiyone, smiling slightly, patted Mihoshi's shoulder. "Calm down," she murmured to her partner.  
  
"Yeah, well, he's got a lot of material to work with," Ryoko shot back.  
  
"Then he's not the only one around here," Tenchi said flatly. He looked straight at Ryoko.  
  
Ryoko again registered shock. "Tenchi...!"  
  
"Enough of this," Tenchi said. "I asked Tris last night to stay here all of Spring Break. I also talked to Grandfather and Dad about it." He paused. Ryoko and Ayeka seemed frozen in place. "He's staying."  
  
The ensuing silence was so total that not only could one heard the proverbial pin drop, the sound would have stung the eardrums. Finally, the silence was broken.  
  
"But, Lord Tenchi--why?" Ayeka cried.  
  
"Yeah! Why would you do that?" Ryoko added.  
  
"I invited Tris here because I wanted him here. I made it a short visit before because I was trying to keep our secret. Well, that's history. There's no reason for him to leave so soon now, and I want him to stay."  
  
"But what about us?" Ryoko demanded. "What about me?"  
  
"Ryoko..." Ayeka remonstrated, upset both by Tenchi's words and Ryoko's directness. Surely, Ryoko could have phrased it better.  
  
"Listen, Ryoko, Ayeka...I'm going to spend time with you. That's a promise. I meant to all along. I'll spend some time with Tris, too. Hopefully, I'll even get to spend time with my father, if that's possible."  
  
"I'm not talking about them," Ryoko said, nettled. "I'm talking about..." she stopped.  
  
"Yes, I know. And it's just plain selfish, Ryoko," Tenchi told her.  
  
The platinum-haired space pirate's eyes widened. From her expression, she looked as if she had been hit.  
  
Quickly, Kiyone rose. "We need to straighten the bedroom, Mihoshi. Let's go."  
  
"We do?"  
  
"Yes! Let's go, girl!"  
  
Kiyone marched herself and Mihoshi out of the dining room. Tenchi smiled gratefully at Kiyone as she passed him with Mihoshi. Kiyone returned his smile.  
  
Sasami rose. "Time to do the dishes." She collected a few cups and bowls and left, too.  
  
Silence.  
  
Ayeka said finally, "Lord Tenchi...perhaps we are selfish. But we both love you. We cannot help how we feel."  
  
Ryoko rubbed her eyes. "Oh, Tenchi...you really don't understand. You really don't."  
  
"I want to understand," Tenchi said, quietly and earnestly. "I really do. You both are so very important to me. You're both part of my life. An important part. But you need to understand, too. Other people are part of my life now, and others will be in the future. Friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. That doesn't affect how I feel about either of you one iota."  
  
Ayeka and Ryoko neither looked at Tenchi nor each other. Tenchi smiled at them. It was a wistful smile.  
  
"Listen, you two. My high school days, when I came straight home after school, no friends over, ever, all weekends and holidays spent here, never going anywhere...those days are over."  
  
"Those were good days," Ryoko murmured.  
  
"Yes, they were," Ayeka agreed, very softly.  
  
"Yes, I think they were, too. It was like a carnival every day." Tenchi smiled, remembering. "But I'm in college now...and not too long from now, I'll be the priest of this shrine. I'll be very much involved with the folks around here. Again, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. I can't be isolated any more. I won't be. It's a new life for me, a new world. I want you to share it with me. But you will have to share it, not monopolize it."  
  
In response, Ayeka stared down at the table. But she did give the briefest of nods. Ryoko looked directly at him. Her expression was almost challenging. "Yes, Tenchi. And you'll have to make a decision someday--won't you?"  
  
"Yes, I will. I promise that I will," Tenchi assured her. "In the meantime, please remember what I've told you. And try to get along with Tris. Will you both do that?"  
  
"Yes, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said, her voice soft and sad. "I shall try."  
  
"Ryoko?"  
  
"Oh, okay. Just keep the chump away from me."  
  
Tenchi stood up. It was the best he could do, he knew...for now.  
  
"I'd better get outside and start mowing grass. See you two at lunch."  
  
He left Ryoko and Ayeka sitting at the table, staring at cold eggs and noodles.  
  
------  
  
Tenchi went outside, but he didn't immediately begin his chores. He sought out Tris, who was starting his long sojourn into what he later called his career in "lawn order."  
  
He found the American bent over, using the garden shears to scissor the impudent grass that sprouted between the stones of one of the pathways. Tenchi grinned. "I think you've finally found your calling, Tris."  
  
"Think so? The food's great, but the pay's lousy." Tris straightened with a relieved groan. "Gee, I've trimmed about one whole yard of walkway. In a month, your visitors are going to exclaim, "What did that guy do in all that time?""  
  
Tenchi laughed. "Well, you'll earn what we're paying you, anyway." Then he sobered. "Tris, I think everything's cool now with the girls, but..."  
  
"But?"  
  
"I hate to sound sort of like Ayeka, but...could you have lunch somewhere else today? Give Ryoko and Ayeka a chance to cool down." He grinned again. "Take that car of yours and scram! At least for a while."  
  
"And deprive those two of my manly perfection as they eat their midday meal?"  
  
"Most definitely."  
  
"Well, I was going to take Kiyone on a drive after lunch," Tris recalled.  
  
"So take her on a drive and then take her to lunch," Tenchi suggested.  
  
"It's fine with me. I'll have to ask her, though."  
  
"Huh-uh. You're not going back in that house. I'll go get her."  
  
"Okay." Tris seemed nonplussed by his friend's maneuvering.  
  
"It's really best to do this, Tris. Ayeka and Ryoko just need a little time to get used to the idea of your staying on. Trust me."  
  
"I trust you, Tenchi. Even if you don't have collateral."  
  
"Wise guy. I'll go get Kiyone."  
  
------  
  
"Well, Tenchi and Tris are outside talking to each other," Mihoshi reported to Kiyone. "I guess everything is okay. Do you think everything is okay?"  
  
"How would I know?" The two of them were in the women's communal bedroom. Kiyone was trying to move a wardrobe aside to run a dust mop behind it, but it was pretty heavy. "Mihoshi, stop staring out that window and help me."  
  
"Okay." Mihoshi walked--actually, skipped--over to her partner. She was smiling broadly.  
  
"Tris sure wears tight pants," she observed. "He sure does!"  
  
"Mihoshi!"  
  
"Well, he does. He's awful cute."  
  
"He's awful," Kiyone said. "And maybe a little cute."  
  
Mihoshi didn't agree and was going to tell Kiyone so, when the bedroom door slid open. Tenchi walked in.  
  
"Kiyone, I need your help for a little while."  
  
The teal-haired galactic police officer raised an eyebrow. "You do?"  
  
"Yes. It'll take a little time. You can carry on here, can't you, Mihoshi?"  
  
"Well...I guess I can, Tenchi," Mihoshi replied. She looked at him quizzically.  
  
"That's great, Mihoshi. I can always count on you."  
  
"Oh, really?" Mihoshi smiled happily.  
  
"Really. Come on, Kiyone."  
  
"Okay, okay."  
  
Once they were downstairs, Kiyone asked, "All right, Tenchi, what's this all about?" She suspected something was up.  
  
"You were there in the dining room. I think Ayeka and Ryoko will see things my way eventually, but I don't want to toss gasoline on the fire right now."  
  
Kiyone grinned. "You mean Tris."  
  
"Yes, I mean Tris."  
  
"So what can I do?"  
  
"Well, you were going on a drive with him. Please go on it now. He'll buy you lunch and you two can look around the village...at least until mid-afternoon."  
  
"You think it'll be safe for Tris then?" Kiyone's manner was slightly skeptical.  
  
"Oh, it's safe for him now, really. It would just be easier on all three of them if they didn't see each other for a little while."  
  
"I get you. Okay, I'll help out." Kiyone smiled. "So the big stiff's going to have to buy me lunch, huh? I like that."  
  
------  
  
Ten minutes later, the big stiff was piloting the Mustang out of the Masaki homestead. Kiyone sat in the front passenger seat.  
  
"Aren't these seats kind of damp?" she asked.  
  
"Mine isn't," Tris lied.  
  
"Never mind." She leaned back in the comfortable bucket seat. The convertible top was down (unbeknownst to her it hadn't been up). Kiyone shook her long dark teal-colored hair, feeling the wind ruffle it. It felt wonderful. The movement of the car toward the outside of the Masaki property was wonderful, too. She was finally getting out of that place...for a little while, anyway.  
  
Tris glanced at her, trying to stop squirming at the dampness beneath his tush. He hoped he and Kiyone would not have noticeable impressions on their backsides when they finally got out of the car. He saw that she was leaning back in the bucket seat, eyes closed, her silken teal hair flowing in the breeze, a blissful smile on her face.  
  
"I love this," she admitted. "No wonder you drive this old car. I've never realized what an open top does to your senses. It feels so free."  
  
"Uh-huh. And what's a few bugs in your teeth anyway?"  
  
Kiyone popped one eye open. She surveyed Tris with it. "Don't start with me, buster. I'm doing you a favor, you know."  
  
"Well, in that case...I'm suitably grateful." Tris rolled his eyes upward.  
  
"Idiot. I swear, you are an idiot."  
  
"You just figured that out, Officer?"  
  
Kiyone just closed her eye and snuggled against the soft bucket seat, letting the sun warm her face. "Just an idiot," she murmured.  
  
"Well, you're going on this date with me. What does that make you?"  
  
Kiyone now opened both eyes. "Hey, buster...like I said before, this isn't a date."  
  
"Right-o."  
  
"I mean, when I date a guy, I lay down some ground rules. There isn't even the need for any ground rules here."  
  
"Got it. No date. No ground rules. Two perfect strangers riding together in a car for no apparent reason."  
  
"I didn't say that, exactly. You're going to buy me lunch and I'm going to eat it. Just remember...this isn't a date."  
  
"Roger that." Now they were tooling steadily along on the macadam road, leading to the village. The traffic was surprisingly light.  
  
Kiyone eyed him quizzically. "You sure give up easily."  
  
"Hey, Blue Eyes, I didn't give up easily. I haven't even started. I'll let you know when I do."  
  
Kiyone couldn't help grinning at the idiot, just a tiny bit. Then she demanded, "What's this stuff about "Blue Eyes"?"  
  
"That's how I think of you. Blue Eyes."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You have beautiful blue eyes. I couldn't help but notice. So I think of you as Blue Eyes."  
  
"You have another think coming, buster!"  
  
"You do have lovely blue eyes, you know," Tris told her. "First thing I noticed about you."  
  
"The first thing?" Kiyone asked skeptically.  
  
He was telling the truth, though, she remembered. He had stared into her eyes when they first met, not at her bosom or her legs. At the time, she had realized that this was a guy who really liked her and not just the way she filled out her clothes. It had been nice, kind of.  
  
"Yes...deep, limpid, and lovely. Your eyes, I mean," Tris rhapsodized.  
  
"Oh, please!" Kiyone groaned. "Listen, is that your plan? To make me nauseous so you can skip out of buying me lunch?"  
  
"Of course not, Blue Eyes."  
  
"Well, it won't work. I have an cast-iron stomach."  
  
"You eat you own cooking, huh?"  
  
Kiyone punched him on the shoulder.  
  
"Ow! Police brutality!" Tris winced. Kiyone had a mean jab.  
  
"Think I'm "Blue Eyes" now?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"More like "Bare Knuckles"," Tris admitted. "Did you learn that on the job?"  
  
"No. I learned it by dating guys."  
  
"How many times do you hit," Tris asked, "when you actually are on a date?"  
  
Kiyone answered him with another punch to his shoulder.  
  
"Ow! Excessive force!"  
  
"File a complaint," Kiyone advised him. Inwardly, she was oddly happy. It felt good hitting Tris. It felt good verbally sparring with him. She must be going crazy.  
  
"At least hit me on my other shoulder," Tris protested. "Tenchi's grandfather won't like it if I can't trim those walks for him." He had learned something, boy. Kiyone was very tough and could hit very hard. Tenchi had told him something about her superb combat skills. He hadn't exaggerated.  
  
"I can't reach your other shoulder," Kiyone pointed out. "Wait until we stop and I'll be happy to oblige you."  
  
They now entered the outskirts of the village. Tris slowed down, remembering Ryo-Ohki. The last thing he wanted to do now was to squash the little critter. He shivered, thinking of Ryoko's reaction to such a tragedy.  
  
"You cold? You shouldn't be, wearing that jacket." Kiyone had been surveying Tris very carefully, trying to figure him out...and trying to figure why she wanted to figure him out.  
  
"No. Just a nervous reaction to being pummeled."  
  
"You'll survive." Kiyone languidly reached over and stroked Tris's jacket. "Yes, it's a nice jacket, Tris. Your Dad must have been quite a guy."  
  
"He was. Mom was quite a gal."  
  
"And they had you! Who would have thought it?"  
  
"The stork?" Tris then leaned away from her. "Hey, we're in the village now. If you hit me, the folks here might call the cops. They don't like violence, except on TV."  
  
"I won't hit you--if you'll park the car now and let me do some window shopping."  
  
"Sure. Anything to save my shoulder...Blue Eyes."  
  
"Keep calling me that," she promised him, "and your shoulder is a goner!"  
  
------  
  
Back at Rancho Masaki, a certain blonde galatic poice officer was beginning to realize that working alone was no fun.  
  
In fact, Mihoshi was bored stiff with trying to dust mop the bare wooden floor of the womens' bedroom without Kiyone. She looked at the rolled up futons. Gosh, it made her feel sleepy. She loved to take a nap, just a little one, during the day. Kiyone did not like her to do it, though. Of course, Kiyone wasn't here.  
  
Mihoshi looked longingly at her futon. It had a pink fitted sheet. Mihoshi loved pink. Tenchi had gotten it for her a long time ago. Tenchi was so nice to her...so nice overall. She kinda still loved him. But of course she'd never breath a word about that to anyone-- not for all the rice cakes and sugar cookies on Earth, she wouldn't. Besides, there was someone new now!  
  
The young woman dropped her dust mop. The wooden handle clattered against the bare floor. She grinned. She could at least look out the window...look at Tris...it didn't hurt to look. She thought about how he had wiped off her finger. He had held her hand. She couldn't remember the last time a boy had held her hand. Tris liked her, she knew. He was cute...and not a bit awful, she thought, recalling Kiyone's words.  
  
She walked up to the window. She peered out. Huh! Tris was gone. She could see Tenchi. He was mowing a patch of grassy area by the temple steps. He had his black short-sleeved pullover shirt and jeans on, pushing that mower thingy. He looked hot. Mihoshi's kind heart suggested she should bring him out some cold water, maybe even some iced tea. But no...Ryoko and Ayeka would be mean to her if she did. She could take a cold beverage out to Tris, though. But where was Tris? And where was Kiyone? She wasn't helping Tenchi anymore, that was for sure.  
  
Mihoshi left the bedroom and walked downstairs. She saw little Sasami walking toward the kitchen from the living room. Sasami smiled at Mihoshi.  
  
"Hi! Are you and Kiyone through? I was thinking of making a pot of tea."  
  
"Kiyone isn't with me."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No. She was going to help Tenchi. But now he's outside and she isn't with him."  
  
Sasami just smiled again. "Never mind! We'll have some tea together. We can have some sugar cookies, too."  
  
"Yum!" Mihoshi smiled happily. It was funny, but Sasami was probably her best friend, after Kiyone, even though Sasami was a little girl. She sure didn't seem like a little girl sometimes, though. "Where's Ayeka and Ryoko? I bet they'd like some tea, too. I hope...they're not mad at me."  
  
"They're not mad at you, Mihoshi. I'm not sure where they went," the little Princess answered.  
  
Actually, Sasami knew exactly where her big sister and Ryoko had gone and she was very worried about it. But she didn't want to tell Mihoshi, who upset so easily. "Let's have some tea and cookies and they might show up. Okay?"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
------  
  
"So what's the occasion?" Washuu asked, looking at Ayeka and Ryoko expectantly.  
  
The space pirate and the Princess rarely invaded the great scientist's sub-dimensional laboratory and de facto digs, mainly because they didn't like having to hike through the downstairs broom closet (located under the stairs) to enter the portal.  
  
The three of them now sat on a pair of beat-up, chemically stained couches (Ayeka had spread a scarf on her area of the couch before sitting down), surrounded by intimidating masses of gadgetry and super computers and huge vats and dark glassed containers whose contents one was better off not speculating about. Ayeka had surveyed Washuu's realm with a certain disdain before she sat down. Washuu was no housekeeper.  
  
Ryoko, who felt oddly comfortable in Washuu's lab, got straight to the point. "The chump's staying on. All of Spring Break. Tenchi's gonna let him."  
  
Washuu looked at her. "What chump?"  
  
"That Tris character."  
  
"Oh, him!" Washuu grinned. "He's no chump."  
  
"He is, too."  
  
"Listen, Ryoko, I tried to get him to put that Memory Absorber poultice on his forehead. Remember?"  
  
"Sure I do. About the best thing you ever tried to do."  
  
"Well, he wouldn't let me."  
  
"So?" Ryoko obviously didn't get it.  
  
"So, if he had let a total stranger talk him into putting something he had never seen before on his forehead...then he'd be a chump. He's not a chump."  
  
"Okay, okay. He's a goofball, though."  
  
"As to that, I can't say." Washuu shrugged.  
  
"I can," Ryoko said firmly.  
  
"Miss Washuu," Ayeka intervened. She was getting impatient at Ryoko's waste-of-time discussion with the great scientist about the chump-like and goofball-ish qualities of Tristram Coffin. It was time to discuss the real issue.  
  
"Yes, Ayeka?"  
  
"We would like your advice about that person," Ayeka said primly.  
  
"You mean Tris, right?" Washuu guessed.  
  
"Of course! Whom else are we talking about?"  
  
"You called him "that person." You could have meant anybody...except maybe Ryo-Ohki," Washuu pointed out. She was starting to sound like Kiyone now.  
  
"Stop acting snooty, Princess," Ryoko said, her voice disgruntled. "Just use his name."  
  
"I am not acting snooty, Ryoko." Ayeka shook her head, irritably. "Oh, very well. That Tristram person. Miss Washuu, can you advise us?"  
  
"On how to get rid of him?"  
  
"Well..." Ayeka hesitated. "Perhaps not exactly that..."  
  
"Exactly that," Ryoko insisted.  
  
Washuu shrugged. "My advice is--forget about it."  
  
"Huh?" Ryoko leaned forward.  
  
"What?" Ayeka snapped.  
  
"Just what I said. Forget about it. If Tenchi--and his father and grandfather, too, I suspect--are willing to let Tris stick around, they aren't going to be very happy if you try to un-stick him. Besides, what's one more goofball around here?"  
  
Ayeka wasn't certain she liked that last sentence, but she pushed on. "We thought you might know a way that wouldn't look...well, look..."  
  
"Look suspicious?" Washuu finished for her.  
  
"That's it," Ryoko confirmed. Ayeka nodded.  
  
"Frankly, no. And I wouldn't try, anyway."  
  
Both the Princess and the space pirate registered surprised and displeasure at Washuu's response.  
  
"You're supposed to be the super scientist," Ryoko said. "You can't think of something?"  
  
"I am a super scientist..."  
  
The next moment, her sycophantic puppet-likenesses leaped up from a nearby box.  
  
Puppet A: "Washuu is the greatest scientist in the universe! Other scientists cry into their test tubes over how superior she is to them!"  
  
Puppet B: "No doubt about it! The great Washuu is the conqueror of all conundrums! Finder of all facts! Diva of all discoveries!"  
  
"Okay, that's enough," Washuu said. The puppets dropped out of sight.  
  
"Diva of all discoveries?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"That is not the question!" Ayeka snapped. "We know you are a wonderful scientist, Miss Washuu. We also thought you were our friend."  
  
"I am your friend."  
  
"Then help us!" Ayeka all but cried out with frustration.  
  
Washuu shook her spiky mop of red hair. "That's why I won't help you. I'm too good of a friend."  
  
"Could you explain that?" Ryoko asked, nettled.  
  
"It's simple. Tenchi is no fool. Neither is that grandfather of his. You must realize that Tris is under Lord Yosho's protection now, if he's being allowed to stay longer. That old man would sense in a nanosecond if I did anything fancy. Sure, it would look completely natural...Tris would just leave...but Lord Yosho would know. So would Tenchi, probably. He defeated that Prince Kagato for goodness sakes. He has a sense about things now he didn't have before."  
  
Ayeka's face had fallen as she listened to Washuu's explanation. She knew good sense when she heard it.  
  
So did Ryoko, evidently. She frowned. "So, we're stuck."  
  
"You're stuck. Pretty crafty guy that Lord Yosho, huh?"  
  
"Yeah," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"So..." Washuu smiled, broadly. She was enjoying herself now. Ryoko and Ayeka had tickled her with their request. "Forget about eliminating the competition. That guy is no competition, anyway. He's just Tenchi's pal. You'll still have to keep and hold Tenchi's attention the old-fashioned way."  
  
"Huh?" Ryoko said, confused. Ayeka looked uncertain, too, as to what Washuu meant.  
  
"Come on, you two. I'm the old maid around here. Do I have to spell it out for you?"  
  
"You mean...be attractive to him?" Ayeka hazarded a guess. She lowered her gaze as a rosy hue colored her cheeks.  
  
"That's it, Ayeka. And don't gang up on Tris, either. You too, Ryoko."  
  
"Awww..." Ryoko muttered grumpily.  
  
"Be smart. Be crafty. Use your wiles. Be women!" Washuu laughed. She was having a high old time now.  
  
Neither Ryoko nor Ayeka were, however, and they quickly ended the interview.  
  
As they departed the great scientist's lair via the broom closet, Ryoko, narrowly avoiding a wash bucket with her foot, asked, "Hey, Princess--if that Washuu's so smart, how come she's still an old maid?"  
  
"I do not know, Ryoko." Ayeka sighed. "But what she said...it makes sense."  
  
------  
  
"That doesn't make a lick of sense," Kiyone said.  
  
She was looking into the display window of a small shop that specialized in women's footwear. At the moment, she was observing a pair of black opera pumps with five-inch stiletto heels.  
  
"I don't get it," she commented. "I've never understood why the women here wear those things. They would kill my feet. And for what purpose?"  
  
"To make your legs look good?" Tris guessed. He rubbed his bruised shoulder.  
  
Tris and Kiyone were on the sidewalk in the midst of the extremely compact shopping district (or "high street" or "walkplatz" as Tris recalled from his years in Europe) that the village boasted. Tris had found a parking spot not terribly far away. At the moment, Kiyone was getting her wish--to window-shop.  
  
"Listen buster, my legs look great without weird shoes," Kiyone told him.  
  
"How would I know?" Tris asked reasonably. "You've never shown them to me."  
  
"And don't get your hopes up, either!"  
  
"My hopes are always up...Blue Eyes."  
  
"Stop calling me that!"  
  
"Right-o...Blue Eyes."  
  
"Idiot!"  
  
Kiyone looked around. She noted that the local villagers, walking around and about the tiny shopping area, were glancing covertly at her and Tris. No, she had better not sock him here. The way those people looked at her...it made her feel defensive.  
  
She leaned over to Tris, her teal hair brushing his cheek. "We're being looked at," she whispered.  
  
"Uh-huh," He whispered back.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Probably because they've never seen such a beautiful young woman."  
  
Kiyone stepped back. "Tris...!"  
  
He shrugged. "It's true."  
  
"Awww, it's because you're new to them. I know I'm okay looking. But I'm not beautiful."  
  
"You're okay...and you're beautiful."  
  
"Such an idiot." Kiyone averted her face, so Tris couldn't see her amused smile. Her eyes spotted a dress shop, just a bit further down the sidewalk. "Com'on, you." She grabbed his hand and led him to the shop.  
  
"Now that's not bad," Kiyone said, looking into the shop window. A mannequin was modeling an elegant, simple, and sexy black dress.  
  
"I'm no expert, but that's what I think women call your basic black number," Tris told her, looking at the dress, too.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The basic little black dress...kind of a staple of a woman's wardrobe, or so I'm told."  
  
Kiyone looked at him. "Did all of your girlfriends have a little black dress?"  
  
"All of them." Tris smiled.  
  
"Umph!"  
  
"Like I said, it's a fashion staple. Like a guy's got to have a navy blazer, with brass buttons."  
  
"Brash tarnishes," Kiyone said, thinking of the Masaki temple's furnishings.  
  
"Not this brass. They spray it with some chemical. We're high-tech here on Earth, you know."  
  
"Yeah, right." Kiyone smiled covertly again. She still held his hand. "Well, aren't you going to buy me lunch? That's the only reason I came."  
  
"And to window shop," Tris added.  
  
"Okay, and to window shop. Are you going to feed me or not?"  
  
"Sure, Blue Eyes. You pick out the place."  
  
"I will--the most expensive place I can find!" Kiyone promised him.  
  
"Are you sure you're not an Earth girl?" Tris asked.  
  
------  
  
"So, Tenchi...is everything all right now?" Lord Yosho asked his grandson. They were standing on the grassy lawn not far from the temple steps.  
  
Tenchi straightened from raking up the blades of grass he had just severed with the push mower. "I think so, Grandfather." He grinned. "I got Tris to get out of Dodge for a while."  
  
"Say again?"  
  
"It's an American expression, Grandfather. I mean, I got him to leave for a little while with Kiyone. They're both in the village now. They'll have lunch there and then come back."  
  
"That was wise, Tenchi...letting Princess Ayeka and Ryoko think things over without further provocation. With Kiyone, you say." Yosho considered. "Perhaps that was wise in more ways than one."  
  
"Think so, Grandfather?"  
  
"Very possibly. Well, grandson, you have cut a rather wide swath here with the mower."  
  
"Thanks! But there is so much more grass to cut."  
  
"Important tasks are not accomplished in a day, grandson."  
  
"Or even a week," Tenchi said ruefully, looking at over the great expanse of still-unshorn grass on the Masaki grounds.  
  
Lord Yosho was about to reply when they both heard Sasami's voice calling out that luncheon was being served.  
  
"Good! I can use some food," Tenchi said.  
  
"Yes, grandson," Yosho said, putting a hand on Tenchi's shoulder. "And perhaps everyone will be able to finish their meal this time."  
  
"Grandfather..." Tenchi grinned as they both walked back to the house.  
  
------  
  
As it turned out, everyone was able to finish luncheon. It was, in fact, a pleasant meal, in contrast to breakfast.  
  
Tenchi was pleased to observe that Ryoko and Ayeka seemed no longer in high dudgeon. They were both very upbeat...and very attentive to him. Ayeka was poised and sweetly charming, like her old self, and Ryoko cracked jokes and ate with gusto, like the old Ryoko.  
  
Wow, Tenchi thought, those two are really taking this better than I could have hoped. Of course, Tris isn't here.  
  
Kiyone wasn't either, a fact which Mihoshi spotted immediately. "Where's Kiyone? Where's Tris?" she asked plaintively.  
  
"Who?" Ryoko said, a trifle rudely.  
  
"You know--Kiyone, my partner. And Tris...my...my friend." Mihoshi cast her eyes downward. Her cheeks had bloomed rosily.  
  
Tenchi stopped chewing. No, he silently pleaded to the gods. Please, no--not this--not another triangle!  
  
"They've gone somewhere, obviously." Ryoko shrugged.  
  
"But where?" Mihoshi persisted.  
  
Sasami turned worried eyes to Tenchi. Ayeka frowned. "Yes, where is Kiyone?" She pointedly did not ask about Tris.  
  
"Ahhh..." Tenchi thought, quickly. "Kiyone helped me...with some yard work. Since Ayeka mentioned there was a nice restaurant in the village, Kiyone and Tris decided to go visit it. That's all."  
  
"Without me?" Mihoshi's face flushed red. Her blue eyes filled with tears.  
  
"Yeah, without you," Ryoko told her. "What do you think?"  
  
"Why would they...go without me...?" Mihoshi looked down at her rice bowl. Her face was tragic. She appeared to be right on the edge of weeping.  
  
"It's my fault, Mihoshi." Tenchi rapidly composed an excuse. "I suggested that Tris could take Kiyone by herself this time...and then he can take you by yourself the next time."  
  
Lord Yosho cleared his throat. Loudly. He did not say anything, however.  
  
"Really?" Mihoshi brightened up immediately. "That was nice of you, Tenchi!" She smiled at him gratefully. "Did Tris agree?"  
  
"Oh, sure he did."  
  
Lord Yosho cleared his throat again. Just as loudly.  
  
"Is something caught in your throat, Lord Yosho?" Ayeka asked solicitously.  
  
"No, I'm fine, Princess, thank you."  
  
"Well, okay," Mihoshi said to Tenchi, her voice somber again. "But I wish I could have gone along this time."  
  
"Next time, Mihoshi. Next time." Tenchi was glad he had avoided another crisis so easily. He was wrong, of course.  
  
------  
  
"So they demoted you and Mihoshi--busted you both back to Detective First Class?" Tris asked Kiyone as he piloted the Mustang toward home.  
  
"Yes, Tris. The worst day in my life, I can tell you that."  
  
"Well...tell me about it. It might help."  
  
Kiyone hesitated. That was the one subject she had resolved never to talk about. But lunch had been wonderful, at a little intimate jewel of a restaurant. Sasami was an excellent cook, of course, but the food at the restaurant had been heavenly. Tris had canned the wisecracks for a while and talked to her about things...like the places he had visited in Europe (his parents had been stationed in Germany and Great Britain, as well as Japan). Kiyone had been fascinated by his tales of the great bloody Tower of London, the storybook Island of Capri, the romance of taking a boat down the Rhine river and seeing the old castles on the banks lit up with fireworks on a summer evening. Yes, this Tris she liked, very much...much more than she was willing to admit.  
  
Thus, stuffed with good food and feeling that Tris wasn't a total loser, Kiyone decided impulsively to go ahead and tell him. After all, he wasn't a part of the Galactic Union and wouldn't pass on to anyone what she told him. Getting it off her chest finally would feel great, especially to someone who would listen objectively, without any preconceived notions about her. And besides...she really wanted to tell him.  
  
"Okay, but watch your comments. I don't want to have to drive myself home after I knock your block off."  
  
"I'll watch 'em," Tris promised.  
  
"And you can't tell anyone else, right?"  
  
"Like I said yesterday--I'm no fink."  
  
"Well..." Kiyone unconsciously pushed her hair, ruffled by the wind as the car tooled along, away from her left ear. Her somewhat elongated (but still pretty) ear reminded Tris that this lovely woman was not of this Earth. Her next statements confirmed it.  
  
"As I said, I was a Detective Sergeant, working at Galaxy Police Headquarters. Mihoshi was there too, also a Sergeant and Chief of Crime Prevention. She hung around me way too much, of course, but she did her job, mostly. I thought I was doing a great job...getting Mihoshi to pick me out some long-wanted fugitives and insisting my Detectives on patrol memorize those fugitive's features and habits in order to search for them, particularly. I was looking for a quick promotion to Lieutenant, you see," she added with heavy self-irony.  
  
"Sounds like you were going about it the right way."  
  
"That's what I thought! I pushed some of those Detectives a little hard, I admit, but they were lazy and just wanted to cruise their sectors picking up traffic violators and small-time perps."  
  
Listening to her, Tris recalled that was how Mihoshi had described her and Kiyone's duties now. He had an inkling of how humiliating the fall for Kiyone had been.  
  
"I didn't make any friends at Headquarters, that's for sure," Kiyone admitted.  
  
"That's not a good idea. Everyone need friends," Tris told her.  
  
"Don't I know it now! But I wasn't wanting to make friends, I was wanting to make arrests--and score points too."  
  
"Sure you were. So was everyone else there, I'll bet."  
  
Kiyone quickly glanced at Tris, who was busily driving, or appeared to be. He was keeping his voice quiet and encouraging. It comforted her and impressed her. He really knew how to put people at their ease, she realized. Where did he learn that...?  
  
She continued. "Well, one day, Mihoshi came to me--she was all excited. She had the file of a wanted kidnapper named Slaakive. She was sure his description matched the report of a GP patrol that ticketed a vagrant on one of the pleasure planets."  
  
"Pleasure planets?"  
  
"Yeah. Planets with nice climates and beautiful beaches and such that are run for tourists and vacationers, somewhat like your amusement parks and vacation spots, but huge."  
  
Kiyone waited for the wisecrack, but it didn't come. Mollified, she went on:  
  
"Well, let me tell you, getting that scum Slaakive was the dream of a lot of GP officers. I checked Mihoshi's file and the report. The report contained a preliminary identification-comparison of the vagrant and this Slaakive creep. The ID-comparo matches up descriptions, images, and so on from two records. It said there was a strong chance the vagrant was that dirty kidnapper. I ordered my assistant to run both records through the fully articulated identification-comparison module we have at Headquarters. It matches up actual genetic scans that we perform on everyone we take into custody, sort of what you might call a DNA map of the individual. It's the ultimate--absolutely foolproof in identifying someone. The full ID-comparo report print-out left on my desk made it clear. The vagrant had to be Slaakive."  
  
"Wow! Nailed him. Then what?"  
  
"Well, my assistant had left for the day and no one else knew we'd gotten a positive ID on Slaakive. I decided that Mihoshi and I would grab the guy ourselves. We were so excited. This was going to be the big one!" Kiyone's voice was bitter. "Of course, I included the GP sector patrol team who had ticketed the vagrant as back-up, so they would get credit too, but they were under my command, of course. Then..." she paused.  
  
Tris glanced at Kiyone, concerned. She was sitting very still, but she was squeezing her fists very hard, so that her knuckles were almost white with the pressure. He could sense she was seething within.  
  
"Look, Kiyone, we can talk about this later, if you--"  
  
"No, Tris. I want to talk about it now."  
  
She took a slow, deep breath and resumed. "Mihoshi and I searched the pleasure planet with the GP team and we found the vagrant. He protested he was innocent. They all do! We took him back to Headquarters. On the way, he took a swing at me, and I had to take him down. He wasn't hurt badly..." Kiyone's voice was dull. "He was interrogated back at Headquarters, put through a full background check and another complete genetic scan--that's not real pleasant to go through, by the way." Kiyone shook her head angrily. "And it turned out that he wasn't Slaakive! He had only the most superficial resemblance to Slaakive. Not enough to warrant more than an on-scene interrogation!"  
  
"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Tris said. "What about the ID-comparo thing? The full one that gave you the positive make on the guy?"  
  
Kiyone smiled bitterly. "Oh, that was the best part! After I returned to my office after picking up the vagrant, I couldn't find the report print-out. Mihoshi and I took my office apart. No print- out. The module that performs the ID-comparison had no session record of my assistant using it. And my assistant--my very own assistant--testified that she never ran such a report, in fact never even heard me ask her to have one made!"  
  
Tris shook his head. "The hell! Who was this assistant of yours?"  
  
"Her name is Mitsuki Sakakibara. She was a classmate of mine at the Galaxy Police Academy. We were actually friends there. Best friends. She graduated first in our class and I was right behind her. Then, after graduation, we sort of went our separate ways. I don't know why. She spent all her time brown-nosing higher-ups. She wormed her way into Headquarters. Meanwhile, I got teamed with Mihoshi. We didn't have a lot of success and Mihoshi and I fought a lot, until she ran off, all upset, to chase Ryoko to prove she was a good GP officer. When she didn't report back for a while, we all thought she was dead. Then there was a report that she was alive on Earth, and..." Kiyone shrugged. "Well, that's another story. Anyway, we then got stuck with patrolling this remote sector of the galaxy. No offense, Tris, but this is the boondocks for us. In the meantime, Mitsuki climbed up the ladder and attained a pretty high position. She was slated for promotion to Sergeant while I spent my time with Mihoshi giving out traffic tickets in a nowhere sector." Kiyone sounded thoroughly disgusted as she recalled that part of her past. "Some of my other former classmates had snagged high profile positions too, but never mind that."  
  
"Obviously, that situation didn't last."  
  
"No, it didn't. Everything turned around for me suddenly. I was promoted and given a new assignment at Headquarters. Then that Kagato rebellion turned me into a fugitive! But after Mihoshi and I helped Tenchi destroy that pretender to the throne of Jurai, we were both promoted to Sergeant. Mitsuki ended up being assigned as my assistant. She had really burned up the galaxy looking for Mihoshi and me when we were officially wanted fugitives, damn her. Well, she got hers--any chance of promotion for her ended when we were vindicated."  
  
"Uh-huh. Did you lord it over her while she was your assistant?" Tris asked Kiyone shrewdly.  
  
"No, of course not."  
  
"Maybe just a little?"  
  
"Well...okay...maybe just a little, at first. But she deserved it! God, that woman couldn't even make a decent cup of tea! Afterward, I cut her some slack and we had a very professional relationship--I thought. I even recommended her for promotion, Tris!"  
  
"Yeah? I'll bet that really warmed the cockles of her heart!"  
  
"You mean, it just made her more resentful of me?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"Yup. That would be my guess."  
  
"Good guess! So...what do you think really happened, Tris?"  
  
"Oh, there's no doubt," Tris said. "You were sandbagged. Blind- sided. Set up."  
  
"Yeah!" Kiyone said sourly. "And it was a sweet job! No evidence, not even a report log trail. Nothing! I was trying to keep our investigation quiet so no one else could swoop in and grab that kidnapper before me. I found out they were all--mostly all-- backbiters at Headquarters. And Mitsuki was the champ!"  
  
"So she forged the report."  
  
"Yeah, no doubt! I was so excited, I didn't look at it carefully enough. Mihoshi didn't either, but I don't blame her. She was following my lead."  
  
"Well, that Mitsuki was sure taking a chance," Tris pointed out. "After all, the vagrant may have really been that kidnapper and you and Mihoshi would have been heroes, thanks to her."  
  
"I guess that's right. But she knew I was ready to go after the guy anyway, so she just gambled it was a false lead--and she gambled right. That's the best I can figure, anyway...and I've gone over this thing a thousand times in my mind since."  
  
"I'll bet you have. What happened after the vagrant turned out not to have been the kidnapper?"  
  
"There was a formal investigation and a disciplinary hearing," Kiyone said, staring out at the passing scenery without interest. "The members of the board who heard our case ruled we had insufficient evidence to warrant our arrest of the vagrant. The board members didn't believe us about the existence of the full ID-comparo report but they didn't say so openly...they just pointed out we had no report to show the investigators and the module had no log of the report being run. The poor patrol officers who helped us take down the vagrant wasn't charged, but they both hate us now, and who can blame them? The vagrant sued the GP and won and pocketed a lot of money. Mihoshi and I were facing dismissal from the GP, for cause." Kiyone's voice betrayed her bitterness.  
  
"But you weren't, obviously."  
  
Kiyone snorted. "Obviously! A high-ranking officer at Headquarters, Chief Tor Bodai, interceded for us. He's Chief of Patrol over a couple of regions, including the one Mihoshi and I are assigned to. He was our chief instructor back at the Academy. I was a pretty hot, up-and-coming cadet at the Academy, Tris, believe it or not, and Chief Bodai always seemed to like me."  
  
"I believe it, Kiyone," Tris told her, smiling. "I'll bet you were a ball of fire at the Academy."  
  
Kiyone didn't smile back. "Actually, I was. Like I told you, I was graduated second in my class, only half a point behind Mitsuki." Her voice became tragic. "Now look at her...and look at me!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Kiyone. It was a rotten deal. What about this Chief Bodai?"  
  
"Yes, he helped. Of course, the biggest help was Mihoshi's grandfather, who's the Grand Marshall of the GP. Behind the scenes, of course. Rumored but never proven, but of course he interceded. There was no way he was going to let Mihoshi get dismissed from the GP...where would she go? Back home, that's where! So, to keep Mihoshi in, I had to be retained, too, for appearance's sake. That's another great little twist--I'm still have a badge because of Mihoshi!"  
  
Suddenly Kiyone gave a choked cry. Her rage had possessed her, finally. Her fists started smacking the dashboard. "It's so unfair-- so dammed unfair! That bitch, Mitsuki! She ruined me! Me! Do you know what I just found out last week? She's been approved for promotion--to Detective Sergeant! The rotten backbiting bitch!"  
  
Kiyone's hard little fists played the Anvil Chorus fortissimo on the car's passenger side dashboard. Her face was flushed red. She was in a fury.  
  
Tris quickly checked the road head. Fortunately, he spotted what appeared to be a turn-off to a roadside stop. There was a vegetable- and-fruit stall there with a few people, but lots of deserted field beyond. He pulled off the road onto the rock-paved access path, passed the vegetable-and-fruit stall with a wave, and didn't stop until he and Kiyone were many yards beyond.  
  
"Damn her! Damn her! And damn me for being so stupid!" Kiyone fumed.  
  
Tris turned off the engine. He waited.  
  
Kiyone slowly gained control as her long-pent-up anger vented out. She sat quietly now. She took a deep, sobbing breath, then shook her teal-haired head, helplessly.  
  
She looked at the American guy beside her, perplexed. She had never opened up this much to anyone about that rotten time. She had covered the high spots (actually, the low spots) with Tenchi and the others and refused to talk about it thereafter. They had been obliged to get the gory details from Mihoshi. So why did she pour it out now, to this boy, a stranger, an Earthling? What was so special about him?  
  
Then she realized what she had done to this guy's nice car.  
  
"Gosh, Tris," she said miserably. "I just beat up your dashboard!"  
  
"No big deal. It's taken a lot worse than that from me and my buddies, believe me. Forget about it. How are your fists?"  
  
Kiyone glanced down at them. "A little raw," she admitted. "But okay." She looked again at Tris. She smiled gratefully. "Thanks for pulling over. That would be a topper--getting arrested by the Earth police!"  
  
"Your reputation would soar back at Headquarters," Tris kidded her gently.  
  
Kiyone laughed. A tiny laugh, but a laugh, nonetheless.  
  
"Kiyone," Tris said. "No doubt about it...you got messed over. Big time. I guess you feel your career is over, huh?"  
  
"Just about," Kiyone said flatly, massaging her stinging knuckles.  
  
"Well, maybe not. Let me tell you about my Dad."  
  
"Okay...I've talked enough...more than enough." Kiyone stared down at the car's carpeted floor. She was embarrassed, still hot with anger, and she again wondered what had possessed her to spill her guts to this Earth boy.  
  
"When Dad made Captain, he was given a shot to go to headquarters staff. That was the fast way to promotion, he thought. Well, he was there for only one year and then he volunteered to spend a year in Greenland all by himself just to get out of headquarters."  
  
"Why?" Kiyone asked, interested in spite of herself.  
  
"Because my Dad was a real officer--and a real pilot--they call it being a stickman. He was used to leading enlisted folks and other pilots as a flight commander. A real job with real risks and real accomplishments."  
  
Kiyone nodded. "I can identify with that."  
  
"Of course, you're the same way. Well, Dad found out quickly at headquarters that he was a babe in the woods. His best ideas always ended up being attributed to someone else. His long hours were credited to others. There's a serpent called a career staff officer, and Dad was stabbed and stabbed again in the back--figuratively--by what he called the "staff pukes.""  
  
"Hah! "Staff pukes"! I like that."  
  
"He couldn't compete with those vipers. So he found out that he was a doer, not a politician or a schemer. He knew his best chance to get ahead in the Air Force was out in the field, in real operations. That was his last headquarters job."  
  
Tris was surprised to feel something touch the hand he was resting on the gear shift knob. It was Kiyone's hand.  
  
"Tris," she said, softly. "Thank you, for trying to buck me up. You're a sweet boy. But your father wasn't a GP officer, disgraced and stuck in the boondocks...again, no offense to your planet." She removed her hand.  
  
"None taken. But as far as the boondocks goes--obviously, you've never been to Thule, Greenland!"  
  
Kiyone smiled. "Remote spot?"  
  
"You can't even talk to the natives there...really! At least you're allowed to converse with the local savages here."  
  
Kiyone laughed. It was a heartier laugh than before. Then she gave him a somber glance. "Okay, then, I'll buy that. But...what about the disgraced part?"  
  
"Just a year on staff and he pancakes out? That doesn't look good on anyone's record. They wouldn't even give him the usual medal for that tour."  
  
"Yet he made--what was the rank--lieutenant colonel?"  
  
"Uh-huh. By being out in the field, flying planes and running crews. He would have made full bird colonel if he hadn't...you know."  
  
Kiyone thought for a moment. "I apologize, Tris. I see what you're getting at. I guess I'm so self-centered sometimes that I think my problems are unique. But I suppose lots of others have had similar-- or worse--career problems. And many of them have made a comeback. Right?"  
  
"Right. You just need to change your attitude. You're not a has- been, Kiyone Makibi. You're the Comeback Kid."  
  
"Comeback Kid? Hah!" Kiyone grumped. "It's more like Kiyone, the One-Trick Pony!"  
  
"No, the Comeback Kid. As long as you're in the field, you're in the game. That's what Dad always said. You just have to learn to "check your six"--that means, watch your back. You'll handle yourself better next time and you'll find opportunities to excel. My Dad did, and you will, too."  
  
On impulse, Kiyone again reached over and softly touched Tris's hand-- and then removed her hand, quickly. "Okay, maybe you're right, at that." She looked appreciatively at him. "You're good for my morale, Tris Coffin. I may just hire you as my Morale Officer."  
  
"Position accepted. Fringe benefits?"  
  
Kiyone couldn't help but smile at his exaggerated leer. "Just listening to me rant and rave once in a while."  
  
"That's fine--for a start."  
  
"That's all the job offers!" But Kiyone again had to smile at Tris's cheap moves. He was doing it on purpose to amuse her, she knew. "Of course, I still have Mihoshi as a partner. What's your answer to that, Morale Officer?"  
  
"Ah yes, Mihoshi. My impression is, very sweet and very simple."  
  
"Your impression isn't far off," Kiyone said ruefully. "But to be fair to that little ding-dong, she can be competent, actually very competent at times. She really surprises me every so often, I'll admit. And she's very loyal. She tried to take all the blame over that Slaakive mess. Of course, I didn't let her."  
  
"In that case, she doesn't sound like a bad partner."  
  
"Oh, there's nothing bad about Mihoshi. There's not a speck of badness or meanness in her. On her planet, Kawaiidan, she's Lady Mihoshi, since she comes from a pretty high-caste family there--what you'd call a blue blood. But she's not a bit conceited...just sweet. You see, she had three older brothers and her father raising her. Her mother died when Mihoshi was very young. Those men just made a real fuss over her. They all took care of her and she was surrounded by people--men--who loved her and protected her."  
  
"I can just picture that!" Tris grinned.  
  
"I can too! I mean, I have a mother and father who both work very hard at their careers with the Galactic Union--they didn't have much time for me--and an older brother whom I'm not very close to now. Imagine being surrounded with people who just doted on you."  
  
Kiyone now looked somewhat wistful.  
  
"It would have spoiled practically anyone else, including me, I'm sure, but all that love just made Mihoshi sweeter somehow. So she's naïve, kind of clueless, childish, clumsy...but she's all heart."  
  
"Yeah, you know that immediately when you meet her. How did you two get together?"  
  
Kiyone snorted inelegantly. "I think it was a put-up job! I kind of felt sorry for her when we were both at the Galaxy Police Academy and I let her hang around me and Mitsuki. Big mistake! After I was graduated from the Academy, I requested Mitsuki as my partner and she requested me, too. But we didn't get each other. She got another girl and I got--Mihoshi! No one would explain it to me but I'm sure that grandfather of hers was behind it. I guess he thought I might be a steadying influence on her, or something."  
  
"So, you can't pick your relatives or your partners, huh?" Tris said, amused.  
  
"That's so true! And now I'm stuck with her." Kiyone grimaced. She obviously didn't think it was a bit funny. "She infuriates me sometimes--God--most of the time! She flubs up at the worst times, she can't keep her mouth shut, she eats enough for two people, she sleeps about half the day if you let her, and I kind of suspect she's a jinx. I mean, look what happened to my career!"  
  
"Yeah. But you know, she may turn out to be your good luck charm, Blue Eyes."  
  
"That'll be a welcome change! But I doubt it, Tris." Kiyone was so subdued now, she didn't even challenge Tris about that "Blue Eyes" bit. "Speaking of Mihoshi...she going to be awfully hurt about not coming along with us," Kiyone added musingly. "I wish I had thought of that sooner. I can be pretty thoughtless, too, I guess."  
  
"We'd better get going, then. Unless you want another round with the dashboard?"  
  
Kiyone laughed ruefully. "No thanks! One round was enough."  
  
"Okay." Tris moved to fire up the engine, but Kiyone stayed him by placing her hand on his arm.  
  
"Listen here, Tris. Yesterday, you really clammed up when I asked you about your parents. Since we're telling tales...do you want to talk about it?"  
  
Tris appeared extremely uncomfortable. "Well, I've only told Tenchi about it. It's not a story that I'd exactly want in my authorized biography."  
  
"And my story was a triumph? Come on, Tris, 'fess up. I would like to hear it."  
  
"Okay, but it's me at my worst."  
  
"Now I really have to hear it!"  
  
Tris shut off the engine. He looked out at a small copse of trees across the road.  
  
"My parents were killed last year by some poor schlep of a truck driver who died, too. Double funeral. Well, I was just...numb. Guys aren't supposed to cry, you know, but I think we get a special dispensation when we lose a parent, and I lost both. I never could cry about it. though. I don't know why."  
  
Kiyone watched Tris as he talked. There was an inexpressibly deep sorrow in his expression. He was now staring at the hub of the steering wheel as if it held a fatal fascination for him. Kiyone recalled that this was his father's car. A few things about him cleared up in her mind.  
  
"You were really close to your parents, weren't you?" she ventured.  
  
"Oh, yeah. You see, they weren't just my parents. We moved so much that I couldn't make real permanent friends. So, Mom and Dad sort of became my best friends, too. We'd do a lot of stuff together, go sightseeing, toss a football around. Mom could throw a bullet pass you wouldn't believe! I can still remember Dad getting Mom and me and a few of the guys I hung around with--I was around seven--and taking all of us to the drive-in to see some cheesy monster movies. Dad brought some lawn chairs, so we guys sat in them in front of the car and ate junk food from the concession stand. You know, I looked back once, and Mom and Dad were in the front seat, necking like a couple of teenaged kids!"  
  
Kiyone smiled. "That's really sweet, Tris."  
  
"Yeah. Well, so you can see that it was pretty hard to lose them. Anyway, I was at the funeral home. My aunts were there--they're my mother's sisters--with my uncles by marriage. Dad was a only child, like me, and his parents died before I finished grade school. Dad didn't have any close family left. So it was just my mother's family there. A motley crew, let me tell you, even if they fancy themselves to be upscale Bostonians. My aunts were fluttering around, talking about how peaceful Mom and Dad looked in their...caskets. They tried to convince me to walk up and look at Mom and Dad. Well, I just couldn't look at them like that, Kiyone...I couldn't. I just couldn't do it...no way."  
  
"And then what happened?"  
  
"Well, they made one hell of a scene about it--at Mom and Dad's funeral! They accused me of being selfish and unfeeling, and then Uncle Addison tried to strong-arm me to the front of the parlor where Mom and Dad were..." Tris fell silent.  
  
"Hey, out with it!" Kiyone prompted. "I've got to hear this."  
  
Tris drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, I socked him, right there in the funeral parlor. Flattened him good. Then I just took off." Tris looked at Kiyone. "Great way to observe my parent's passing, wasn't it?"  
  
"Well..." Kiyone's blue eyes were full of sympathy. Then she smiled at him. "I say...good for you!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Kiyone leaned toward him, her hand gripping his arm. Animation made her pretty face even prettier. Her blue eyes sparkled. "Those awful aunts and uncles of yours! Trying to make you look at your dead parents! I know why you didn't have the heart to look. Your parents were obviously very much alive to you, just full of life and fun--and that's how you wanted to remember them. Am I right?"  
  
Tris nodded. "Yeah. That's it, exactly, Kiyone."  
  
"Of course! I would have liked to see you punch that miserable uncle of yours. I'll bet your Mom and Dad would have understood."  
  
"Well, maybe they would have." Tris considered this. "But they wouldn't have liked it. No, ma'am."  
  
"Of course, you apologized to your uncle and everyone afterward."  
  
"Yeah, I did. Just before the reading of the will--I should say, the wills. But that was another disaster!"  
  
"How so?" Kiyone again leaned toward him, engrossed. She was expecting another dust-up.  
  
"Mom and Dad carried life insurance through the military...a lot of insurance. Folks in the service get their insurance very cheap. Also, Mom and Dad had mutual funds and their IRAs. So there was a lot of money on the table. At least that's how my aunts and uncles saw it."  
  
"And you parents left it all to you, huh?" Kiyone guessed shrewdly.  
  
Tris nodded. "Every penny. It really set off my aunts. They thought their kids, my cousins, should have gotten something. Of course, those were the same cousins whom my Mom and Dad would send Christmas and birthday presents to, and never get a thank-you card back, and so on."  
  
"So they didn't deserve anything," Kiyone said firmly.  
  
"Makes sense to me...made sense to Mom and Dad, obviously...sure as hell didn't make sense to my aunts and uncles, though."  
  
"Another scene?"  
  
"Uh-huh, and a real rip-roaring one. No punches, though! I left to go back to college that same evening. No good-byes. I just got out of Dodge. Things were pretty miserable at college, too, so when the exchange student program surfaced...I grabbed it."  
  
"And that's how you ended up here. Running away from your family as fast as your little legs would carry you." Kiyone nodded, fully understanding now.  
  
"Yeah, that about sums it up." Tris managed to sound resigned, defensive--and a little ashamed--all at the same time.  
  
Kiyone reached over and patted Tris's shoulder. "Well, I'm your corner, slugger. Don't take it so hard."  
  
Tris looked at her appreciatively. He grinned. "Thanks, Kiyone."  
  
"Of course, you'll still need to go back home someday, and try to patch things up. You know your Mom and Dad would want you to, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah. And I will. But not today!"  
  
"No, not today," Kiyone agreed. "But someday. Don't put it off too long, Tris. It's awfully tough being alienated from your own family. I know a thing or two about that."  
  
Tris shook his head as if to expel the bad memories. "Well, I guess we both cleared the air. Feels good, doesn't it?"  
  
"It really does." Kiyone smiled. And it really did, oddly enough. It wasn't good to keep things bottled up, she realized. Besides, other people had bad things gnawing at them, too. Sharing troubles helped make carrying them around a lot easier.  
  
Tris started up the car again. He swung it around, started back toward the little roadside produce stand. "Hope they don't want to charge us rent," he commented. He reached the stand. He waved at the occupants again, who waved rather uncertainly back. Then he stopped the car.  
  
"Hey!" he said. "Watermelons!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"They've got watermelons. Boy...an early crop!"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Tris grinned at her. It was the old Tris (if she could make that distinction after only knowing him for two days). "Let's get some! Take 'em back!"  
  
"Well...sure!" Kiyone said, suddenly enthused. "I love watermelon!"  
  
"Who doesn't? We can fill the back seat with 'em. You know?" He winked at her.  
  
Kiyone caught on quick. "Hey, you're not always an idiot...no, you aren't."  
  
------  
  
Mihoshi must have been watching for them, because as soon as Tris and Kiyone pulled into the gravel drive next to the gate and stopped, she came flying out of the front door.  
  
"Hey!" she said, running up to them and skidding to a stop. "You're home!"  
  
"That we are," Kiyone said.  
  
"You should have taken me!" Mihoshi looked sad as she now walked the last few feet to the car.  
  
"Couldn't, Mihoshi," Tris told her. "Didn't have room."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Look in the back seat, Mihoshi." Kiyone smiled at her.  
  
Mihoshi looked. "Wow!"  
  
She turned and yelled back at the house. "Hey, everyone--they brought back watermelons!"  
  
Ryoko, cruising in the air, heard Mihoshi. She swooped down. She hovered above the car.  
  
"There are some fine looking melons," she said with a grin.  
  
A moment later, Ayeka and Sasami walked over to the Mustang from the house. "Did someone say watermelons?" Sasami asked.  
  
"Got a back seat full of 'em here," Ryoko said.  
  
"Why, that is a lovely idea," Ayeka said, enthused.  
  
"It was Tris's idea," Kiyone interjected.  
  
Ayeka smiled at Tris. At least the boy had a little sense.  
  
"Good move, Tris," Ryoko approved. She floated to the ground.  
  
"That's just about perfect, Tris," Sasami agreed, walking to the car's back seat and peering at the watermelons. "It's been so warm...just the thing."  
  
Tenchi and his grandfather now reached the car, walking back from the temple. They had finished another bout of Bushido practice. They both smiled as they spied the watermelons.  
  
"Hey, I know!" Sasami said. "Let's have a watermelon party--right here on the lawn!"  
  
"Yay!" cheered Mihoshi.  
  
"Can we, Tenchi?" Ryoko asked, seeing Tenchi and his grandfather walk up. "Lord Yosho?"  
  
"Yes, please, Lord Tenchi, Lord Yosho," Ayeka added.  
  
"Okay, Grandfather?"  
  
"Of course." Yosho smiled.  
  
"Let's do it, then!" Tenchi said.  
  
"Yay!" Mihoshi cheered again. She had quite forgotten about being left behind.  
  
As the others unloaded watermelons, Lord Yosho said quietly to Tenchi, "You see, grandson? You didn't need to make up that story for Mihoshi after all. Tristram was perfectly able to handle that situation."  
  
"Yeah, Grandfather. I guess I underestimated him."  
  
He walked to the car to help the others unload the watermelons. Lord Yosho stood back and smiled at the busy group, working in harmony once again.  
  
------  
  
"Just spit out the seeds, Princess," Ryoko advised a little while later. She then proceeded to demonstrate.  
  
Mihoshi laughed at the sight of Ryoko spitting out watermelon seeds. She herself was a comical sight, with watermelon juice saturating her chin and her sleeveless pink pullover. She didn't appear to mind a bit, though.  
  
"I shall not!" Ayeka exclaimed, scandalized. She used her handkerchief to wipe her chin...and to discretely transfer seeds from her mouth.  
  
"You've about ruined that handkerchief, Princess," Ryoko advised.  
  
"So?"  
  
"Here, Princess Ayeka," Tris said, putting down his watermelon rind. "Use mine."  
  
"Thank you, Tristram," Ayeka said, accepting the handkerchief. "You are a gentleman."  
  
"I'm not!" Tenchi grinned. He spat out a few seeds himself.  
  
"Good shot, Tenchi!" Ryoko laughed.  
  
"Oh, Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka exclaimed, but then smiled fondly.  
  
"Think all these seeds will grow up to be watermelons?" Mihoshi asked Kiyone hopefully.  
  
"I don't know, Mihoshi. Maybe."  
  
Kiyone spoke in a quiet, calm, happy voice. It was music to Mihoshi's ears. She squirmed happily and ate more watermelon.  
  
"This is great! Watermelon is great for warm weather," Sasami said. "It's almost as perfect as kaki-gouri(1). And it doesn't hurt your teeth or give you a headache."  
  
They all, aside from Lord Yosho, who had begged off, sat in the shade of a tall tree, not far from the house. Sasami and Ayeka had spread out a blanket on the lawn (a section that Tenchi had already trimmed with the mower) and all were sitting on the blanket...sitting quite companionably close to each other.  
  
Tenchi was flanked by Ryoko and Ayeka, of course, the two sitting on either side of him. Sasami sat beside Mihoshi and Kiyone and Tris. Surprisingly, another person shared the blanket with them...Washuu. Ryoko and Ayeka had braved the broom closet again to drag the great scientist to the watermelon party. Once there, though, Washuu had squatted down and amiably ate watermelon.  
  
Ryo-Ohki has having a fine time too. The cabbit didn't care so much for watermelon, so Sasami had thoughtfully brought along some carrots, which were manna to Ryo-Ohki. The cabbit loved to chase the watermelon seeds the others spat onto the lawn.  
  
Washuu poked Tris in the back. "Good going, cutie. This is okay, for a change."  
  
Tris glanced back. "Glad to see you out of your cave, Washuu." That caused him to recall what Tenchi had told him about Washuu, how she had been exiled in space for 700 years and had finally crashed here. The very existance of the Masaki Shrine was due to her, in fact.  
  
"It's not a cave," she told him, matter-of-factly. "It's a sub- dimensional chamber." She bit into her watermelon slice, chewed thoughtfully, spat out seeds. "Maybe it is a cave, though...in a figurative sense."  
  
"Oh? Then are you the bear in the cave?" Tenchi asked her with a grin.  
  
"Tenchi! You make me blush. What a thing to suggest!" Washuu looked at him coyly.  
  
"No, no, Washuu," Tris explained. "He didn't mean B-A-R-E. He meant B-E-A-R. You know...like Fuzzy Wuzzy, who had no hair."  
  
"Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair?" Kiyone asked, mystified.  
  
Tris grinned at her. "That's right. So Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't very fuzzy--was he?" He chuckled...then: "Ow!"  
  
"Nice shot, Kiyone," Ryoko told her.  
  
Kiyone smilingly acknowledged the compliment. She blew on her knuckles. Tris massaged his bruised side.  
  
"Sure feels like summer," Tenchi said, changing the subject adroitly.  
  
"Yes, it does," Ayeka said softly. "It is so warm and still." She leaned against Tenchi.  
  
Quickly, Ryoko leaned against Tenchi, too.  
  
"It'll be a lovely long spring and summer, won't it Tenchi?" Ryoko cooed to him. "Just you and me...the flowers and the trees..."  
  
"Please!" Washuu said. "I'm trying to eat watermelon here."  
  
------  
  
That night it was Kiyone who was roused from sleep.  
  
Sasami was again holding her sister's hand in slumber. It seemed to help keep bad dreams away.  
  
Blinking her eyes, Kiyone rolled over on her futon. She then saw the reason she had awakened.  
  
Mihoshi was fidgeting on her futon, and her snoring was off-timber. Kiyone knew the cause. Her eyes traveled down Mihoshi's futon. Sure enough. Mihoshi's feet protruded from the blanket that otherwise covered her.  
  
Mihoshi was a heavy sleeper, stone heavy, in fact. But she had trouble sleeping comfortably when her feet were cold.  
  
And what feet! Mihoshi was a beautifully proportioned woman...even better proportioned than Kiyone, the latter had to admit ruefully. But her feet were big. It provided quite a comical contrast. It was also kind of endearing, somehow.  
  
Kiyone sighed. Dutifully, she quietly sat up and then reached out. She pulled the blanket free from Mihoshi's tight grip and spread it down a bit, covering Mihoshi's feet. She then crawled to the end of the futon and tucked the blanket edge under Mihoshi's covered feet. There. That should hold the ding-dong until morning.  
  
Then the Galaxy Police Detective First Class lay back on her pallet, her teal-haired head sinking into the pillow. For a moment she thought over her day. She had never had a day like that before. She had never met a boy like Tris before.  
  
She thought about him, about how it had been for him at his parent's funeral...the big, nineteen-year-old kid who couldn't bring himself to look into his parents' caskets...the parents that had loved and sheltered him so much. He had been all alone and really unwanted at that funeral home...just lost...a lost boy with no one to turn to...  
  
For the first time in a long time, Kiyone allowed herself to shed a tear. But it wasn't for herself. It was for that lost boy.  
  
_______________________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) Shaved ice drizzled with sweet syrups. That's the confection the gang consumed on the beach resort prior to the beauty contest in "Tenchi Universe." 


	4. CHAPTER 3: No Need For Puppy Dogs

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
  
No Need For Puppy Dogs  
  
______________________  
  
"Huh...huh...huh...huh..." Tris panted.  
  
He was at first afraid he was going to die. Then, he was afraid he wasn't. But he didn't stop.  
  
It was early the next morning, and the young American was following Lord Yosho's suggested exercise regimen and running up the steps of the Shinto temple. He was around one-eighth the way up, and he was fading fast. The pain in his sides was agonizing, sparkling with stitches, and his leg muscles were protesting under fire. He had jogged all the way to the steps to try to get a little warmed up, but it hadn't helped much.  
  
"Huh...huh...huh...huh...whoosh..."  
  
Tris stopped. He bent over and panted like a greyhound finishing a trifecta. He glanced at his progress. Well, he thought as he gasped for breath, he might make it half way up before Spring Break ended. Maybe.  
  
Suddenly Tenchi's grandfather was standing on the step beside him. Where had he come from?  
  
"Are you all right, Tristram?" Lord Yosho asked solicitously.  
  
"Yes...sir...once...I...get....some...air..." Tris wheezed.  
  
"You're trying to achieve too much at once," Yosho advised. "Take fewer steps at a time. As long as you go forward, you will achieve your goal eventually."  
  
"Yes...sir..."  
  
"Shall I help you down, Tristram?"  
  
"No...sir...no...got my breath...now..."  
  
"Very well. Please remember what I said. You are training for a laudable goal. Don't injure yourself. People are counting on you."  
  
Lord Yosho smiled at him and continued up the steps, steady and sure.  
  
Tris stumbled down the stairs, unsteady and unsure. But he wasn't going to be helped down, for pity's sake. What had Lord Yosho said? People counting on him? That was a laugh.  
  
------  
  
Tenchi yawned and stretched, standing beside his bed. Tris's futon was empty, he observed. He was no doubt in the bathroom. Tenchi wondered how far his buddy had gotten up those temple steps. Not far, he guessed. Those steps could kick your butt just by walking briskly up them.  
  
Tenchi slipped off his pajamas, put on his kimono and slippers, and waited. As he did, he thought about his Dad.  
  
Last night, his father had missed supper again, not to mention the watermelon party. Late in the evening, Nobuyuki Masaki had finally dragged in, really beat. Tenchi had walked up the stairs with him to his little home office and tried to get him to come downstairs and have some watermelon (he had saved his Dad a half of one and it had cooled nicely in the refrigerator). His Dad had promised he would after "tidying a few things up." A half an hour later, Ryoko (whom Tenchi had asked to zip upstairs and see about his Dad) had reported him asleep at his drafting table. Tenchi and Tris had helped Tenchi's father into his bed. Tris had said nothing, for which Tenchi was very grateful.  
  
His Dad was going to work himself to a breakdown...or an early grave. Something had to be done. Tenchi bit his lip as guilt ate at him. He'd better talk to Grandfather again.  
  
------  
  
"Good morning, Kiyone!" Mihoshi's voice rang out in the women's bedroom.  
  
Kiyone, having already visited the Grand Baths, was standing, fully dressed, by her futon which she had already made up. She had been holding her old red headband in her hands, trying to decide whether to wear it, when Mihoshi's voice startled her. She glanced at her partner's pink-sheeted futon. Mihoshi was sitting up, beaming at her.  
  
"Mihoshi--you're awake already?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Well, good. Maybe you'll make it a habit."  
  
"Today's going to be a great day!" Mihoshi explained. "I didn't want to miss any of it." She rose from the covers. She wore the pink cotton nightgown with the little silk-screened bunnies she had bought a few months ago. She loved it, Kiyone knew, even though it was kind of juvenile.  
  
"That's the right attitude, I'll admit." Kiyone was a bit puzzled by Mihoshi's (relative) early-birdism, but shrugged it off. At least she wouldn't have to force Mihoshi out of bed this morning.  
  
"Going to wear your headband?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Don't you think Tris likes it?"  
  
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone snapped at her, vexed. "Who cares what he likes?"  
  
"Don't you?" This came not from Mihoshi, but Ryoko, who had just roused herself from sleep. She sat up on her pallet, platinum hair disheveled (beautifully so, of course), in her man's white dress shirt-pajamas (she had hooked one of Tenchi's shirts from his closet and refused to give it back--she loved to sleep in it). Ryoko grinned slyly at Kiyone.  
  
"Of course I don't. I'll wear what I like whatever that big stiff might think."  
  
"Aw com'on, Kiyone. You shouldn't try to kid a kidder," Ryoko returned with a knowing look.  
  
"Aw com'on, yourself." Kiyone made her decision. She slipped the headband on.  
  
"Who's a kidder?" Mihoshi asked, confused.  
  
"Never mind! You two better take your baths now or you'll miss breakfast," Kiyone pointed out.  
  
"Okay, okay. Come on, Mihoshi." Ryoko yawned, hugely. Then she stood upright and walked over to her wardrobe for her terry bathrobe and slippers.  
  
Obediently, Mihoshi rose from her futon and walked to her wardrobe and opened it. She undressed, slipped on her bathrobe and sandals, closed the wardrobe, and walked out the door. Ryoko followed her. Just before the space pirate exited the room, she turned to Kiyone. "You aren't fooling me, Kiyone. I saw you hold his hand under the tree yesterday!"  
  
She ducked, laughing, as a pillow sailed past her head.  
  
------  
  
At breakfast a little while later, Tris found himself both confused and bemused by the actions of a few of his fellow feeders at the trough.  
  
When Kiyone had appeared wearing that cute red headband again, he had asked her if that was where she kept her badge and she had frozen him with a glare. Then Mihoshi kept looking at him, smiling happily. Ryoko even winked at him. What the heck, over?  
  
Tenchi also seemed to sense the increased animation in the blonde Galaxy Police officer. "You seem pretty chipper this morning, Mihoshi," he commented.  
  
Mihoshi favored him with a dazzling smile. "Oh, I am. Thanks to you, Tenchi!"  
  
"Oh?" Tenchi could not figure out what he might have done lately for Mihoshi, but decided not to pursue it. It was likely some trifle that Mihoshi, true to form, had blown out of proportion.  
  
"Say, Tenchi...would you like me to wear a headband?" Ryoko asked slyly.  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean I'd wear anything for you, as long as you liked it. That's how I treat my man...unlike some girls I know."  
  
Ayeka glanced at Ryoko as if she suspected the space pirate was directing that comment at her. But Ryoko was looking at Kiyone.  
  
Kiyone's face flushed. The sound of her gritting her teeth almost carried across the table to where Ryoko sat. Ryoko smiled with wicked delight.  
  
"What you wear now is just fine, Ryoko," Tenchi said, wondering why she had brought the subject up.  
  
"What she wears now is a bit too tight, if one is to be entirely truthful," Ayeka observed coolly. The Princess had a point. Ryoko's long black and yellow striped sheath dress certainly fit like a second skin over her lush form. Tenchi and Tris had a hard time keeping their eyes off of it.  
  
"Hey, Princess--if you've got it, flaunt it. Of course you have to got it, first."  
  
"Have to got it?" Tris said to Sasami, questioning the grammar. Sasami just shrugged and smiled resignedly at him. Her big sister and Ryoko just couldn't resist sniping at each other. At least they weren't sniping at Tris today. The little girl was grateful for that. She really liked the happy-go-lucky American boy.  
  
"Some of us have got it and do not need to flaunt it," Ayeka returned the serve. She smiled archly. Game, set, match.  
  
Ryoko dropped it. She looked at Kiyone. The teal-haired cop was a better target for devilment. "Well anyway, a girl should always dress her best for her man. She shouldn't wear some gnarly old thing that makes people want to gag."  
  
A certain galactic police officer's face became as red as her headband. Yes, Kiyone will still steaming. Ryoko attacked her breakfast with relish.  
  
Something--someone--nudged Tris under the table. He set down his chopsticks and tried to identify the nudger. Mihoshi ate happily, glancing at him from time to time with deep affection. Tris still couldn't figure that one out. But he was sure she hadn't nudged him. At his end of the table, that left Sasami and Kiyone within nudging distance. Sasami wouldn't nudge him. He looked at Kiyone.  
  
Kiyone looked back at him, still rather displeased looking. Then she smiled at him. Her smile was sweet. Under the table, she kicked him.  
  
"Ow!" He rubbed his knee tenderly. "What's the idea, Officer?"  
  
"You haven't said you liked my headband," Kiyone told him.  
  
------  
  
As soon as breakfast ended, both Tenchi and Tris hurriedly scooted out the front door to the relative safety of their outdoor chores.  
  
"What happened with you at the table?" Tenchi asked, pulling the lawn mower behind him with one hand.  
  
"Somebody thought I was remiss in my fashion commentary," Tris replied, carrying his garden shears and a hoe. Both young men had just emerged from the tool shed.  
  
"I wish someone would tell me what's going on with those girls," Tenchi muttered.  
  
"If someone does, have 'em tell me, too," Tris requested.  
  
------  
  
Still, most of the morning passed quietly. Tenchi was cutting a patch of lawn near the lake, finding some joy in the simple chore, just as his grandfather had taught him. Tris was close by, bent over at another stone-flagged pathway, scissoring renegade grass and finding no joy in it, but no punches or kicks, either.  
  
The birds twittered in the trees. Their song was amorous. They allowed no silliness about choosing one over the other or playing defensive games. No, they just built a nest and got down to business. Mate, find worms, raise the kids, die. It was a simple life, one that Tenchi envied sometimes. He wiped his brow. Gosh, it was warm for this time of year! Might as well be summer. It was so peaceful, though. Nice and peaceful...  
  
The still air was rent by a musical cry: "Tris! Tri-is! I'm rea-dy!"  
  
Tenchi did a double take. Mihoshi, wearing a pretty, lace-trimmed white blouse and her best pair of cranberry dress slacks, was standing outside the gate. By Tris's car. Calling for Tris.  
  
Then Tenchi realized what it all meant. "Oh, no," he groaned. "No, no!"  
  
There could only be one explanation. Mihoshi was all decked out in her best duds (even a pair of white medium-heeled sandal pumps) for her promised ride to the village and lunch with Tris...the one Tenchi had haplessly promised her yesterday.  
  
"Why today, Mihoshi?" Tenchi gritted to himself.  
  
It was a silly question, he realized. Mihoshi had been savoring the thought of the trip all night, and she was ready to go--now. She had even gotten up early ("early" being a relative term) in her excitement, and had just changed to her nicest clothes (didn't Ryoko say it was the thing to do?). It was a classic Mihoshi moment.  
  
Now Tenchi heard Kiyone's voice ring out from an open upstairs window. "Mihoshi! Where are you at? What are you doing?"  
  
"Going for a ride!" Mihoshi answered joyfully. "Going on a date!"  
  
"Huh?" Kiyone stuck her head out the window. "Mihoshi! Get back up here! We've got work to do!"  
  
"Can't! I'm going with Tris!"  
  
Hearing his name again used in vain, Tris slowly rose from trimming the walkway. He walked up to Tenchi. The American stared at Mihoshi standing next to his car all bright-eyed and eager. "Has she cracked up?" he asked.  
  
"No." Tenchi shrugged with resignation. "Tris, you'd better let me explain."  
  
He did, with great embarrassment.  
  
After Tenchi had explained, Tris said, "Well, it all makes sense now. But, Tenchi--man!"  
  
"I know...I know..." Tenchi's face was doleful. "Grandfather was right. I did the dirty deed but you have to pay."  
  
"That's putting it literally!"  
  
"What are you going to do, Tris?"  
  
Tris shrugged. "What can I do now? Take her to lunch. I hope Kiyone understands, though. She might think it's kind of funny, my taking out her partner, after we...after yesterday."  
  
"I'll make her understand, I promise," Tenchi said. "I'll take my lumps. It's the least I can do."  
  
"You don't know how appropriate that word "lumps" is," Tris told him.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Tris...I'm rea-dy!" Mihoshi's happy voice floated up to them again.  
  
"I'm com-ing," Tris answered her. "Sheesh!"  
  
------  
  
Soon afterwards, Tris appeared by the Mustang, after hurriedly changing his clothes in the house. Mihoshi fairly leaped with delight.  
  
He suddenly felt like a louse. All the sweet kid wanted was a drive and a meal. To her, it was a big deal. How could he begrudge her a good time? Hadn't she spoken up for him? Hadn't she gone out of her way to make him feel welcome? Yes, on both counts.  
  
Tris plastered a smile on his face. "Well, Mihoshi, I get the impression you're ready to go."  
  
"Oh, yes, Tris. I'm ready!"  
  
"Then let's go."  
  
Mihoshi clapped her hands. "Yay!"  
  
"Yeah...yay," Tris muttered.  
  
Tris opened the passenger-side door for Mihoshi (his mother had raised him right). Mihoshi smiled sweetly, and slid into the car. As he walked around the car to get in himself, he noticed all the other women (sans Washuu) looking at him out the front window of the house...one in particular was staring pointedly at him. Tenchi, please be convincing, Tris thought.  
  
He slid into the car.  
  
"Put the roof down, Tris!"  
  
Obligingly, Tris unhooked the roof clamps and pushed the button on the dash. The canvas top slowly motored down into its well.  
  
"Gosh! This is so neat, Tris!"  
  
Tris just grinned at Mihoshi's enthusiasm. It was infectious. He started the motor.  
  
"Gosh, it rumbles." Mihoshi was surprised. "Will it go all right?"  
  
"Sure." Tris put the Mustang in gear, eased up on the clutch, and pulled away from the house, down the gravel path.  
  
"Wheeee! I love that wind in my hair. It's fun!" Mihoshi turned to him, her face beaming. "Thank you so much, Tris. For taking me."  
  
"It's my pleasure, Mihoshi." And actually, he realized, it was.  
  
------  
  
"Well, he's taken her," Ryoko commented, looking out the living room's huge picture window with little Sasami, Ayeka, and Kiyone. "I didn't think he would. But there he goes with our Mihoshi. I hope he has good insurance."  
  
"Well, Tenchi promised her," Sasami pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, but Tris didn't promise her."  
  
"Tris would back up Tenchi," Sasami insisted. "Of course he would."  
  
"Okay, Junior Princess, you're right." Ryoko smiled down at the little girl.  
  
""Junior Princess"! Ryoko!" Ayeka scolded.  
  
"Great. Now I'm getting it from both members of the family." Ryoko shook her platinum head with feigned bemusement. Then she winked at Sasami.  
  
Sasami giggled. She thought Ryoko was wonderful when she was being upbeat and smart and sassy.  
  
Kiyone stared out the window with a puzzled frown. The other women had explained to her that Tenchi had told Mihoshi that Tris would take her for a ride in order to calm her down at lunch yesterday.  
  
The teal haired young woman had figured out for herself that poor Tris hadn't known anything about it and was just being nice--which, she was learning, he was rather good at. She was frowning and feeling puzzled because...she could not figure out why it still bothered her...  
  
------  
  
"What are you thinking about, Tris?" Mihoshi asked, as they motored on the two-lane road leading to the village.  
  
"Oh, just that it seems like deja vu...all over again."  
  
"What's deja vu?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"It's when you think you've been someplace before or did something before, although it's the first time you've actually have been there or done that thing. Sort of like that."  
  
"Ohhhh...like if I do something wrong and Kiyone tells me she told me about it before but I can't remember her telling me?"  
  
"Close enough." Tris had to grin.  
  
"Ummmm...Tris?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you think...my ears are funny looking?"  
  
Tris, surprised by her question, glanced at Mihoshi. He again took note of her rather pointed ears. Of course, now he knew why they were that way. "No. I think they're kinda cute."  
  
"Really?" Mihoshi smiled with patent relief. "I'm so glad! Ryoko told me you wouldn't want to be seen with a girl with even funnier- looking ears than yours."  
  
Thanks, Ryoko! "You shouldn't listen to everything Ryoko tells you," Tris advised dryly. Besides, Ryoko's ears weren't exactly shell- like in shape, either. Not unattractive, of course, but still...  
  
"I shouldn't? Kiyone tells me that, too." Mihoshi paused to think, frowning a bit as she did. "Tris, even though you don't think my ears are...funny-looking...maybe I should arrange my hair over my ears. You think? Since we're going to the village? I usually do that."  
  
"Well, sure...if that's what you usually do." Tris was surprised that Mihoshi hadn't already taken that precaution. He didn't realize that Mihoshi had wanted to get his opinion of her ears first. He also didn't realize how important all this was to Mihoshi.  
  
"Okay! If you like my ears, Tris, that's all I care about." Mihoshi happily worked at her thick blonde hair, carefully layering it over her ears.  
  
They were rolling at a brisk pace toward the village. They now passed the produce stand whose owners had sold Tris their full compliment of watermelons the previous day. Tris waved at the stand. The happy owners waved enthusiastically back. Mihoshi laughed and waved, too.  
  
"They're nice! They like you, Tris!"  
  
"They like my money."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Never mind, Mihoshi."  
  
Obligingly, Mihoshi never-minded. She was used to that.  
  
"Tris?" she asked. "What kind of girl will you marry?"  
  
"Uh...never really made up my mind." Tris gave her a sidelong look. Mihoshi smiled at him adorably.  
  
"I mean, would she have to be able to cook?"  
  
"Well, that would sweeten the deal," Tris admitted.  
  
"But would it be okay if she learned all about cooking after you married her?" Mihoshi asked pensively.  
  
"I wouldn't object, I guess. My stomach might, though."  
  
Mihoshi laughed gaily. "Tris, you are so funny! You make me laugh."  
  
"Lots of girls have told me that," Tris assured her.  
  
------  
  
Back at the Masaki manse, Kiyone wasn't laughing but she wasn't raging, either.  
  
"Okay, Tenchi, I understand," she said.  
  
Tenchi smiled with relief. "Thanks, Kiyone."  
  
They were talking in Tenchi's (and Tris's) bedroom, where Tenchi had asked her to go when he went into the house. Kiyone had glanced at Tris's futon fondly. Well, at least the big stiff made his bed.  
  
"I mean, you said something to stop the little ding-dong from bawling and later regretted it. As if I don't know all about that!"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you do, Kiyone."  
  
"Let her have her fun. After all she hasn't really had much fun, since we...since we came back to sponge off you."  
  
Tenchi felt concern at Kiyone's sudden sour expression and sourer words. "It's not like that at all, Kiyone. You and Mihoshi are a part of our family. We're happy to have you living with us, instead of in the city."  
  
He understood the one-two punch that had rocked Kiyone to her very foundations. First had been the demotion. Second had been the realization that she and Mihoshi could not risk part-time jobs anymore and thus had to live with the Masakis. To a proud, independent spirit like Kiyone's that second defeat had been almost as bad as losing her rank.  
  
"Well, thank you, Tenchi. But I know that we--that is, I--haven't been very nice to be around."  
  
"We all understand, Kiyone. We're all behind you! You'll get back your rank and show all those people. I know it. It's only right that you stay with us now. We wouldn't have it any other way."  
  
Kiyone felt her lower lip tremble. Tenchi's manner was so friendly and honest. He had been such a good friend to her for so long. It was hard not to...not to...  
  
"We're not your family, Tenchi," she muttered, lowering her head so he couldn't see the sudden moisture in her eyes.  
  
"Yes, you are," he said firmly. "You and Mihoshi are like my sisters. You always will be. This will always be your home."  
  
Kiyone's shoulders shook. She kept her head down. "Thank you, Tenchi," she said, barely audibly. "Would you leave me for a little while?"  
  
"Sure, Kiyone." Tenchi smiled sympathetically at Kiyone and left.  
  
------  
  
"Kiyone didn't like those shoes? I like them," Mihoshi said.  
  
She and Tris were in the village, window-shopping in the burg's tiny market area. Mihoshi was looking at the spike-heeled pumps in the shop window, the same pumps that Kiyone had disdained the day before.  
  
"Well, some women wear them. I guess they do make you legs look more shapely--at a price," Tris said.  
  
"I would wear them if my...husband...wanted me to," Mihoshi said to Tris shyly. Ryoko's comments during breakfast about dressing to please were certainly bearing strange fruit.  
  
"You are an uncommonly accommodating woman, Mihoshi," Tris told her, oblivious to any undercurrents, in true male fashion.  
  
He and Mihoshi were also oblivious to the curious looks coming their way from the villagers milling around the village's mini-shopping district. Didn't this young American man have another pretty woman with him just yesterday, some of the villagers mused. What an operator! Those Americans!  
  
"Hey!" Mihoshi said. She began tugging at Tris's hand, which she had grabbed the moment they had left his car.  
  
Tris smiled inwardly. This really was a replay of yesterday. Now the shop with the little black dress...  
  
But Tris was wrong. Mihoshi dragged him past that shop and stopped in front of a small store whose jumbled front window made it clear that it peddled toys and stuffed animals. Mihoshi was clearly enchanted by the store.  
  
"Can we go inside, Tris?" she pleaded. "Please?"  
  
"Sure," he said, surprised at her request. This place was for kids.  
  
"Yay!" she cried with delight, and pulled him inside. Mihoshi was a strong young woman, Tris had learned. He hoped she didn't punch-- pretty unlikely, of course. She probably left the rough stuff to her partner.  
  
A tiny wind chime tinkled softly as they entered. It was a small shop, very clean and well lit, packed with shelves brimming with toys and fancifully designed animals filled with "inert materials." A small, middle-aged smiling Japanese lady appeared and bowed to them. Tris and Mihoshi bowed back.  
  
"Welcome to my shop, honorable customers." The shopkeeper smiled. She wore round glasses that accented her round face. Her figure was somewhat matronly and she radiated good cheer. She had to be someone's mother or favorite auntie.  
  
Mihoshi warmed to her immediately. "I love your shop!" she exclaimed. "I'd love to look around!"  
  
"Of course...feel free, young lady," the shopkeeper invited. Like most people, the matronly woman found herself reflecting Mihoshi's infectious good cheer.  
  
"Is it okay, Tris?" Mihoshi regarded him with sparkling blue eyes.  
  
"Of course. Feel free."  
  
Mihoshi yipped and started exploring the toy shop. The shopkeeper regarded the tall young American man and his lovely and delightful blonde girlfriend, both of whom spoke such acceptable Japanese, with professional appraisal. The shopkeeper had noted the lack of a wedding ring. That was fine. Men always were most generous to their ladies before marriage.  
  
Tris decided he might as well look around, too. He noticed that many of the classic Japanese anime were represented--tons of Pokemon and Monster Rancher dolls. There were even Dragonball dolls, though Tris never found any of the characters from that anime to be particularly cuddly. There were also some Western--American--animated characters here and there. Bugs, that wascally wabbit, Mickey Mouse and clan, even Moose and Squirrel. It reminded Tris that, to the Japanese, all animated shows were considered anime, even programs he regarded as just Saturday morning cartoons.  
  
He was interrupted in his closer examination of a Bullwinkle figurine by Mihoshi's whoop of delight.  
  
"Awwww...she's precious!"  
  
Tris turned.  
  
Mihoshi was holding--actually, hugging--a life-sized plush stuffed toy. It was constructed in the form of a cocker spaniel...only this cocker spaniel had been out digging for gophers in the woods once too often. The stuffed toy had had a few sewn parts torn off and (skillfully) re-sewn, and its face had been squashed, just a tad, so it looked particularly woebegone. Tris was surprised by Mihoshi's regard for the sad-looking stuffed pooch. The shop was filled with many sleeker-looking stuffed toys. But it seemed that Mihoshi had fallen in love immediately with the plush dog.  
  
"Oh, Tris. Isn't she just the sweetest thing?"  
  
"Uh, sure...I guess."  
  
"She looks so sad. She needs someone to hold her and love her. Don't you, doggie?" Mihoshi cuddled the stuffed dog.  
  
"Actually," the shopkeeper intervened, "we really shouldn't have put her out for sale. As you can see, she was knocked around a bit in shipping."  
  
"I've gotten knocked around a bit in shipping myself," Tris told the shopkeeper. She smiled politely.  
  
"But she's cute! A sweet puppy dog. She's adorable! I love her!" Mihoshi exclaimed.  
  
"Your girlfriend is certainly very enthusiastic," the lady shopkeeper observed diplomatically.  
  
"She's not my..." Skip it.  
  
Tris walked toward the tanned blonde woman. "Now, Mihoshi..."  
  
In response, Mihoshi backed away from Tris, clutching the stuffed toy. From hard experience, she was expecting Tris to say no and to take the plush puppy dog away from her.  
  
Mihoshi had formed a strong fondness for doggies. She had watched a lot of American TV, thanks to Washuu's invention, and all the dog food and dog accessory commercials had charmed her exceedingly. She loved puppy dogs. Tenchi would never let her keep a real one, of course. But a stuffed one would be no bother to anyone. Mihoshi pleaded silently to Tris with her wide blue eyes.  
  
Tris looked at her a moment. Well...he'd never had a sister, unfortunately, and so he never had experienced the pleasure of buying a sister presents, like stuffed puppy dogs. What the heck. The plush pooch was kind of gooney-looking but Mihoshi clearly loved it.  
  
He turned back to the shopkeeper. "How much?"  
  
"Well, not a lot, she's pretty beat up. Of course, if your girlfriend likes her so much..."  
  
"She does. How much?"  
  
They haggled. Finally she named a price and Tris paid it.  
  
Mihoshi couldn't believe it. Tris had bought her the adorable puppy dog! A man (besides Tenchi) had bought her a present! She hugged the stuffed toy as Tris passed out yen notes to the lady storekeeper.  
  
"Shall I wrap it up?"  
  
"Better not," Tris said, watching Mihoshi coo to her puppy dog. "That mutt might bite, you know."  
  
The storekeeper laughed politely.  
  
------  
  
At the Masaki manse, Kiyone was upstairs dust-moping all the areas in the women's bedroom that Mihoshi had missed yesterday. It was a big job, thanks to her partner's carelessness. But it kept her busy, at least. Lunch had been delicious, a real pick-me-up. That Sasami-- what a great cook!  
  
Then somebody walked in...or, rather, floated in. It was Ryoko, of course.  
  
"Hi, Kiyone!" She grinned.  
  
"Hi," said Kiyone shortly. She moved the mop and herself away from Ryoko.  
  
"Got a lot to do, huh?" asked Ryoko.  
  
"Lot to do."  
  
"May I help? I see the other mop over there in the corner."  
  
That made Kiyone stop. She looked at Ryoko. "You...want to help?"  
  
"Sure! I like to mop!"  
  
Kiyone didn't get it immediately. Then, as Ryoko hovered over her, smiling at her, she got it. Ryoko was feeling a teensy bit guilty about making sport of her this morning. The thought that Ryoko was now committing (for her) the ultimate sacrifice to make amends almost caused Kiyone to laugh. At least it made her grin, and that made her feel better immediately.  
  
"Okay. Have at it!"  
  
Ryoko actually did a good job. As she mopped, she talked about how Kiyone and Mihoshi had been the only Galaxy Police officers who even come close to capturing her, and how glad she was that Kiyone and Mihoshi had come back so, "I can get my daily laugh at you two." She meant it kindly, Kiyone knew. The space pirate was a big softie inside, really, if she liked you. By the time they finished, Kiyone was laughing with her and they both scooted downstairs when Sasami announced she had made some tea.  
  
Tenchi was right. They really all were family. And families fight...and make up.  
  
------  
  
Tris almost had a fight with the restaurant's hostess over Mihoshi bringing her puppy dog into the restaurant. The establishment evidently had a disdain for hounds, even stuffed ones.  
  
But Mihoshi had looked so sad holding her stuffed dog, that the hostess relented. She led them to a table at the very back. The kitchen door was so close, one could hear the cooks cursing.  
  
Mihoshi didn't mind. She had her puppy dog and her Tris. And they were going to have a lovely meal. Kiyone had told her all about the restaurant yesterday, only leaving out its steep prices.  
  
Mihoshi sat her puppy dog on a chair. (The restaurant offered what it termed "European seating.") She smiled with genuine pleasure as Tris held out her chair for her (Tris's mother had been very thorough in her training of her son).  
  
Tris sat down, too. Menus appeared, borne by a waiter...the same waiter who had served Kiyone and him yesterday. The waiter glanced at Mihoshi and raised his eyebrows at Tris. Tris smiled, showing him his teeth.  
  
"Tris, it's so expensive!" Mihoshi exclaimed, reading her menu and noting the prices. "Can you afford it?"  
  
The waiter hovered. He also wanted to hear the answer to that one.  
  
"Of course, Mihoshi," Tris assured her. He glanced at the waiter. "Naturally, since the tip is included in the price, I may have to skimp a bit..."  
  
The waiter sniffed superciliously (like all waiters at overpriced eateries do from Chicago to Okinawa). He asked them if they wished a beverage before ordering. Tris told him that, yes, they wished for tea and they also wished for clean teacups. The waiter's stiff back protested elegantly as he departed.  
  
"You shouldn't make him mad, Tris," Mihoshi remonstrated gently. "He may do something to our food."  
  
"As long as he doesn't cook it." Tris indicated the stuffed pooch. "What will she have?"  
  
Mihoshi laughed. "You are so comical, Tris. I love to be with you."  
  
"You'll do to take along too...ma'am," Tris replied with a fair-to- middling John Wayne impression. It was slightly better than his Jimmy Stewart impression, which never had exactly brought down the house.  
  
Mihoshi laughed again, delighted. "I know him! He's on the American TV channels. He's big and walks funny and he shoots bad guys. But he's kinda cute, too."  
  
Tris glanced heavenward. "Duke? Are you listening?"  
  
The waiter brought the tea. He looked at Tris with a hint of dubiety. Tris ignored him and began to pour tea for himself and Mihoshi. Mihoshi all but squealed in dismay. Taking the teapot from Tris, she poured the tea herself.  
  
"That's for me to do, Tris."  
  
"Oh. Okay. Isn't the pooch having any?"  
  
Mihoshi tittered fondly. "She has a name, you know." she said.  
  
"The pooch? What is it?"  
  
Mihoshi smiled and lowered her eyes. "Trissy," she said.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Trissy. From--"  
  
"I know. I figured it out."  
  
Tris was bemused. Trissy was a...well, sissy name. As Tris himself had found out in the playgrounds of his boyhood, where that hated perversion of his name brought cruel laughter. To stop it, Tris had learned to hit first and forget about asking questions later. In fact, he had been obliged to clean up several grade school playgrounds because of that damned nickname, "Trissy." Old memories flooded in and they weren't the warm, nostalgic kind.  
  
He was tempted to object. But there was Mihoshi petting her Trissy and smiling at him...aw, nuts.  
  
"Do you like her name?"  
  
"It's fine, Mihoshi." Rats! "Trissy" again!  
  
The waiter hovered into view. The guy had timing if nothing else.  
  
He asked for their orders and Tris ended up ordering for them both because Mihoshi asked him to. The waiter departed.  
  
"I hope you like what I ordered, Mihoshi."  
  
"I'll like anything you order, Tris." Her blue eyes glowed.  
  
"Anything? Well...don't ever let anyone order blowfish for you, boy," Tris advised. He shivered inwardly at the memory of his near poisoning in Tokyo back when he had celebrated his sixteenth birthday with some wise-guy Japanese friends.  
  
"I won't, Tris. It sounds yucky."  
  
"Worse than that! But it's really for guys. Dumb guys."(1)  
  
Mihoshi nodded, not really comprehending. She petted Trissy again. Trissy still looked like a pretty sad case to her namesake.  
  
"Did you ever have a doggie, Tris?"  
  
"Yeah. He was a Heinz 57, my Dad called him...a mutt, I mean," Tris explained in response to Mihoshi's obvious bewilderment.  
  
"Tell me about him. What was his name?"  
  
"Well, his official name was Scampers. Unofficially, he was known as Humper."  
  
"Humper? Why?"  
  
"Well, the dumb mutt would go into heat and grab your leg and...it's not important, Mihoshi."  
  
"Oh." Mihoshi still looked confused. Then she brightened. "You know, I'd like a real doggie someday."  
  
"I'm not sure what the Masaki lease says about pets." Tris smiled. "But someday, sure. Why not?"  
  
"You would buy your wife a doggie, wouldn't you, Tris?"  
  
Tris shook his head. "She'd probably object to picking up after two smelly old curs, don't you think?"  
  
"I...I think she'd love it," Mihoshi murmured.  
  
"Umph!" Tris was skeptical.  
  
"You know, I don't think Kiyone ever wants to get married."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No. She wants to be Grand Marshall of the Galaxy Police someday. Like my grandfather is now."  
  
"Well, your grandfather has to retire sometime. I'll bet that's a heck of a pension!" Tris was most definitely an Air Force brat.  
  
"Uh-huh. But I want to get married someday," Mihoshi pressed on. "I mean, I love being a Galaxy Police officer. But I'd like a husband too...and babies...and a doggie!"  
  
"Good for you, Mihoshi. Have it all!"  
  
"Uh-huh!" Mihoshi's eyes were starry. "Wouldn't it be wonderful?"  
  
------  
  
"Hey," Ryoko said to Kiyone. They were in the dining room at chez Masaki, sitting at the table, sipping tea and munching rice cakes with Sasami and Ayeka. "You think Tris would drive me to town, too, if I asked real nice?"  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka reproved her.  
  
"He wouldn't if he knew what was good for him." Kiyone smiled grimly.  
  
"Yeah?" Ryoko chuckled. "You got it bad, girl!"  
  
"I don't have anything."  
  
"Uh-huh. Sure." Ryoko put down her teacup. "Well, that was another excellent tea, Sasami."  
  
"Thank you, Ryoko." Sasami beamed.  
  
"And brilliant conversation from you, Princess. I really liked "Be quiet, Ryoko!" best, although "How dare you, Ryoko!" has a lot going for it, too."  
  
Kiyone and Sasami quickly covered their mouths with their hands to stifle their mirth. Ayeka just looked at Ryoko and sniffed.  
  
"If you would listen occasionally, I would not have to repeatedly call attention to your many faux pas and gaffes."  
  
"Now she's giving it to me in French." Ryoko stretched lazily. "Well, the rafters call..." She floated up, just as lazily, and disappeared among the ceiling beams.  
  
"That Ryoko--she stuffs herself with tea and rice cakes and then goes up to the ceiling beams to sleep it off. Yes, she would be a wonderful helpmate for Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka tossed her head irritably.  
  
Not wishing to continue on that endless topic, Kiyone said, "Ayeka, I'm supposed to start waxing those wooden floors upstairs but my partner beat feet on me. Can I help you?"  
  
"Yes, thank you, Kiyone," Ayeka replied gratefully. "If you could help me move those couches in the living room, I would like to clean under them."  
  
"You've got it."  
  
Ayeka raised her voice. "It is so nice to have someone with a sense of responsibility around here."  
  
In response, a loud snore issued from the ceiling beams.  
  
Sasami again stifled a giggle. She gathered up the tea things and departed for the kitchen.  
  
"Ryoko did help me dust mop the floor in our bedroom," Kiyone said to be fair.  
  
"Really?" Ayeka seemed quite shocked. "No wonder the poor thing is so tired!"  
  
More loud snores issued from the ceiling beams.  
  
Ayeka rose majestically. "Let us go, Kiyone. All this talk about work is distressing someone quite severely."  
  
------  
  
"I had a wonderful time, Tris," Mihoshi sighed. She lay back in her bucket seat, letting the wind ruffle her blonde hair.  
  
"Yeah, it beat a poke in the eye with a sharp stick," Tris agreed.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Never mind, Mihoshi."  
  
They were returning home on the familiar macadam-paved road. Tris was beginning to believe he knew every pothole on that road by heart.  
  
Mihoshi wriggled in the bucket seat. She smiled. She hugged her puppy dog. She was indescribably happy. She wished the drive would never end. Then another wish came to her.  
  
"I wish..."  
  
"What do you wish, Mihoshi?"  
  
"Ohhhh..." She smiled. "It's a secret!"  
  
"Okay, be that way. Keep your old secret."  
  
"It's a nice secret, Tris."  
  
"Uh-huh." They were passing the produce stand once again. Everyone waved again. The folks at the stand seemed disappointed as the red Mustang zoomed by.  
  
"No more watermelon?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"We'll get some another time. You can have too much of a good thing, Mihoshi."  
  
Mihoshi petted Trissy. "I don't see how."  
  
"Ask Hugh Hefner if you don't believe me."  
  
"Who's he?"  
  
"No one you want to know."  
  
"Oh...okay." Tris certainly knew a lot of people, Mihoshi thought.  
  
------  
  
"Hey," Sasami said, looking out the window over the double sink in the Masaki house's kitchen. "Tris and Mihoshi are coming back. I see his car coming."  
  
Ryoko floated down from the rafters, yawning and stretching. She walked into the kitchen and peered out the same window. "Wonder if he brought anything good with him?"  
  
"Well, Ryoko, he brought himself and Mihoshi," the little Princess replied.  
  
"I'd rather have watermelon," Ryoko told her.  
  
In the living room, both the Princess and the Galaxy Police officer heard the car's tires crunching up the gravel path toward the house.  
  
Kiyone, taking her red headband off to wipe the sweat from her brow generated by moving the couches back into their original position, shook her head ruefully. "That makes sense," she told Ayeka. "The work's done and here comes Mihoshi back!"  
  
Ayeka smiled sympathetically.  
  
------  
  
Outside the house, Tenchi stopped mowing as he saw the red Mustang convertible pull up at the gate. He sighed with relief. Well, that was over with. Now he'd better go see how well Tris had survived lunch with Mihoshi. He walked over to the car, pulling the lawn mower behind him.  
  
------  
  
Tris had barely stopped the car when Mihoshi opened her door and stepped out. Then she remembered that Tris would have opened the door for her if she had waited. She looked sad.  
  
"Don't forget what's-her-name," Tris told her, killing the engine and opening his own door. He stepped out of the car and closed his door.  
  
Trissy! Mihoshi immediately went back to the car and scooped up the plush pooch. She walked through the gate and toward the house. Ryoko, having stepped outside, met her halfway to the front door.  
  
The space pirate eyed Trissy. "What's that ugly thing?" she demanded with her usual tact.  
  
"She's not ugly! She's my puppy dog," Mihoshi explained. "Her name is Trissy."  
  
"Trissy? You mean...as in...?" Ryoko looked at Tris with absolute, unholy glee.  
  
"Uh-huh. Tris bought her for me."  
  
"Trissy...Trissy!" Ryoko began to laugh, a deep, belly-shaking laugh. She floated into the air, laughing almost hysterically. "Trissy!" She slowly floated away, laughing and laughing. "Trissy!"  
  
"Good to see you too, Ryoko," Tris muttered.  
  
He couldn't swear to it, but he thought he heard Ryoko, far away, choke out amidst her helpless laughter something that sounded like, "Better than watermelon!"  
  
"She likes the name! I can tell!" For some reason, Mihoshi always sought approval from the platinum-haired space pirate. She rarely got it, but that did not stop Mihoshi from trying.  
  
"She sure does," Tris said, watching the laughing figure of Ryoko float out of sight. He supposed it would be asking too much for her to hit a power line or something.  
  
Tenchi came to them, dragging the lawn mower. "What's got Ryoko in stitches?" he asked, grinning in anticipation.  
  
"Trissy!" Mihoshi told him happily. She held out her stuffed pooch. "This is Trissy. She's a doggie. Isn't she cute?"  
  
"Cute?" Tenchi responded, peering at the stuffed toy. He sounded dubious. "You say she's called...Trissy?"  
  
"Yes! Tris bought her for me. Tris is so nice, just like you are, Tenchi."  
  
Tenchi looked at Tris. Tris gave him a warning glare. Tenchi grinned.  
  
"Oh, yes, she's a nice doggie, that Trissy." Tenchi was swallowing hard. "I'd better go put the lawn mower in the shed." He scooted away with the mower. A minute later, Tris and Mihoshi heard hooting laughter from the direction of the tool shed.  
  
"He likes Trissy, too," Mihoshi said fondly. "I'm glad."  
  
"Yeah, I'm real glad too," Tris gritted.  
  
"What's that you have there, Mihoshi?" Sasami asked, walking up to them.  
  
"It's my puppy dog, Sasami," Mihoshi told her.  
  
"Oh, it's cute...kind of," Sasami amended, taking a closer look.  
  
"I'm glad you like her, Sasami! Tris bought her for me!"  
  
"He did?" Sasami smiled. "Well, that was nice of him."  
  
"It was! So I named my puppy dog..."  
  
Tris groaned. He walked away slowly, heading toward the temple steps. Behind him, he heard Sasami's quickly stifled giggle. Then he heard Kiyone's and Ayeka's voices as they joined Sasami and Mihoshi outdoors. He walked faster. He reached the steps of the temple. Laughter sounded from behind him, strident female laughter.  
  
He sat down on the stone steps. Solitude. At last.  
  
Then he heard a noise beside him. Something furry bounded up to him and it wasn't Trissy. It was Ryo-Ohki.  
  
"Meow-er!" said Ryo-Ohki. "Meow--meow-er!"  
  
The cabbit seemed to be...laughing.  
  
"Oh, Ryo-Ohki," Tris groaned, ruffling the cabbit's ears. "Et tu?"  
  
------  
  
Some time later, Tris was joined by Tenchi.  
  
"Listen, you gotta eat something," Tenchi insisted.  
  
"I do, huh? Feed it to Trissy," Tris told him grumpily.  
  
Tenchi grinned. "Com'on. It's dinner time, I said."  
  
He felt a little--okay, a lot--responsible for Tris being the subject of (largely) good-natured hilarity. Now Tris was sitting all by himself on the steps leading up to the temple, looking miffed.  
  
Tris could occasionally draw into a shell if sufficiently provoked; Tenchi had learned the best approach was to pull him out of it---even kicking and screaming, if need be.  
  
"Well...okay." Tris was in no mood to kick or scream. Pout a little, perhaps. "Maybe I can sleep in the car afterward."  
  
"You'll sleep in the house," Tenchi told him. "Let's go. I'm hungry. I didn't take the afternoon off like someone I know."  
  
"Yeah, yeah."  
  
They walked from the temple steps to the house. Tris walked slowly, dreading the reception he would get at the dinner table. He had made it worse, he knew, by slinking away like that.  
  
The sky was darkening. Fireflies were beginning to blink gaily in the air. Cicadas hummed musically in the grass.  
  
Knock it off, fireflies, Tris thought sourly. Shut up, cicadas.  
  
------  
  
Inside the house, everybody was nice to Tris, and didn't laugh a bit...except Ryoko, who took one look at him and doubled over with mirth. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," she chortled. "I'm real sorry, Trissy." She finally floated up to the rafters, still laughing.  
  
"No, Mihoshi! Tou can't bring that--that stuffed dog--to the table!" Kiyone's exasperated voice sounded from upstairs.  
  
"That does it," Tris said. He turned to leave.  
  
Lord Yosho, who had to take a few deep breaths himself to keep from chuckling, intercepted Tris. Tenchi grabbed his friends's arm.  
  
"To the table. March," Tenchi ordered.  
  
"Who commissioned you?" Tris demanded.  
  
"The cook. It's dinner time, wise guy."  
  
Tris was lead to the table. He squatted down at his usual place, on his usual mat. Everybody else joined him. Even Ryoko descended from the rafters. Sasami served out the food. Tea was poured. They ate, talking of neutral subjects.  
  
Mihoshi beamed at Tris. Everybody had liked the nice present he had bought her, as she knew they would. She wished he would look at her, though, instead of staring into his bowl. He was hardly eating anything. Was he feeling ill? She was concerned.  
  
The meal ended. Tris lowered his chopsticks and bowl and rose. Instantly, Kiyone was beside him.  
  
"Come on, you," she said. "You're taking me for a walk."  
  
"I am?"  
  
"You want to argue?"  
  
Tris's shoulder pleaded with him not to argue. "Okay, since you asked so nicely."  
  
Watching them, Mihoshi frowned. She wanted to take a walk with Tris. Then she thought of her doggie upstairs. Sasami had offered to sew its right floppy ear on a little straighter. Mihoshi decided to take her up on that. She left the dining room to get Trissy.  
  
------  
  
"So, that's my partner for you," Kiyone told Tris as they walked in the cool evening shade a little while later. They had strolled through the gate and were now headed toward the general direction of the lake. "Everyone who likes her and stays around her usually has an embarrassing moment or two....or three or four. Yours was a mild one, buster, trust me!"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. Usually I can take a joke. But if she had only named that damned thing anything else--but Trissy!"  
  
"Really opens up old wounds, eh?" Kiyone smiled.  
  
Very perceptive, that woman, Tris thought. She wasn't a police detective for nothing.  
  
"Does it! Had to lick three times my own weight in third-graders once over that damned nickname!" He grinned suddenly.  
  
"Ahhh, there's my Boy Toy's cute smile," Kiyone said with gentle mockery.  
  
"Boy Toy?"  
  
"Right-o." Kiyone imitated Tris perfectly. "If you think you can call me Blue Eyes, I can call you Boy Toy."  
  
"Just because you're a few years older than me? You really have been watching American TV!"  
  
"That's right. Been taking notes, too."  
  
Tris and Kiyone stopped by the edge of the lake.  
  
"Wonder what kind of fish are in this lake?" Tris pondered, surveying the placid surface of the water.  
  
"Probably the kind that swim and breathe under water," Kiyone replied sardonically.  
  
Tris regarded her for a long moment. "Yeah, you have been taking notes."  
  
He turned abruptly, and walked back toward the house. Kiyone walked back with him. She was smiling.  
  
They walked for a while in silence. Then Tris chucked.  
  
"Trissy!" he snorted. "Boy, oh boy...more deja vu!"  
  
Suddenly Tris felt Kiyone's hand slip into his, gently.  
  
"Now you're back with us," she said. "Good. It's no fun talking to a crybaby. I'm glad you've decided to act grown-up again."  
  
"Think so?"  
  
"Know so."  
  
He stopped. "What do you know?"  
  
"A little." She paused. "But I'm going to have to know a lot more. Get me?"  
  
"I get you...I think."  
  
They walked on to the gate. Azaka II and Kamidake II greeted them politely. They walked through the gate. The house with its lighted windows loomed before them now. Tris and Kiyone continued to hold hands.  
  
"Tris?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Why didn't you buy me a stuffed animal?" Kiyone chuckled.  
  
"That's right. Keep it up."  
  
"I'll stop."  
  
They headed for the front door.  
  
"This has been some Spring Break," Tris said. "So far."  
  
"It hasn't not been a total loss, has it?"  
  
"No...Blue Eyes."  
  
"I'm glad...Boy Toy."  
  
They reached the front door. They stopped. They faced each other.  
  
Tris stared at the young woman beside him, transfixed by Kiyone's lovely face bathed in moonlight...early moonlight, the sort that is silvery, not yellow. Kiyone had taken off her red headband, he noticed. That lovely long hair, so much like dark teal silk, rustled around her shoulders from the most gentle of spring breezes. Her blue eyes just shimmered, like twin lakes. He suddenly decided that Kiyone Makibi was the prettiest woman he had ever met. He also reached another decision.  
  
"Well...here's where I get my block knocked off."  
  
He bent over and kissed Kiyone, full on the lips.  
  
Kiyone kissed him back.  
  
Tris straightened. "Hey, I'm still on my feet." He was amazed. "No right cross? No left jab?"  
  
Kiyone laughed softly. Her hand patted his cheek. Then she opened the door and began to step inside.  
  
"Don't be silly," she told him over her shoulder. "I would have slugged you if you hadn't kissed me!"  
  
------  
  
After Tris and Kiyone both went inside the house, a ghostly shape swooped down from the roof and landed by the front door. It was Ryoko.  
  
"Tris and Kiyone," she muttered to herself. "Boy, oh boy!"  
  
------  
  
"...then they came back, and Mihoshi had this awful beat-up stuffed dog that Tris bought her, and she had named it--Trissy!" Tenchi laughed.  
  
His Dad laughed, too. He even put down the report he had been reading.  
  
They were in Nobuyuki Masaki's bedroom and office-away-from-the- office. Tenchi had brought up some tea and rice cakes for his Dad just a few minutes after he had observed the latter arrive home and trudge up the stairs. Now he was regaling his father with the day's events.  
  
"Tristram must have loved that." Nobuyuki grinned. He took a sip of tea. Tenchi had brought up a tray containing a brimming teapot and two teacups, along with the plate of rice cakes. Nobuyuki felt loads better. Sasami was a genius with tea, and his son's attention was gratifying. "Then what happened?"  
  
"Awww, we made fun of him and he got into one of his snits."  
  
"He wasn't really upset, was he?"  
  
"No. He pulled out of it pretty quickly. Tris can take it."  
  
"That's a good thing, in life," Nobuyuki commented. He sipped more tea.  
  
"How's that project coming along, Dad?"  
  
His father grimaced. "It's not. No one likes the estimates. They want to build it for nothing, as always."  
  
"As always," Tenchi smiled, commiserating.  
  
"And, as always, we have to go back and...sharpen our pencils." Nobuyuki grimaced again. "How I hate that expression!"  
  
"Have some more tea, Dad."  
  
"Thanks, son. One more cup and I have to get back to this inspection report."  
  
"I understand," Tenchi said. At least, he had brought his Dad a little cheer. That was better than nothing.  
  
------  
  
After an eventful day, or even an un-eventful day, a good night's sleep is highly recommended by nine out of ten doctors (the tenth makes his living off of insomniacs). But in the women's "dormitory," sleep, therapeutic or not, seemed out of the question.  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi had settled in their futons, Mihoshi taking Trissy to bed with her despite remonstrations from her partner. Now they both looked up at Ryoko. Kiyone blinked a little sleepily. She had actually started to go under a bit, even with the overhead lights still on, when Ryoko, seeming fit to burst, walked to her and said:  
  
"You kissed him!"  
  
Kiyone groaned. "Let me go to sleep, Ryoko."  
  
"I saw you!"  
  
"I'm not disputing you, Ryoko. Now, if you're finished..." Kiyone started to turn over on her futom.  
  
She heard Ayeka's voice: "You kissed him, Kiyone?"  
  
"Did you, Kiyone?" It was Sasami's voice  
  
"You kissed him?" This from Mihoshi. She sat up in her futon, clutching Trissy.  
  
Now Kiyone sat up, too. "Yes, I kissed him!"  
  
Ryoko smiled with satisfaction. "She sure did. Right smack on the lips, too." Ryoko demonstrated, using the back of her hand as a target. Her exaggerated ocular noises made it sound disgusting.  
  
Mihoshi looked at her partner with amazement. She hugged Trissy closer. Kiyone was so brave! Mihoshi could never get up the courage to kiss Tris. At least, she thought she couldn't.  
  
"But you hardly know him," Ayeka objected. "Kiyone! This is the sort of behavior I expect from Ryoko."  
  
"Ayeka," Kiyone said wearily. "It was just a kiss."  
  
"Just a kiss!" Ayeka exclaimed. "Kiyone!" She and Ryoko had to maneuver and scheme so hard to get a kiss from Tenchi--and so often they didn't succeed. Just a kiss, indeed!  
  
"What's so wrong?" Sasami questioned, sitting up in her futon, too. "If they like each other?"  
  
"Sasami, dear, you are too young for this conversation," Ayeka told her.  
  
"I am not. I know all about kissing."  
  
"Another wild woman!" Ryoko whooped.  
  
"That's a corker, coming from you," Kiyone told her.  
  
"What do you mean, Kiyone? Do I lure poor boys outside after they had a date with my partner? Do I kiss them in the moonlight while my partner watches TV? Not me, Kiyone!"  
  
"It wasn't a date," Kiyone stated flatly.  
  
"Was too!" Mihoshi insisted.  
  
"Was not!"  
  
Mihoshi hugged Trissy and looked at Kiyone reproachfully.  
  
"Look, Mihoshi, Tris's driving me to the village yesterday was not a date. His driving you there today was not a date. It was...an excursion. That's all." It sounded weak, but Mihoshi might buy it.  
  
Mihoshi bought it. She smiled. "Then a date would be next?"  
  
Kiyone groaned.  
  
"I suppose you didn't mean to kiss the poor chump either, huh?" Ryoko said with profound skepticism.  
  
"Actually, he kissed me. I just didn't resist."  
  
"Wow!" said Sasami.  
  
"Sasami," Ayeka told her. "Don't listen!"  
  
Sasami lay back on her futon. But she listened.  
  
Mihoshi looked at Kiyone with surprise. She couldn't imagine her strong-willed partner not resisting...ever. She wondered if she would resist if Tris ever tried to kiss her. The thought made her smile and she petted Trissy.  
  
"Yeah, right. You got him all set up," Ryoko said, with more than a touch of admiration in her voice. "Making sure the chump stopped at the front door and turning toward him just right so the moon would light up your face and giving him that look..." Ryoko's mobile features provided an exaggerated version of Kiyone's "look" that made Mihoshi titter, much to Kiyone's annoyance. "He was the aggressor, all right!"  
  
"So that is how you..." Ayeka began, then caught herself. "That sounds rather unseemly. Did you really do that, Kiyone?"  
  
"It was hardly that elaborate," Kiyone said. Ryoko was really beginning to get her dander up. "Anyway, what business is it of yours, Ryoko?"  
  
"None," Ryoko admitted cheerfully.  
  
"And how come you were snooping around outdoors?" Kiyone continued her interrogation.  
  
"Just for grins--and, boy, did I get some!"  
  
"Why, you spied on them, Ryoko," Ayeka said. "That is just disgraceful!"  
  
"Yeah!" added Mihoshi. But privately, Mihoshi was glad Ryoko did spy on Tris and Kiyone. If her best friend was going to kiss a boy Mihoshi liked, she needed to know about it. Where did that leave her? She'd have to think about it...real hard.  
  
"Listen," Ryoko said. "I'll go where I want, when I want, and how I want." She grinned at Kiyone. "Neckers beware!"  
  
"That's fine," Kiyone said unconcernedly. "I'll just take Tris up in Yagami." She was referring to her and Mihoshi's Galaxy Police starship.  
  
"You wouldn't!" Mihoshi was startled. It was against regulations! Kiyone never, ever broke regulations...well, hardly ever.  
  
"Of course she wouldn't," Ryoko scoffed.  
  
"Oh, wouldn't I?" Kiyone rejoined determinedly. "If I can't get any privacy around here..."  
  
"Kiyone," Ayeka said. "Knowing that person so short a time--"  
  
"You're referring to Tris as "that person" again, Ayeka," Kiyone interrupted, her voice sounding irritated.  
  
"That's right," Ryoko chortled. "His name is Trissy. Oh, I mean, Tris."  
  
Kiyone ground her teeth audibly.  
  
"Trissy is my puppy dog," Mihoshi explained to Ryoko, trying to be helpful. "The names sound kinda alike, but--"  
  
"She knows, Mihoshi!"  
  
"The name fits. That ugly pooch really does look like that goofball," Ryoko opined. "I mean, the big ears...that big nose...the big feet."  
  
"Does she?" Mihoshi asked, surveying Trissy with new interest.  
  
"You know what you're gonna look like," Kiyone said to Ryoko, "in about five minutes...?"  
  
Ryoko just laughed scornfully.  
  
Kiyone tossed back the covers and rose from her futon. Mihoshi's eyes grew wide and she hugged Trissy again.  
  
Ryoko stopped laughing. Her face mirrored her surprise. "Hey, don't burst a blood vessel, Kiyone."  
  
"Okay. I'll burst yours."  
  
"Stop this!" Ayeka demanded.  
  
"Yes...please!" Sasami pleaded, sitting up.  
  
Kiyone sat back down on her futon. Mihoshi relaxed. She had been ready to back up her partner, even against Ryoko. But she was sure glad she didn't have to!  
  
"Now, Ryoko, don't pick on that--Tristram--so much." Ayeka was being her most judicial. "And Kiyone, Tristram is a stranger to you. To all of us. You should exercise better judgment."  
  
"I don't agree, big sister," Sasami protested.  
  
"Sasami...!"  
  
Sasami laid back on her futon and was still.  
  
"I'll kiss whom I want, where I want, and how I want," Kiyone stated flatly. "To paraphrase someone."  
  
"But is that wise, Kiyone?" Ayeka asked.  
  
"Well...maybe not," Kiyone admitted. She still looked defiant, though.  
  
"No, but it's sure fun, huh, Kiyone?" Ryoko laughed.  
  
"Ryoko! Just go to bed!" Ayeka told her.  
  
"Hear, hear!" Kiyone said tiredly.  
  
But Ryoko just stood there, her hands on her hips. "Oh, I'll go to bed...just as soon as Kiyone here admits that Tris is her smoochy boyfriend!"  
  
"He is not!" Mihoshi interjected.  
  
"I didn't ask you, Mihoshi," Ryoko said. "Well, Kiyone?"  
  
"I can go without sleep just as long as you can," Kiyone replied.  
  
"Well, I cannot!" Ayeka flared. "And I will not! If I have to go get Lord Tenchi--and Lord Yosho--!"  
  
She had said the magic words. With a disdainful grunt, Ryoko walked back to her futon  
  
"Turn out the lights, Ryoko," Ayeka demanded. "You are the one who is up."  
  
"All right, all right." With poor grace, Ryoko walked to the light switch. She snapped it off. The room was plunged into darkness. The space pirate walked back to her futon and settled in.  
  
For a blissful few minutes, the room was silent, aside from the sounds of breathing.  
  
Mihoshi lay back on her futon and pillow. She snuggled against Trissy. Then a thought crept into her blonde head. It made her giggle.  
  
"Oh, what is it now, Mihoshi?" Kiyone demanded. Unwisely.  
  
"I was just thinking..."  
  
"Yeah?" Ryoko asked disbelievingly. "About what?"  
  
"Just that..." Mihoshi giggled again. "After all that's happened and after all the things you girls have tried and all--the only one who's gotten any real action around here is Kiyone!"  
  
That was a most unfortunate statement. The lights clicked on again. The discussion resumed, a little louder this time...then a lot louder. And it didn't let up.  
  
Not until four o'clock in the morning.  
  
------  
  
It is cold in outer space. Absolutely, completely, and devastatingly cold.  
  
Thus, a hate and lust for revenge that still burned white-hot after roving through many light-years of space was formidable, indeed.  
  
The entity, propelled by a pure force of will, was not daunted by the cold emptiness of space. It had covered many barren solar systems, spanned enormous wastes containing nothing as much as a planetoid. Still it had searched. It knew what it was looking for. And whom.  
  
It had enjoyed success searching for and finding minor targets. Those targets were no more now. But that was just practice. The warm-up.  
  
Year after year of seeking. What it sought hadn't been where it was supposed to be...nor any place it would logically be. So every known inhabited planet and planetoid had to be methodically scanned for possible portals, where the entity fashioned by the controller could enter and question and learn. And, occasionally, kill--just to keep the weapon primed and ready.  
  
It was a tremendous task, requiring much time. But the entity's controller had nothing but time. And hate was monstrous in him.  
  
Finally, the entity had found whom the controller was looking for. The prime subject. The perfect weapon. For the final revenge.  
  
Now the entity was coming to call again. It touched the sleep-mind of the prime subject.  
  
It sensed the prime subject moaning helplessly, deep in sleep. The subject was feeling the mental pain of attempted intrusion. That was always galvanizing to the distant controller--the closest the controller could come to a sensual pleasure.  
  
The entity tried to access, to try to open the portal. It had done so many times before. But it encountered difficulties this time.  
  
The acrimonious roundhouse debate between the women that had lasted until the wee hours was not devoid of benefit--it had produced the sleep of the profoundly exhausted. The sleep-mind of the prime subject was weary, a complete blank. The entity reported this back to the controller. There was no profit in penetrating it this night.  
  
The controller raged, silently. The past few nights had produced unsuccessful attempts, too. Some other sleep-mind--young and surprisingly powerful--had interfered, a sleep-mind to which the controller had no portal. The controller knew whom the interloper was. That little brat would pay for interfering. The controller would see to that.  
  
But the controller, by necessity, had learned patience. Vast patience. There would be other nights. Nights when more and more could be accomplished, programmed, captured, controlled, inside the fathomless sleep-mind of the prime subject...that undiscovered country where only the controller knew the way and therefore held dominion.  
  
The entity eased away from the prime subject  
  
Princess Ayeka sighed, and turned over on her pallet. Unconsciously, her hand sought her little sister's hand and found it. She slept, soundly and dreamlessly now.  
  
It was only a temporary stay of execution...and execution was exactly what the controller intended.  
  
_____________________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) Blowfish (or Fugu) meals in Japan are extraordinarily expensive and extraordinarily dangerous. The Fugu contains deadly poision in its internal organ that can kill anyone who consumes it, unless the fish is prepared carefully. Some diners in Japan have died from Fugu meals. Thus, only licensed cooks are permitted to prepare Fugu. There's an old expression in Japan that translates to "I want to eat Fugu, but I don't want to die." Accordingly, eating Fugu is usually a macho male ritual in Japan, although improved preparation has made it a more acceptable meal for the general public--if they have the price of admission. 


	5. CHAPTER 4: No Need For A WakeUp Call

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
  
No Need For A Wake-Up Call  
  
__________________________  
  
The next morning, Tenchi and Tris work up to a very quiet house. That was not unusual. But, after showering and shaving (and, for Tris, jogging painfully partially up the temple's stone steps), the house was still quiet. That was unusual.  
  
Tenchi and Tris actually switched on the TV in the living room while waiting for Sasami to arise and breakfast to be cooked. Tris noticed that the set was tuned into an American satellite channel that showed nothing but cartoons.  
  
"Who watches this?" Tris asked.  
  
"Oh, Sasami and Mihoshi like to watch that anime about the schoolgirl who becomes a magical warrior and fights monster tennis rackets and things. I forget the name."  
  
"Why don't they watch the home-grown version locally? It's not censored."  
  
"They like the American commercials," Tenchi explained.  
  
Tris shook his head wonderingly. Well, it proved that the super satellite system of Washuu's actually worked, at least. Hmmmm...it gave him an idea. He had to pay a visit to their dorm room back at the University soon anyway to pick up more clothes since he had only brought enough for a three-day stay. Maybe that package had arrived.  
  
On the screen, Tom and Jerry were busily disemboweling each other in gorgeous Technicolor. Forget that! Tris shut the set off. He shook his head. And American parents complained about violent anime!  
  
"Tenchi...Tristram."  
  
Lord Yosho stood in the hallway.  
  
"Yes, Grandfather?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"I will prepare breakfast for us three this morning. I just prepared something for your father before he left for the office."  
  
"Why, sir? What's up?" Tris chimed in.  
  
Tenchi's grandfather smiled slightly. "The young women were up, Tristram. Up last night that is, until quite late."  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked at each other.  
  
"Thought I heard voices but I wasn't sure," Tenchi said.  
  
Tris shrugged. He'd slept like a log. As always.  
  
"Yes, Tenchi...voices," Yosho said. "There was an extended discussion in the women's bedroom. It became a bit acrimonious, I fear. It lasted until around four a.m."  
  
"Four in the morning!" Tenchi exclaimed. "What was it about, Grandfather?"  
  
"I do not know," Yosho said severely. "It is certainly none of our business, Tenchi. Suffice to know that the women, including Sasami, are quite exhausted and will need to slumber well into the morning and perhaps early afternoon."  
  
Again Tenchi and Tris looked at each other. Instantly, guilt bloomed on their faces, although they really had no idea what had happened.  
  
Yosho almost chuckled as he observed them. Then he said, "Tristram, since you're planning to return to the University to bring back more clothing and necessities, this would be an excellent time to do so. Tenchi could accompany you, if he wishes."  
  
Tris goggled at Lord Yosho a moment. Darn it, how did Lord Yosho know this stuff? He had only briefly mentioned it to Tenchi this morning.  
  
"Fine with me, Grandfather, " Tenchi said. "Tris?"  
  
"Sure. That's fine with me, too," Tris replied.  
  
"Very well. Now I'll prepare a simple breakfast," Yosho said, rubbing his hands with a solemn enthusiasm as he strode to the kitchen. "Nothing elaborate, of course. I'm not Sasami."  
  
------  
  
Hours later, female forms finally stirred in the women's bedroom.  
  
Slowly, painfully, the women and little Sasami struggled up out of their futons. Sasami, with her inbred sense of responsibility, was the first to look at the wall clock above the doorframe.  
  
"Twelve o'clock!" she wailed wearily. "I missed preparing breakfast! It's already lunch time!"  
  
"That's okay, Junior Princess," Ryoko said, slumping back onto her futon. "I'm too tired to eat it, anyway."  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka scolded tiredly. "That nickname..."  
  
"I'm too tired to listen to you, too," Ryoko mumbled.  
  
"I'm not too tired to eat, Sasami," announced Mihoshi.  
  
Sasami started to rise from your futon. "I'll fix you something to eat, Mihoshi. It's lunch time, after all...gosh, I'm tired."  
  
"You stay right there, dear," Ayeka told her, sounding tired and cross. "Mihoshi! There are other things besides your stomach."  
  
"Yes, Mihoshi," Kiyone said, her voice drugged with weariness.  
  
Mihoshi blinked drowsily. She stroked Trissy's plush hair. It made her feel better. But she was still hungry.  
  
A gentle knock sounded from the closed door.  
  
"Yeah?" Ryoko rapped out.  
  
"It is I." Lord Yosho's voice issued from behind the door.  
  
"Oh, Lord Yosho. Please do come in," Ayeka said, favoring Ryoko with a significant stare. Ryoko shrugged.  
  
The door slid open. Lord Yosho stood in the doorway.  
  
"Ladies," he said, "there is hot tea and a plate of rice cakes on the dining room table. I have also warmed some of the excellent beans and rice left over from last night."  
  
"Yay," said Mihoshi, somewhat tiredly.  
  
"Lord Yosho, you doll!" Ryoko told him warmly. "I could kiss you. I could marry you, even."  
  
"That is not necessary, Ryoko," Yosho said with good humor. "Don't let the food get cold." He smiled at them and gently closed the door.  
  
"I feel kind of guilty," Sasami said. "Lord Yosho...having to cook!"  
  
"Do not feel guilty, dear," Ayeka said. "None of this is your fault."  
  
Now she turned to Ryoko. "You just had to say "kiss," didn't you, Ryoko?"  
  
Ryoko grinned through her fatigue. "It just slipped out...say, what a honey lamb that Lord Yosho is! I really could kiss him!"  
  
"That would just make his day, I am certain," Ayeka said dryly.  
  
"It would make any man's day, Princess."  
  
"Hey," Sasami intervened. "Like Lord Yosho said, we shouldn't let the food--and tea--get cold."  
  
"Right you are, Sasami," Kiyone said. She slowly stood up. The other women just as slowly followed her example. Kiyone was certain she felt something creaking as she stretched. She trudged to her wardrobe to put on her bathrobe and bath slippers. She would eat first and then soak in the Grand Baths for about a year.  
  
Then she saw Mihoshi actually kiss that stuffed animal before she put it down and finished tying the belt of her robe.  
  
"Mihoshi...don't kiss that thing. Germs!"  
  
Mihoshi started guiltily. "Yes, Kiyone."  
  
But she stared fondly at Trissy. Then she turned and followed the other women as they all headed downstairs to the dining room.  
  
------  
  
Tenchi's and Tris's dorm room seemed strange, although they had only vacated it for a little more than a week. The whole dormitory was weirdly quiet, aside from the sounds of the maid service employees performing their cleaning chores. Everybody, of course, was away for Spring Break.  
  
Tris was packing a few more unmentionables into a zipper bag. Beside the bag was a parcel from the US, plastered with Japanese customs stamps. It was, in fact, a "care" package from a good buddy of his at his former University in the States. Tris had been gratified to find the package in the little campus post office, which was open, of course, even through the break in classes. He had shaken the package on the way to the dorm and it had rattled. Good.  
  
Tenchi sat at the small desk on his side of the dorm room. The room was the usual glorified closet, with barely space for two rather uncomfortable single beds, two desks with chairs, shelving attached to the walls, and two wardrobe closets. If anyone had wanted to, say, walk more than five paces without barking their shins on something, they would have been out of luck. Somehow Tris had managed to shoehorn in a small multi-system TV monitor and VCR combination. Both his and Tenchi's laptop computers were stored away in the secure storage facility the University maintained. But Tris figured no one would steal the TV-VCR, since it was so beat-up looking. It worked fine, though. He had run many a great old classic movie video through it for his and Tenchi's entertainment. He was toying with the idea of purchasing a mini-DVD player.  
  
Tenchi was reading a printed semester calendar that he had found in his campus mailbox. It announced the upcoming events for the new term.  
  
"They're having some guest lectures...some more of those classical  
  
music sessions...some heritage festivals...a whole lot of nothing, really," Tenchi remarked.  
  
"Just like last semester," Tris noted. He zipped up the bag. "I've got the loot. Let's scoot."  
  
"Yeah, let's. This place is dead enough with people in it! It's like a cemetery now."  
  
------  
  
"Jeeze Louise...where is everyone?"  
  
Washuu had made one of her rare public appearances, to find no public to appear before...except Lord Yosho. They were standing in the living room, which Yosho had entered from the outdoors to make a telephone call. He had just hung up the receiver when Washuu popped in.  
  
"Tenchi and Tristram are paying a visit to their college dormitory to acquire some items Tristram will need for his extended stay with us," Lord Yosho explained.  
  
"And the girls?"  
  
"Ahhh...they had rather a long night of it."  
  
"A party?"  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
"Aha! A fight!" Washuu grinned.  
  
Lord Yosho said nothing.  
  
"I suppose it's too much to ask what the fight was about?"  
  
"I really don't know," Yosho told her. "I did not inquire."  
  
"I'll bet that Tris character was involved, somehow. Ayeka and Ryoko came to me to complain about him--oops, I wasn't supposed to mention that." Washuu, at least, did not mention their desire to have her ship off Tris.  
  
Lord Yosho only smiled.  
  
"How long did the girls stay up?"  
  
"Until almost dawn," said Yosho.  
  
"Yikes! No wonder they're dragging," Washuu said, not without sympathy.  
  
"Yes." Yosho turned to leave. "If any group of young ladies needs a night of nourishing sleep, it is they. I will be at the temple." He stopped and then turned around again. "Is there something I can do for you, Professor Washuu? Perhaps prepare you something to eat?"  
  
"No, but thanks, Grandpa. I'll just raid the fridge. Where are the girls now?"  
  
"I believe they are relaxing in that marvelous bathing facility you devised for them."  
  
"Shucks, t'weren't nothin'," Washuu said modestly. Her puppets did not appear this time to contradict her modesty, for which Lord Yosho was suitably grateful.  
  
------  
  
"The thing is," Ryoko said glumly, as she and the other women stood in the steamy antechamber to the Grand Baths, divesting themselves of robes, "it was stupid to argue like that. I was being as stupid as anyone. I admit it."  
  
"I think we were all being stupid, except Kiyone and Sasami," Ayeka added.  
  
"What about me?" asked Mihoshi.  
  
"You too, Mihoshi." Ayeka smiled. "I apologize for excluding you."  
  
"That kinda narrows down the field, doesn't it?" Ryoko asked the Princess. "That just leaves me and you being stupid."  
  
"Yes it does," Ayeka replied coolly.  
  
"Well...maybe you're right, Princess. The worst part of it is that after all that we didn't settle anything," Ryoko noted.  
  
"Oh yes, we did," Kiyone said firmly. "We established that we're never going to argue like that--ever again. If we ever do, I'm out of here and so is Mihoshi. We'll camp out in Yagami if we have to."  
  
"Kiyone!" Mihoshi, shocked, missed the hook for her robe. Her robe crumpled to the floor. Her face crumpled also. Her partner's ultimatum shook her badly.  
  
"I do not blame you, Kiyone, for how you feel," Ayeka said, her voice troubled. "None of us want you or Mihoshi to leave. Please believe that."  
  
"I don't blame you either, I guess. But please don't leave us," Sasami said plaintively.  
  
Tears streamed down Mihoshi's face. But she kept quiet.  
  
Kiyone looked at Ryoko.  
  
"Yeah...I don't want you two to leave, either," Ryoko admitted. "And you're right, Kiyone--never again! That kind of arguing is just no fun. Besides, we've been through too much together to break up now."  
  
Kiyone nodded. "All right. Agreed. Now, stop crying, Mihoshi. There's already plenty of water around here!"  
  
Mihoshi smiled happily through her tears.  
  
They entered the baths.  
  
------  
  
Lord Yosho slowly walked back towards the temple following his talk with Washuu and after having checked on the five weary females again. His hands were clasped behind him. His head was sunk in thought.  
  
That aura around Tristram. Again, it seemed significant. The young American was meant to be here to perform some necessary task...and it wasn't trimming grass. Yosho allowed himself a slight smile at his own witticism. Tristram, as Tenchi's friend, was welcome at any rate, of course. But that aura told Yosho that Tristram must stay. Yosho smiled again, recalling the spectacle just that morning of the young American stumbling down the temple steps, winded. His dash up the steps had yielded no further progress than the day before. Tristram was rather out of condition, not to mention clumsy and just a tad slothful, Yosho had divined. An unusual vessel for whatever significant--and possibly dangerous--task lay ahead. But Lord Yosho, Juraian prince of the blood, had encountered more unusual vessels-- that bounty hunter, Nagi, for instance.  
  
His smiled faded as he now also recalled that he had felt that intruder--the Presence--last night. He had felt it a number of times before, always late at night. It was not something he could really pinpoint. It was wispy, ephemeral. But it was something invading the Masaki homestead. And it was not friendly. Yosho knew that absolutely.  
  
One could not grasp smoke. One could only remain alert and try to discern the fire beneath.  
  
Yosho raised his head. He heard the low roar of Tristram's rather overpowered, but beautiful old automobile. He turned and watched it pull up at the gate, quite close to him. As he regarded his nineteen-year-old grandson sitting in the front passenger bucket seat (the convertible top was down), he felt proud. Tenchi was everything he could have hoped for in a grandson and more. Best of all, Tenchi was no mere well-trained and indoctrinated hothouse orchid. He was a young man of strong traditional beliefs, yet with a worldly outlook and diverse interests, as his friendship with Tristram proved. One had to be somewhat a man of the world to best protect it.  
  
"Hi, Grandfather!" Tenchi called.  
  
"Hello, sir," Tris called also.  
  
Yosho smiled by way of greeting. He walked up to the two young men as they exited the car.  
  
"You made very good time," he observed.  
  
"Yes, Grandfather," Tenchi said. "The University is really dead. No need to hang around there."  
  
"Traffic was okay too, sir," Tris added.  
  
"Not dashboard-to-dashboard?" Yosho asked, smiling again.  
  
Tenchi and Tris laughed.  
  
"Well, since it's only early afternoon, perhaps you two can still attend to your chores."  
  
Both Tenchi's and Tris's faces fell.  
  
"Yes, Grandfather."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
They both walked around the car to the trunk to unload Tris's belongings. Neither of them seemed quite so chipper now.  
  
Lord Yosho nodded at them amiably and continued on to the temple.  
  
------  
  
Meanwhile, the women weren't exactly chipper, either, but they felt considerably better. Soaking in the heavenly hot baths had helped tremendously.  
  
With Lord Yosho's simple but nourishing repast in their stomachs and hot water massaging their bodies--and the truce they had agreed on settling their minds--Ryoko, Ayeka, Kiyone, Mihoshi and little Sasami were quite comfy and content. They had not talked very much during the hot soak. A few comments like, "Move your big foot, Mihoshi," and "Don't hog all the towels, Princess," had sufficed.  
  
As a group, they slowly left the Grand Baths and returned to their communal bedroom. As a group, they dressed slowly, still somewhat sleepy and warm from the hot water. One individual wanted to bring her stuffed doggie with her, but was dissuaded by the others. As a group, they sat down to more hot tea prepared by a revived little Sasami. And as a group, they wandered outdoors...even Sasami.  
  
"Look," said Ryoko, as they all sauntered onto the lawn. "Hah! The woodsmen tame the wilderness!"  
  
She indicated Tenchi and Tristram. The two young men were a distance off, one raking up cut grass, the other making more cut grass with his garden shears. The two were working closely together, feeding off each other's slight feeling of injustice at having to work on the grounds after their flying trip to the University and back.  
  
"Ah, the sweeties...working hard all day," Mihoshi said fondly.  
  
"Hardly working all day, you mean," Kiyone corrected her. "Going on that nice leisurely drive to that University of theirs." Lord Yosho had told them of Tris's and Tenchi's road trip. "Probably took their sweet time about it and had a beer on the way home. Nice work, if you can get it."  
  
Kiyone's mood really wasn't sardonic. Her ironic words were just her defensive mechanism, automatically activated, rather like that of the two wooden Guardians who sat, ready to defend their Princess, just outside the gate. That mechanism, which had served Kiyone so well in the past, had been triggered by how very nice it was to see Tris.  
  
It was hopeless, though, she realized. Being brittle and tough wasn't going to cut it this time. The fact was, she didn't feel brittle and tough inside. A strange, soft warmth welled in her. Instinctively, she tried to squelch it. But it refused to be squelched. Aw...who was she kidding? She felt the way she felt and that was that. She was getting stuck on a goofy Earth boy. Damn it! Her career was in ruins, she was broke, and she had kissed Tenchi's college roommate. Her life was in the toilet!  
  
And yet...that funny glow inside persisted. Aw, hell.  
  
"I've never had a beer," Mihoshi, walking beside her, reflected. "I should have asked Tris for one when we were at the nice restaurant." She smiled. "Something to look forward to next time!"  
  
"What next time?" Kiyone asked, her tone a bit dangerous.  
  
"Keep it cool, girl," Ryoko said. "Even I want some peace and quiet for a while."  
  
"You, Ryoko? I am astonished...but grateful," Ayeka murmured.  
  
"Hey, the boys see us," said Sasami.  
  
------  
  
"There are the girls," Tenchi said. "Hey, they're coming toward us."  
  
"Yeah," Tris said. "Wonder what we've done now?" Multiple blades of defenseless grass fell before his furious scissoring onslaught.  
  
"I don't know." Tenchi stopped raking. "But they don't look happy, Tris. Look."  
  
Tris looked up. Tenchi was right. None of the females were smiling.  
  
The reason was, simply, that they were still feeling somewhat woozy. Actually they were at peace with the world and (for the moment) with each other. Their attitudes toward the two young men were composed of varying degrees of fondness, ranging from he's-not-so-bad-I-guess to I-love-him-more-than-life. But such tender sentiments were not reflected on their slack, somewhat droopy visages, which, from a distance, appeared rather truculent.  
  
Tenchi and Tris mistook their mood entirely. Both were still feeling vaguely guilty about the verbal donnybrook the women had reportedly engaged in the previous night, again without knowing the details. Besides, as Tenchi said, the group of females looked unhappy, which was enough to worry the two young men. When females are unhappy, males feel apprehensive. This is as it should be. Nature takes no chances with propagating the species.  
  
"They look like a whole troop of unhappy campers," Tris opined.  
  
"And they're coming toward us." Tenchi noted.  
  
------  
  
Indeed they were, but with the friendliest intentions possible.  
  
"Look at those sweet boys," Sasami said warmly.  
  
"The little dears," Ayeka said. The glow of the hot bath still suffused her soul.  
  
"Tenchi...what a man!" Ryoko said, getting down to brass tacks.  
  
"That big stiff," Kiyone said with tenderness. She wasn't referring to Tenchi, of course.  
  
"Why are they staring at us like that?" Mihoshi asked. "They look funny."  
  
It was true. Now that they were closer, the women and Sasami could see the expressions of consternation on Tenchi and Tris.  
  
"They look like we're going to bite them or something," Ryoko said, uncomprehendingly.  
  
"Look like scared rabbits," Kiyone agreed.  
  
"Or scared puppy dogs," Mihoshi contributed, thinking of Trissy.  
  
"I just don't get it," Sasami said, sounding concerned. "Aren't they glad to see us?"  
  
Suddenly Ayeka laughed. She got it.  
  
"Why...those two! They think we are angry with them. I quite understand. They do not know why we--talked--so late last night."  
  
"You mean, fought like banshees last night," Ryoko amended.  
  
"I do not! At any rate, I daresay they think we are upset with them and I imagine they feel guilty as well." Ayeka laughed again at the silliness of the two young men.  
  
------  
  
"That Ayeka is chuckling now," Tris commented to Tenchi. "Man, I've never heard such an evil chuckle...not since that wicked old witch tried to take Toto to the pound before the tornado hit."  
  
Tenchi nodded. He remembered the movie. "Looks like a tornado is going to hit us, too."  
  
"Yeah, and not a fruit cellar in sight."  
  
------  
  
"But they're wrong, the poor boys," Sasami reasoned, as she and the women continued to approach the men. "We should smile and wave. Let them know we're not upset with them."  
  
"No, Sasami," Ayeka said. "That is what we should not do."  
  
"But...why not, big sister?"  
  
"Oh, dear, you have so much to learn about men," Ayeka told her.  
  
Ryoko raised an eyebrow. She could have slipped a real hot one in there, but she wanted to hear what the Princess had in mind.  
  
"You see, Sasami, when men feel guilty or apprehensive, that is the time to get something from them," Ayeka explained.  
  
Ryoko was glad she had restrained herself. She regarded Ayeka with uncommon respect. "I like your thinking, Princess!"  
  
"Not a bad notion at that." Kiyone smiled.  
  
"You mean...fool them?" Sasami asked.  
  
"No, dear," her big sister replied. "If those two are silly enough to think we are angry with them, whom are we to disabuse them?"  
  
"Right," said Ryoko. "Instead, we'll just abuse them!" She laughed. This was just too perfect!  
  
------  
  
"See...now that Ryoko is cackling," Tris observed. "It's going to be a real cruncher. Been nice knowing you, Tenchi."  
  
"Same here."  
  
------  
  
"But, big sister...is this a right thing to do?" Sasami asked dubiously.  
  
"Of course, dear! You will understand when you are older."  
  
"I doubt it," Sasami murmured.  
  
"But what are we going to get from them?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
Walking slowly with the others, Kiyone wiped her forehead as beads of sweat formed there. Her red headband was soaked. Her skin was still toasty from the hot baths. It was so darned warm for spring. Then, suddenly, she chuckled.  
  
"I know!" she said. "Those two can just go down to the village to that confectionery shop I saw--and get us ice cream! Lots of ice cream!"  
  
"Yay!" cried Mihoshi.  
  
"I like the way you think too, Kiyone." Ryoko smiled at her.  
  
Kiyone smiled back at Ryoko. "Thanks!"  
  
"I guess I would like some ice cream," Sasami admitted, seemingly mollified.  
  
"It is a wonderful idea, Kiyone. Just the thing after those hot baths and this warm weather." Ayeka sounded pleased. "Very well, then. The boys shall buy us ice cream. I am certain that Lord Yosho and Mr. Masaki would like some, also," she added primly. "And Miss Washuu-- let us not forget her."  
  
"Of course, Princess. Wveryone likes ice cream," Ryoko agreed.  
  
"I love it!" Mihoshi was excited. "What flavor should we ask for? Chocolate, vanilla, peach, strawberry...?"  
  
"Yes," said Kiyone.  
  
"Yay!"  
  
The group of females advanced on the two young men.  
  
------  
  
"Don't fire," Tris advised Tenchi sternly, "until you see the whites of their eyes."  
  
"Listen, Tris," Tenchi warned. "Whatever they say--just agree! No back talk, no wisecracks. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," Tris agreed soberly. "You're right. They have us outgunned, outnumbered, and outclassed, anyway."  
  
And so what else was new? Tenchi thought.  
  
------  
  
"Hey, Kiyone...before we get within hearing distance..." Ryoko began.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"It's none of my business, I admit, but..."  
  
"But what?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"Com'on. 'Fess up, will you, girl? Is that goofball your boyfriend or not?"  
  
The others stopped. They all seemed to tense. Ayeka opened her mouth to chastise Ryoko, then closed it. She was ashamed about it, but she wanted to know, too.  
  
Kiyone walked a few more steps. Then she also stopped.  
  
"Yes," she said. "Whether that goofball likes it or not!"  
  
She walked on.  
  
The others stared after Kiyone, their faces registering various degrees of shock. Then they silently followed her. It was evident that none of them had really expected her to answer that question-- much less to answer it the way she did.  
  
"Come on, Mihoshi," Sasami said, noticing that the blonde Galaxy Police officer still had not moved. "Ice cream!"  
  
"Okay..."  
  
Mihoshi started walking again. But she didn't seem as enthusiastic for the cold creamy stuff as she had been.  
  
------  
  
Twenty minutes later, Tenchi was sitting in Tris's car and clutching a huge bag (triple wrapped at his insistence) of assorted containers of ice cream. Many flavors were represented in that bag. Tenchi had insisted on that, too, when he had gone into the confectionery store.  
  
Tris was driving the Mustang, on a bearing back to the Masaki homestead.  
  
"This bag feels pretty well insulated," Tenchi said. "Hope the ice cream doesn't melt before we get home."  
  
"Yeah. As long as we get it in your freezer right away, it should be okay." Tris shifted into fourth, a nice cruising gear. "Say, Tenchi, I don't get it. After all that build-up...and all those girls wanted was ice cream?"  
  
"I know. It's a surprise to me, too." Tenchi placed the bag in the car's carpeted floor well. He didn't want his body heat to warm the ice cream.  
  
"I'll tell you this, though," he added meaningfully. "I think we got off lucky!"  
  
------  
  
After another delicious dinner, thanks again to Sasami, the ice cream party commenced.  
  
For once, everyone in the Masaki household joined in, even Nobuyuki. Tenchi made certain his father, arriving just after dinner, got a bowl of ice cream and even pulled him to the table to be with everyone. Washuu was there, too--no one had to be drag her out of her lab this time. She showed up on her own accord, wanting to take a peek at the girls after what she'd heard about the night before. She stayed for two bowls of chocolate ice cream. The great scientist thought ice cream was one thing Earthlings did right.  
  
In fact, Washuu was feeling pretty positive about the whole clan. Okay, so they fought furiously sometimes when she wanted peace and quiet, and demanded things from her, and invaded her laboratory when she was in the middle of an experiment, and sometimes called her an old maid...well, maybe she didn't feel so positive after all...  
  
She spooned up another chunk of ice cream. Aw...she did like them. Especially the girls. Sometimes she felt darned motherly toward them. Of course, she didn't look anywhere near old enough to be anyone's mother. She swallowed ice cream and grew thoughtful. She really didn't do much to help out around the place, she admitted to herself. Too busy with pushing the scientific envelope. Perhaps it was time to give something back.  
  
"Hi, Washuu," Tris said to her. He was carrying a bowl of ice cream in for Mihoshi, who was stuffing herself on peach-and-chocolate combined (one scoop of each in a bowl).  
  
"Hi yourself, you troublemaker," Washuu said amiably.  
  
"Me?" Tris asked. He put the bowl down in front of Mihoshi. She smiled at him and attacked the bowl with gusto. He sat down beside Washuu.  
  
"Aren't you having any?" Washuu asked.  
  
"Had some. I'm a troublemaker?"  
  
"Sure, cutie. I heard about the girls' fight last night. You provoked it, no doubt."  
  
"I did?"  
  
"You didn't mean to. But you did, I'll bet."  
  
Mihoshi heard their conversation. She ate ice cream and looked at Tris and Washuu. She wanted to stick up for Tris, but Washuu was right, as it happened. Gosh, this ice cream was yummy...  
  
Tris was framing a reply to Washuu when Kiyone came into the dining room with her bowl full of vanilla (Tris would never has guessed vanilla for Kiyone). She sat down of the other side of him. She sat so close to him that her hip pressed warmly against his. She smiled sweetly at him.  
  
Funny, but Kiyone seemed very openly pleased with him suddenly. He wasn't complaining, but...it sure wasn't what he expected from her. Maybe Kiyone really, really liked ice cream.  
  
Now he turned his attention back to the great scientist. "I'm sorry to be such a disruptive element, Washuu. I'll try to clean up my act."  
  
"Please don't!" Washuu told him. "Things haven't been so fun around here in ages. I'm enjoying it. Hey, this ice cream is good."  
  
"Tenchi and Tris went and got it," Kiyone said. She smiled at Tris again.  
  
"See? You're aces with me. Tris. Keep things hopping around here. Nothing's worse than monotony." Washuu ate the rest of her ice cream with evident enjoyment and asked for a second bowl of the same. Tris obliged her.  
  
Well, what do you know, he thought, scooping ice cream in the kitchen. The Washuu seal of approval.  
  
------  
  
This time around, everyone was in bed and fast asleep long before midnight...except Washuu.  
  
She sat in her sub-dimensional laboratory. The great scientist was busily inputting data into the translucent console that she never (almost never) went without.  
  
That console was vital to Washuu. It allowed her to tap into her super computers and the mighty intra-galactic servers that pulled in information and data from all points of the galaxy. The Royal Science Academy might have booted her out (again!) but Washuu had access to all its data through that console. Besides, there was a great video game in the hard drive.  
  
But the great scientist was not busily zapping cyber critters for relaxation. She had decided to help her family after all...some of them, anyway. She would ensure the women not only would have the peaceful night's sleep Lord Yosho had mentioned they needed after last night's marathon mouth session, but also enjoy the ultimate great night's sleep. She decided to include Tenchi and Tris, too-- why not? After all, they bought that ice cream.  
  
Washuu smiled with satisfaction as her nimble fingers flew over the console. This was a stupendous achievement, a true leap forward in sleep therapy. And it was so beautifully simple. At least, it was to Washuu.  
  
She would insure that the sleeping gals and guys would dream...they would dream good dreams...great dreams!  
  
Dreams are caused by REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. That occurs when the eyes are closed, but actively moving, as if looking at objects. REM supplies the cornea with oxygen and produces the vivid dreams people remember the following day. Delta sleep is the deep sleep following dream sleep that allows the body to rest and recuperate from the day's activity. Certainly, the girls needed lots of Delta sleep, Washuu knew, but it would be even more enjoyable for them if they had a smidgen of enjoyable REM dreaming. So far, so abecedarian.  
  
Washuu had discovered in an arcane text written by some researcher at the Royal Science Academy long ago that the nature of REM dream-sleep was determined by the patterns of brain waves. For the sake of her dedicated (some might term it obsessive) collection of all data that might even be remotely useful someday, Washuu had recorded the sleeping brain wave patterns of everyone in the Masaki clan. A scanner of her own brilliant design that sought out and recorded brain waves within a pre-determined radius (in this case, the Masaki home) had accomplished this. It was simply a matter of powering on the device in the general vicinity of the sleeping subject and collecting the scan.  
  
Washuu had just added the sleeping brain wave pattern of that Tris character the other night to her collection. (His sleeping brain wave patterns were pretty dodgy--Washuu could just imagine what naughty things that guy dreamed about!) Anyway, that researcher had amply demonstrated that when the brain-wave patterns were erratic, bad dreams resulted (like Ayeka's brain wave pattern chart showed, poor Princess--she definitely needed a few nice dreams). The trick was to try to modulate the sleeping brain wave patterns during REM sleep to insure that those pattern was all nice and regular--result: Sweet dreams. That researcher hadn't indicated if he had found a way to do that. No matter. Washuu had.  
  
Just recently, Washuu had been able to re-program her brain wave scanner to not only seek out and collect sleeping brain waves, but also to actually redirect them--transmit them--to her console. There the brain waves would come under the ministrations of a software program (another Washuu invention) that would modulate them--that is, render them nice and even and regular. Then the buffered brain waves would be beamed back to their owners. Presto! The sleeping subjects would enjoy lovely dreams. Once REM sleep ceased, and the dreams ended naturally, everyone Washuu had decided to try her experiment on--Tenchi, Tris, Ayeka, Ryoko, Sasami, Kiyone, and Mihoshi--would drift nicely into Delta sleep and wake up refreshed...and wonder where those fabulous dreams had came from.  
  
On her console screen, the seven subjects' sleeping brain waves were represented, pulsating and surging, as horizontal bar graphs. All Washuu had to do is wait until the first person dropped into REM sleep and then ensure that the software locked him or her into the program. That person's brain waves would be gently modulated into a nice, regular pattern and returned to that person. The program would automatically lock in the others when they reached REM sleep and perform the same brain wave modulation. Simple. Foolproof. And another scientific triumph.  
  
Now the first REM sleep pattern appeared on one of the graphs. Washuu smiled. The graph represented little Sasami's sleeping brain wave pattern. So she was the first to achieve a dream state! Great little kid, wonderful cook. Washuu was glad. She watched her software program lock in Sasami's brain waves. Done. Washuu made a few final inputs into the program. Done and done.  
  
Washuu rose from her console. She yawned. Speaking of sleep, she'd better get some shuteye herself. She walked toward the futon she kept in the lab.  
  
Who knows, Washuu thought, as she slipped under the covers. If the invention worked as well as she thought it would, she might even use it on herself.  
  
------  
  
On the console screen, the seven little bar graphs pulsed and pulsed, except for one graph that glowed green--the locked-on sleeping brain waves of Sasami. Suddenly, an error window flashed on the screen. But Washuu, of course, was not there to attend to it.  
  
A glitch in the program caused by conflicting software code had occurred--it was a new program after all, a beta program at best. Even great scientists made programming flubs.  
  
Now, instead of receiving the seven brain waves from the seven sleeping subjects, the program reversed itself and began to transmit brain waves back into those subjects via the scanner. It transmitted, specifically, the sleeping--and dreaming--brain waves of the person the program had locked into first...Sasami. Thanks to Washuu's new invention, whatever Sasami dreamed, the others would also.  
  
------  
  
Little Sasami turned over on her futon. Her blanket was off, since it was a warm night. A single sheet covered her.  
  
The little girl began to smile in her sleep. Beneath her eyelids, her eyes darted to and fro, as she drifted into full, clinical REM sleep.  
  
Sasami began to dream...a very nice dream, indeed.  
  
* * *  
  
It was the start of another great day in the life of that typical schoolgirl, Sasami. The pretty little girl jumped out of bed. She ran to the window and threw it open. Outside, the morning sun glinted on the Tokyo Tower.  
  
"Hello, tower!" Sasami said.  
  
Suddenly, a furry little figure scampered up to her. Sasami looked down. There sat Ryo-Ohki, her pet and secret mentor.  
  
"Good morning, Ryo-Ohki!" Sasami said.  
  
"Good morning, yourself," Ryo-Ohki replied. "You'd better hurry and get to breakfast!"  
  
"Right!"  
  
She closed the window and scrambled to the bathroom. Ryo-Ohki was right! She had to hurry! She had to go to school like all the typical schoolgirls. As she washed herself and brushed her teeth, she could hear her mother and father talking in the dining room. She smiled. Mom and Dad loved her and she loved them.  
  
Dressed in her beloved schoolgirl's outfit--a cute sailor suit with a short hem, known as the sailor fuku ("sailor blouse," the official girls' school uniform in Japan)--Sasami exited her bedroom and skipped to the dining room.(1) Her Mom and Dad smiled at her as she entered.  
  
"Hello, Sasami!" they chorused.  
  
"Hello, Mom and Dad!" Sasami replied back.  
  
Her Dad, sitting at the table, put down his newspaper. He was very handsome in his business suit and striped tie. He had auburn hair and one dimple showed in his smile. (It was Tris.)  
  
"Well, Sasami," he said with a manful smile. "What will my little princess do today?"  
  
"Go to school, Dad. And maybe play at the video arcade after school."  
  
"Okay." Dad grinned. "Don't come home too late!"  
  
"I won't, Dad."  
  
"Be sure you're not late, young lady," her Mom said. She was a very pretty lady in a house dress and apron and high heels (a little of the old American TV programming Sasami sometimes watched was creeping into her dream). Mom had long, dark teal hair and, incongruously, wore a red headband (it was Kiyone). Mom was standing by the stove, cooking something. "You'd better eat your breakfast now while you can, honey. You don't want to be late for school!"  
  
"Yes, Mom!"  
  
(In Tenchi's and Tris's bedroom, Tris smiled in his sleep at the picture of Kiyone in the house dress--and high heels. Ha, ha, Kiyone! Kind of a dopey dream, though.)  
  
Sasami ate her delicious and nutritious breakfast as her handsome Dad and pretty Mom beamed at her. No one could cook like Mom!  
  
Finished, she rose and grabbed her schoolbooks. Gosh...she hated to leave Mom and Dad, but she had to go to school and have adventures.  
  
"Goodbye, Sasami!" Mom and Dad said, waving at her from the front door as she left the house.  
  
"Goodbye, Mom and Dad!" Sasami waved back. Gosh, she must have the best Mom and Dad in the whole world! She turned and walked away. Mom and Dad and the house faded in the distance.  
  
(Asleep, Kiyone tossed a bit on her futon, confused. If this was a dream about her and Tris getting married, how come they were already out of the picture? And what was Sasami doing there--and Ryo-Ohki?)  
  
Sasami was well on her way to school now. She skipped down the sidewalk, carrying her schoolbooks. Everybody was nice and waved to her. She waved back.  
  
She saw Ryo-Ohki bounding up to her. "Ryo-Ohki, you can't come to school with me!" she admonished.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Have a nice time at school, Sasami. I'll see you later." Ryo-Ohki bounded away.  
  
Sasami shook her head. She was lucky to have Ryo-Ohki, but the cabbit was kind of forgetful at times.  
  
Then, behind her, Sasami heard a noise. It sounded like someone had tripped and fallen. She turned.  
  
A girl was sprawled out on the sidewalk. She was a blonde with big blue eyes. She cried because she had fallen and dropped her schoolbooks and her stuffed dog. (It was Mihoshi, whose womanly body stretched her schoolgirl's uniform almost beyond modesty.)  
  
Sasami recognized her. It was her best schoolgirl friend, Miho! Miho was clumsy and funny, a good friend for a typical schoolgirl like Sasami.  
  
"Don't cry, Miho! I'll help you!"  
  
"Thank you, Sasami! You are such a good friend!"  
  
(Snuggled in her futon, Mihoshi smiled and hugged Trissy. Beside her, Kiyone stirred on her futon restlessly, still wondering why she was dreaming of being Sasami's Mom.)  
  
Sasami and Miho walked to their school. It was a big building, with lots of windows where the classrooms were. It had a big yard, with lots of schoolgirls and schoolboys in it, playing. It was a typical school.  
  
"Do you want to go to the video arcade after school?" Miho asked Sasami.  
  
"Yes! It will be fun!"  
  
"Yes, it will!" Miho agreed.  
  
They were standing on the sidewalk in front of their school. Someone accidentally bumped Sasami.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She turned around. A teenaged boy stood beside her.  
  
Romantic music played as Sasami's lovely coral eyes widened. It was that boy! That handsome older boy that she had seen around town. He was dreamy!  
  
The boy, a tall, slim young man with black hair and brown eyes (it was Tenchi), smiled at her.  
  
Sasami gulped. So did Miho.  
  
"It was not your fault, little girl," the handsome boy said. "I stumbled into you. Are you all right?"  
  
Sasami's eyes shimmered as she regarded him. He was the most handsome boy in the whole world! And he was talking to her!  
  
"I'm...all right," she said.  
  
"I'm glad! I must leave now. Good-bye!"  
  
"Good-bye!" Sasami said to him as he continued down the sidewalk. Miho just stared after him.  
  
"He's so wonderful. Do you think...I'll even see him again?" Sasami asked Miho wistfully.  
  
"I don't know," answered Miho, sighing.  
  
(Tenchi, lying in bed, frowned. What was he doing in this dream--and what was Mihoshi doing in that little sailor suit?)  
  
The schoolbell chimed. It was time for school.  
  
School took place and was over very quickly (Sasami didn't know exactly what schoolgirls on Earth really did in school and it didn't sound very interesting at any rate). There was a brief sequence with Sasami and Miho sitting in a classroom where a short woman teacher with big red hair (it was Washuu) lectured. Sasami took notes while Miho slumbered. Soon the scene shifted again, and Sasami and her humorously clumsy friend, Miho, walked out of school at the end of the school day.  
  
"How did you do on the test, Miho?" Sasami asked.  
  
"I flunked everything!" Miho said dolefully. "How did you do, Sasami?"  
  
"Oh, I got honors in everything," Sasami said complacently.  
  
"You are so smart, Sasami! I wish I was as smart as you!"  
  
"Don't worry, Miho. Tomorrow is another day!"  
  
"That's right!"  
  
(Lying in his pallet, Tris murmured in his sleep, "Who wrote this dialogue?")  
  
"Let's go to the video arcade now!" Sasami suggested.  
  
"Yay!" said Miho.  
  
("Yay!" said Mihoshi in her sleep. She snuggled against Trissy. She liked this dream so far, except for flunking all her schoolwork, of course.)  
  
Sasami and Miho went to the video arcade. It was in a building like all the other buildings except that it had a sign that read "Video Arcade." They went in.  
  
"Let's drive the race cars!" Miho said. In her excitement, she dropped her books and her stuffed dog. Laughing, Sasami helped her collect them.  
  
"Oh," said Miho. "Look!"  
  
Sasami looked. Standing at the counter was the video arcade manager. The manager was...that handsome boy!  
  
"Gosh," said Sasami as the romantic music played again.  
  
"But look!" Miho said. "There's those two mean older girls."  
  
Sasami looked again. Also standing at the counter and flirting with the handsome boy were two hard-looking girls dressed in sailor suits. One had spiky platinum hair and the other had deep purple hair. (Ryoko and Ayeka had finally made it into Sasami's dream.)  
  
"Those are bad girls," said Miho. "They're mean! They called me names and tripped me the last time we were here."  
  
"And they are shameless," Sasami added. "Look at them flirt with that handsome boy. They are annoying him." Indeed, the boy looked less than pleased at the attention he was receiving from the two older schoolgirls.  
  
(Soft thuds sounded in the women's bedroom as both Ayeka and Ryoko tossed and turned angrily on their futons, not liking this dream at all.)  
  
"Hello!" said the handsome boy, spotting Sasami and Miho. He left the counter, much to the obvious annoyance of the two older schoolgirls, and walked over to them. "Can I help you?" He smiled at them.  
  
Sasami and Miho gulped.  
  
"Do you need change for the games?" the boy asked.  
  
"I don't know." Sasami wasn't sure if she had "change."  
  
"What's this?" asked Miho as Sasami hesitated. She pointed at an arcade game. "This is new!"  
  
"Yes, this is our newest game! It is very fun. Shall I demonstrate it to you?"  
  
"Yes, please!" Sasami and Miho chorused.  
  
"Hey, stop talking to those little girls!" the spiky-haired schoolgirl called from the counter.  
  
"Yes, please pay attention to us," the other mean older schoolgirl added in a snooty voice.  
  
But the handsome boy ignored them. He put a coin in the video game machine.  
  
"You will like this," he told Sasami and Miho. "It's..."  
  
Suddenly the video game shuddered mightily. It began to grow!  
  
"Huh?" cried the handsome boy.  
  
The video game grew to twice its size--three times its size. Then long scaly arms sprouted from its sides. Scaly legs burst out from the bottom of the video game. The screen became a huge ugly face! It stood on its legs! It was a monster!  
  
The two mean older schoolgirls screamed and hid behind the counter like cowards.  
  
(The sleeping Ryoko and Ayeka were thrashing with impotent fury on their futons now.)  
  
Miho cried and tried to hide behind Sasami. "What is it, Sasami?"  
  
"It must be a demon! A demon in that video game!"  
  
The video game monster's scaly hands grabbed the handsome boy!  
  
"No!" cried Sasami.  
  
"I'm so scared!" sobbed Miho.  
  
Sasami walked up to the video game monster. "Put him down!"  
  
"Get away, little girl!" the handsome boy told her, in the grip of the monster. "You'll get hurt!"  
  
"Put that boy down. In the name of justice and truth and fun video games! I command you!" Sasami told the video game monster. The latter made a noise that could be interpreted (rather freely) as a sneering laugh.  
  
Suddenly Ryo-Ohki appeared, seemingly from nowhere. She leaped onto Sasami's shoulder. "Sasami," Ryo-Ohki whispered, "you must become Pretty Sammy right now!"  
  
"Right!" Sasami whispered back.  
  
Ryo-Ohki leaped off Sasami's shoulder. Sasami again faced the monstrous video game.  
  
"You asked for it!" Sasami declared. "I will punish you!"  
  
Now she raised her hand. Suddenly, something shimmered, became solid, in that little hand. It was a jeweled scepter...and the largest jewel was a heart-shaped brilliant gem set on top. Dazzling light radiated from the heart gem.  
  
"You will not hurt that boy!"  
  
Bright twinkling lights surrounded Sasami. Triumphant music filled the air. Quickly, her clothes changed from the schoolgirl uniform to a most becoming, and somewhat revealing, costume--very tight fitting and with a short skirt. A sort of pink stole covered her shoulders. Her ankle socks and flat-heeled schoolgirl shoes became booties sporting huge poms. Somehow, Sasami's childish body seemed to assume more mature, womanly proportions. The twinkling lights slowly faded.  
  
Sasami stood there, holding her scepter aloft, in her costume and boots. Only, she wasn't just little Sasami any more. She was--  
  
"Magical Girl--Pretty Sammy!"  
  
Miho shouted out the name. She dropped her schoolbooks and stuffed dog and clapped. "Yay! Yay!"  
  
("Oh, no," Ayeka groaned in her agitated sleep. "Not Pretty Sammy again!")  
  
"I am Pretty Sammy!" said the now super-schoolgirl-magic-warrior to the video machine monster. "You are evil. Possessed by a demon! I will chastise you severely!"  
  
The demon-monster video game made a sound that rather resembled a growl. Its arms raised the now-kicking handsome boy--and brought him to its screen which had opened and now spouted long, sharp teeth. It was a mouth! The monster was going to eat the handsome boy!  
  
"Nooooo!" Miho shouted. "Pretty Sammy--do something!"  
  
Pretty Sammy obliged. She raised the scepter.  
  
"Fizzom frazzom frizzom froom!"  
  
The heart gem blazed.  
  
"Sweet love power! Stop that evil demon!"  
  
Bolts of pure love and truth and girlish fantasy spurted from the fiery heart gem. The bolts were in the shape of hearts. They smacked into the monster video game with a resounding thud. The monster moaned and dropped the handsome boy. He thumped on the floor, hard.  
  
("Bet that hurt," Tris muttered in his sleep. In his bed a short distance way, a fitfully sleeping Tenchi groaningly confirmed it.)  
  
"Sock it to that awful monster, Pretty Sammy!" Miho cheered.  
  
Pretty Sammy did just that. Flaring heart beams kept stabbing into the monster video game. Billows of smoke poured out from it now. It staggered. It moaned. It made a grab at Pretty Sammy, who stood her ground like a true magical warrior. She directed beam after beam from her scepter into the monster, blasting it with a shower of sparks and a surge of incandescent, super schoolgirl power.  
  
"Aim at its mouth, Pretty Sammy!" Miho cried.  
  
Pretty Sammy nodded and pointed her pulsating scepter toward the monster's massive, fanged mouth. Love beams surged into the black maw. That did it! With a crash that shook the very building, the monster arcade game's scaly arms and legs melted away and the now impotent piece of high-tech coin-robbing machinery hit the floor and smashed to smithereens.  
  
"Yay! Oh--yay!" Miho cheered and cheered. "Pretty Sammy saved the day!"  
  
Modestly shaking off compliments from Miho and the other arcade customers, Pretty Sammy walked to the fallen boy. Gently, she helped him rise.  
  
"You saved my life, Pretty Sammy," the handsome boy told her.  
  
"It was my duty."  
  
"You're wonderful!"  
  
Pretty Sammy's reply was interrupted by an odd noise. Everyone turned to look.  
  
The two mean older schoolgirls rose, shakily, from the floor. They were covered by the smoky soot of the monster video game's demise.  
  
"Look at them!" Miho said. "They look so funny!"  
  
She laughed. The handsome boy laughed. Pretty Sammy laughed. Everybody laughed (except the two mean older schoolgirls) as the wonderful dream faded out...  
  
* * *  
  
Sasami sighed happily in her sleep. She turned over again. Soon she was silent, as she sank into deep, dreamless, Delta sleep.  
  
The transmission ceased from Washuu's console. The other six beneficiaries of the great scientist's latest invention also now entered that dream-free slumber state as Sasami's dream flickered off. Even Ayeka and Ryoko, who no longer tossed and turned with deep annoyance.  
  
------  
  
Later that night, the entity once again came but could not penetrate the programmed slumber. It left. The controller cursed, foully, somewhere in the deep blackness.  
  
------  
  
The next morning, breakfast was strangely subdued. Not as subdued as the breakfast prior, when almost nobody showed up for the morning repast, but close.  
  
Neither Lord Yosho nor Nobuyuki Masaki knew what to make of it. Nobuyuki had to dash for his bus anyway, so he couldn't spend much time dwelling on it. Yosho surveyed the silent table of alternately cheerful, bemused, and disgruntled faces, finished his breakfast, and departed for the temple. Sometimes young people were simply unfathomable.  
  
Tenchi was of the bemused-looking group, as were Tris and Kiyone. He glanced at Ryoko and Ayeka, who were glowering at each other and at everyone else. They were definitely members of the bad-mood bunch.  
  
On the other hand, Sasami and Mihoshi appeared quite jolly. For some reason, both seemed to need to restrain themselves from giggling when they looked at each other.  
  
Tenchi wondered what could have affected everybody so profoundly. He knew, naturally, what was bothering him somewhat--he'd had a crazy dream last night, where he was almost eaten by a video game and Sasami became that make-believe magical girl again and zapped the monster with some sort of weapon. He remembered the dream vividly, every detail of it, which was not the case usually with his dreams. Weird! He could not imagine what could have provoked it. It resembled, faintly, one of those animes that Sasami and Mihoshi watched.  
  
Shrugging off his bemusement, Tenchi asked, "Doesn't anyone have anything to say this morning?"  
  
"Breakfast is sure yummy, Sasami!" Mihoshi said. She laughed, as if at a private joke.  
  
"Thank you, Mihoshi," Sasami replied with equal merriment.  
  
That helped a lot, Tenchi thought sourly. "Uh...anyone else?"  
  
Kiyone shrugged. She was covertly glancing at Tris and at Sasami. Somehow, she never figured Tris for a business suit. She certainly never figured herself in a house dress and apron, wearing high-heeled pumps, not in a million years. Besides, if she was going to dream about marriage, she would have expected to dream about...well not that!  
  
Ryoko glared at Sasami, although she knew the little girl really wasn't at fault for that rotten dream last night. Ryoko was just about convinced she was cracking up...wearing some schoolgirl's outfit...hanging out with Ayeka...letting some little kid take Tenchi away from her...yeah, sure. When Ryo-Ohki really learned to talk, maybe!  
  
Ayeka didn't glare at her little sister, but she was definitely piqued. Sasami's silly little fantasy caused by watching all that awful anime with Mihoshi was bad enough--not to mention Sasami's continuing crush on Lord Tenchi--but, good heavens! After finally not suffering one of those dreadful, wracking nightmares, why did she have to dream about Pretty Sammy? And about herself acting rude in a common video arcade with Ryoko! That was the limit!  
  
Tenchi gave up. He resumed eating his breakfast. Everyone just seemed in a strange mood this morning, except Sasami and Ryoko. At least that made sense. Of all of them, those two had the largest reserves of good cheer. Thank goodness for that!  
  
Tris squirmed on his mat. Lots of strange and weird things had happened recently...but that dream! He couldn't get it out of his mind. Like Ryoko, he suspected he might be going a little bonkers. He looked at Sasami. He had to smile. Pretty Sammy! Cornball but cute, too, in a way.  
  
"What are you smiling at, buster?" Kiyone demanded. Her tone was proprietary. She sat very close to him again. It was nice, for sure. But Tris knew he was going to have find out what it meant.  
  
"Well..." He laughed. It was so screwball that he had to spill it. "It's funny what sticks in your mind. Tenchi and I glanced at the TV yesterday morning, and there was that American cartoon channel on. Well, I guess that's what caused it."  
  
"Caused what?" Kiyone's voice was softer now.  
  
"Aw..." He laughed again. "Sasami, you're not going to believe this, but I actually dreamed last night that you were my daughter."  
  
Immediately, all eyes fastened on Tris. He blinked at the sudden, ferocious attention. "Well, it was just a dream, you know."  
  
"Go on." Kiyone's voice had increased markedly in intensity.  
  
"Well," Tris continued, looking apprehensively at the others who seemed to hang on his words with a death grip. "Like I said, I dreamed I was Sasami's Dad and Kiyone...hey, don't get mad."  
  
Sasami's eyes widened. "Gosh."  
  
"I was your wife...and Sasami's mother in your dream," Kiyone supplied tersely.  
  
"Hey, that's right, good guess. Just a dream, you know, Kiyone. Anyway, then Sasami went to school and Mihoshi was her friend at school. You should have seen Mihoshi in that schoolgirl outfit!" He grinned. "No offense, Mihoshi!"  
  
"I did see her," Kiyone stated flatly.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I had the same dream."  
  
Tris looked at her askance. "Yeah, right!"  
  
"Yeah. Right."  
  
Tris's jaw dropped. Kiyone wasn't kidding.  
  
"You both had my dream, too?" Sasami was amazed and gratified. "This is so cool!" Then she looked mystified. She realized the import of what she had just said.  
  
"Not cool, Junior Princess," Ryoko grated at her. "I had that crummy dream too."  
  
"You, Ryoko?"  
  
"And I, also," Ayeka admitted. "Really, Sasami--"  
  
"Wow!" Mihoshi jumped in. "That means you all saw me! You saw Pretty Sammy zap that video game monster! Wasn't it neat?"  
  
Five pairs of eyes targeted Mihoshi, who colored under all the sudden attention. Then those eyes swung to Tenchi.  
  
Tenchi looked flabbergasted. "Yeah, me too...same dream."  
  
"But that's impossible!" Kiyone insisted.  
  
"Absolutely impossible!" Ayeka agreed.  
  
"It better be impossible," Ryoko gritted.  
  
"But..." Sasami said wonderingly. "But it happened...didn't it?"  
  
That stopped the denials. They all sat there, not touching their breakfasts, each one furiously trying to make sense of it all.  
  
When the answer came, it arrived as one word.  
  
"Washuu!"  
  
"You rang?" the great scientist beamed, walking into the dining room. "Good morning! I just came in to see your bright-eyed, bushy-tailed selves this fine day..."  
  
She stopped. The group stared at her with a singular lack of bonhomie. Definitely not a bright eye or a bushy tail in the bunch.  
  
"What's up?" she asked, surprised at her reception.  
  
"What did you do, you crazy scientist?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"Huh? Who's a crazy scientist?"  
  
"You are! And if those puppets of yours pop up to contradict me, I'll serve 'em fireballs for breakfast!"  
  
The puppets stayed put. Washuu crossed her arms, peeved. "What's with you, Ryoko?"  
  
"Washuu," Tenchi intervened. "It seems that Sasami had a dream last night..."  
  
"And I'll bet it was a honey!" Washuu smiled at Sasami. "Right, Sasami?"  
  
Sasami smiled uncertainly. "Well, yes."  
  
"We all had dreams," said Tenchi.  
  
"Well..." Washuu's smiled widened.  
  
"We all the same dream."  
  
"I know that...what?" Washuu looked startled.  
  
"The same dream!" Ryoko told her, her voice seething. "The same durn dream! A little kid's dream!"  
  
"But...it wasn't supposed to work like that." Washuu was clearly taken aback.  
  
At that moment, if Ryoko could have had her way, Washuu would have been clearly taken apart. "Hah! So you were behind it!"  
  
"What was not supposed to work like that, Miss Washuu?" Ayeka's manner was more controlled, but her held-in-check anger obviously matched Ryoko's.  
  
"You could call it a Dream Machine, I suppose," Washuu explained. "It's a new invention. I decided to give it a test run..."  
  
"On us?" Tenchi demanded.  
  
"Oh, there was no danger. It simply modulates your sleeping brain waves to that you have nice, enjoyable dreams..." Washuu's voice trailed off. "It didn't work that way, huh?"  
  
"It sure didn't," Kiyone replied.  
  
"That's strange. Well, perhaps not so strange. I suppose if the programming went a little off...the scanner broadcasts as well as receives...Sasami's REM dream state was locked on first..." Washuu mused. "Hmmm. Well, I guess that's possible. You really all had the same dream, huh? That's never been done before!" Washuu looked somewhat pleased with herself.  
  
"Neither has a two-headed transplant," Tris said sourly.  
  
"Well, actually..."  
  
"Washuu!" Ryoko cut in before another technical lecture began. "You went and messed with our heads. With my head! I've ravaged whole planets for less than that!"  
  
"But you're retired from all that..."  
  
"I can un-retire! In a heartbeat!"  
  
"Miss Washuu, what were you thinking of?" Ayeka chimed in. "Think of the possible consequences. We were fortunate that it was Sasami's dream that we were exposed to. Sasami has been raised properly and her dreams are perhaps a bit callow, but respectable. What if things had gone the other way, and, for example, Sasami had been subjected to a certain person's sordid dreams?" Ayeka glanced at Ryoko and shuddered delicately.  
  
"I'd call it educational, Princess," Ryoko told her with a hard grin.  
  
Sasami didn't look at all adverse to the idea.  
  
"Listen, everybody--I was thinking I was going help you all. That's what I was thinking." Washuu was beginning to get a mite irked herself.  
  
"Yeah? Like how?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"A good night's sleep for all of you, that's how A great night's sleep!"  
  
"Washuu," said Tenchi pointedly. "Does it look like we had a good night's sleep?"  
  
"Nope," Washuu admitted.  
  
"I know your intentions were good, but--"  
  
"I get it," Washuu said. She was angry, and showing it. "That's what I get for trying to help and making a teensy mistake. Okey- doke, then. See ya." She turned and swiftly left the dining room.  
  
Ryoko rose. "Hey! I'm not through with you yet."  
  
"Yes, you are," Tenchi told her. "Please sit down, Ryoko."  
  
Ryoko sat. She glowered but she stayed put.  
  
Despite his own irritation with Washuu, Tris had to admire Tenchi. He couldn't imagine ever telling Ryoko to sit down, even when she was in a good mood.  
  
"Was it such an awful dream, then?" Sasami asked very quietly.  
  
"I liked it a lot!" Mihoshi told her. "It was a nice dream."  
  
"It stunk on ice," Ryoko grated.  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka cried.  
  
Ryoko saw that little Sasami's eyes were tearing up. Aw, nuts. That wasn't what she wanted. She liked the Junior Princess a lot.  
  
"Well..." she said. "Next time, let me wear something with a little more dash, okay, Sasami?"  
  
"Okay." Sasami smiled wanly at Ryoko.  
  
"You know, that part about the monster video game trying to eat Tenchi--that was pretty good, Sasami." Tris chuckled.  
  
"Yeah...and you in your business suit and power tie," Kiyone told him. She ran a forefinger down his polo shirt front and then gently clipped his nose when he looked down like a chump. "I'll bet you don't even own a tie."  
  
"Do too. It's glows in the dark and says, "Will You Kiss Me In The Dark, Baby?""  
  
"Not if you wear that tie, I won't," Kiyone promised him.  
  
Tenchi grinned. "Sasami, I couldn't believe you had me working in that video arcade! At college, everybody stomped me when we played video games. I always lost. I stopped playing a long time ago."  
  
"No wonder that video game wanted you for supper, Tenchi," Ryoko said, amused.  
  
"I was scared, though, for you, Tenchi," Mihoshi told him.  
  
"Hey, I was scared for myself!" Tenchi admitted.  
  
Now Ayeka burst out laughing. "Oh, Mihoshi! How you looked in that sailor suit. You were almost...immodest!"  
  
"Was I?" Mihoshi asked. "I think the skirt was too short, really."  
  
Tris waggled his eyebrows. "Not from where I sat--ouch!"  
  
Kiyone smiled and lowered her fist. She sipped her tea. It was cold, but she didn't mind, this once.  
  
Now the table was filled with friends laughing over each other's performances in Sasami's dream. It was a shame Washuu hadn't lingered a few minutes longer.  
  
------  
  
After breakfast, Kiyone made a point of helping Sasami carry the breakfast dishes into the kitchen.  
  
"Sasami," Kiyone said after they both deposited the assorted tea cups and bowls on the kitchen counter. "Why did you dream about Tris and me being married?"  
  
"Well...I guess because I like you both so much. And I think you'd both be a great Mom and Dad," Sasami said shyly.  
  
Kiyone reached down and patted Sasami's cheek. "You little dickens!" Her voice was soft. "Just don't tell that big stiff that...okay?"  
  
"Okay, Kiyone."  
  
------  
  
"So, Professor Washuu was responsible for the odd demeanors I noticed at breakfast this morning?" Lord Yosho asked Tenchi a little while later.  
  
"That's right, Grandfather. Man, when I first leaned that, I could have taken this," he brandished his Bushido staff, "and conked her on the head!"  
  
Tenchi and his grandfather were in the outbuilding-dojo by the temple, engaging in Bojutsu practice. A longer session this time, since Tenchi had missed practice yesterday due to that trip to the University.  
  
Lord Yosho shook his graying head. "I can understand your feelings, Tenchi, but you should never say such a thing concerning a martial art...even in jest."  
  
Tenchi nodded somberly. "Yes, Grandfather."  
  
"I imagine," continued Yosho, "that Professor Washuu is feeling quite chastised by her impulsiveness. You say she was somewhat upset when she left?"  
  
"That's right, Grandfather. We were pretty rough on her, I guess."  
  
"Perhaps such a mishap bears good fruit, Tenchi. Good things do come from bad things, at times. Professor Washuu will doubtless think more carefully before she plunges ahead in an endeavor. Having experienced such a change in life roles in that dream might give all of you a different perspective on your true aspirations. Even if it was staged as a childish fantasy." Lord Yosho chuckled warmly, thinking of Sasami's Pretty Sammy alter ego. It did have its roots in actual supernatural warrior traditions of Jurai.  
  
Tenchi looked dubious. "You're saying it may have been a good thing, Grandfather?"  
  
"Perhaps, Tenchi. We shall see." Yosho raised his staff. "Now, grandson--let's discover how skillfully you can guard against this attack which, I assure you, is not a dream!"  
  
The staffs clattered as grandfather and grandson practiced the ancient martial art.  
  
------  
  
"Watch what you're doing, Mihoshi!" Kiyone snapped as her partner seemed about to drop the can of floor wax. Mihoshi was supposed to deposit a judicious amount of the wax on the wooden floor for Kiyone to work in with her sponge mop.  
  
She and Mihoshi were accomplishing--or, trying to accomplish--the task they were supposed to have finished the previous day (which had been deep-sixed by Mihoshi's impromptu trip with Tris). That task was to wax--eventually--all the wooden floors upstairs. Kiyone had decided to commence with the women's communal bedroom floor. She wanted to get started now, so the floor would be dry by lunch. Hopefully, they could start on another floor that day.  
  
But speaking sharply to Mihoshi while she was trying to concentrate was usually fatal, as Kiyone should have known if anyone did. Kiyone had let her impatience get the better of her.  
  
Mihoshi dropped the can. Floor wax splashed out. Mihoshi showed commendable speed in avoiding the splashes. Kiyone did not. Liberated floor wax impregnated the front legs of her blue jeans, rather thoroughly.  
  
"Ahhhh--Mihoshi!" Kiyone yelled.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Mihoshi wailed.  
  
She swooped down and picked up the can. She snapped the top back on. "Well, we did get the floor wax on the floor," she observed.  
  
"And on me! Mihoshi! All over my jeans legs! They're soaked!"  
  
"But those are your work jeans, Kiyone," Mihoshi said.  
  
"They're my everyday jeans. I wear them to meals too, you know." Looking down at her jeans, Kiyone got that sick, helpless feeling again. Thanks to the heavy deductions from their Galaxy Police salaries to maintain their lodgings near GP Headquarters, Kiyone and Mihoshi had very little money left over. Kiyone insisted that she and Mihoshi contribute something to their board at the Masaki home, so, after deducting that (and it was a pitiful amount too, Kiyone believed, for all the food and sundries they consumed), just a dab of actual disposable income remained. Clothes were expensive and nuking a pair of jeans--they were real Levis, too--was close to being a calamity.  
  
Of course, she and Mihoshi could give up their expensive digs near Galaxy Police Headquarters...but Kiyone wouldn't do it and wouldn't let Mihoshi do it. Apartments anywhere remotely near Headquarters were nearly impossible to find--the waiting list was months long--and besides, to do so would be like acknowledging that Kiyone wouldn't be back at Headquarters. Her far-off apartment was a symbolic link to her hoped-for career resurrection, one that Kiyone couldn't bear to break. God...it had been so nice when she was earning a Detective Sergeant's salary...  
  
"You have those navy slacks, those real nice ones."  
  
"Yes, Mihoshi--and I want them to stay nice!"  
  
In fact, Kiyone had worn those slacks on her date--no, trip--no, damn it, date--with Tris. She wasn't about to let them get spoiled. Dispiritedly, she looked around the communal bedroom. Her glance took in the wardrobes of Ayeka and Ryoko. She envied Ayeka's beautifully turned out formal robed gowns, and the way Ayeka kept them spotless, despite the many household chores she did. And Ryoko...the space pirate had her wardrobe absolutely packed with clothes...many of them stolen! That was one way to get by on a low-to-no budget! Anyway, Ryoko did so little work around the house, her clothes were in no danger of being soiled, aside from her naps up in the presumably dusty ceiling beams (although Ayeka did try to clean them with a sort of telescoping dust mop). Kiyone had some nice clothes, like her sweaters and blouses and Capri pants and stirrup slacks, but they weren't appropriate to wear for chores and she really didn't want to wear them casually around the house, either. Her favorite white belted tunic, for example, which she wore with her black stirrup slacks, was a virtual dust and dirt magnet.  
  
"You...you can wear my dressy jeans, Kiyone." Mihoshi was tearing up. She obviously felt awful about Kiyone's ruined Levis.  
  
"No, Mihoshi. I'll find a way to use these jeans somehow, if that's at all possible. Maybe the floor wax will come off after all, and..." She stopped. Oh no! All that talking had allowed the floor wax to dry on her bare feet. Arrrgh!  
  
"What's wrong now, Kiyone?"  
  
"My feet are waxed a heck of a lot better than this--this floor is going to be--" Kiyone sputtered.  
  
"Yeah, they are waxed. Huh. They are nice and shiny, though." Trust Mihoshi to look on the bright side.  
  
"Wonderful!" Kiyone groaned. How did one get floor wax off one's feet? Perhaps Sasami would know.  
  
------  
  
Washuu sat on a couch in her lab. She had been tapping at her console, but had stopped. She wasn't in the mood, suddenly.  
  
The truth was, she felt badly. Not over making a mistake with her programming code on that brain wave modulation app. That happened sometimes when new programs were first deployed. No, she felt bad about not doing well by the gang...and about the ethical question they sort of raised with her.  
  
"Messing with people's minds." That was how Ryoko had put it. The space pirate had been absolutely incensed, even to the point of bringing up her rather bloody buccaneering past. It took a lot of provocation these days to make that happen; Ryoko usually tried to avoid the subject of her criminal past--at least, the gorier aspects of it--because she wanted to marry Tenchi and didn't want him to become leery of her again. Washuu understood that.  
  
Poor Ryoko! She yearned to be the life-mate of a young man who was not only a high-caste Juraian--a Prince, if you please!--but also destined to become the priest of the Masaki shrine when his grandfather retired. Tenchi's past, present, and future demanded both steadiness and respectability, in which a most-wanted galactic space pirate did not seem to fit in at all. In fact, she seemed a liability. From that perspective, Ayeka was far better suited for Tenchi than Ryoko--and didn't the Princess know it, just! Washuu tended to view Ryoko and Ayeka's covert and overt struggle for Tenchi with some amusement...but also with some sympathy.  
  
Then a visitor who had braved the sub-dimensional portal interrupted Washuu in her ruminations. It was Kiyone. Washuu was surprised but rather pleased.  
  
"Hi, Washuu," the Galaxy Police officer said somewhat hesitantly.  
  
"Hi, there! Come right on in, Kiyone!"  
  
"Thank you." Kiyone walked into...or, rather, she trudged into Washuu's lair. She had put on white athletic socks over her waxed feet and wore her house slippers as well.  
  
Washuu felt concern as she observed the down-in-the-mouth demeanor of the exceptionally sharp and competent galactic police officer. Washuu had a lot of respect for Kiyone. She well remembered how Kiyone had crawled into a shell, so to speak, and stayed there when she and Mihoshi had returned to Tenchi's after their demotion and disgrace. Kiyone had appeared to bounce back only recently. Washuu hoped that this wasn't a relapse.  
  
It wasn't. It was embarrassment.  
  
"Washuu," Kiyone began with difficulty. "I know we're a little on the outs right now."  
  
Washuu waved a hand dismissively. "I've been thinking it over. You all have a real point about my invading your minds. I didn't mean to, but..."  
  
"We all understand that, I think," said Kiyone. "We just had to vent--you didn't experience Sasami's dream, you know!"  
  
"I know. I wish I had it on tape, from what I've heard about it." Washuu chuckled. "What can I do for you, Kiyone?"  
  
"Can you...can you get floor wax off feet?"  
  
"Huh?" That was a new one.  
  
Kiyone explained.  
  
"Mihoshi's doing, huh? Well, it's probably not a good idea to yell at anyone holding a full can of floor wax," Washuu said, grinning. "Especially our Mihoshi!"  
  
"Yeah, I learned that!"  
  
"I can whip up a solvent that'll get the wax off. No problem."  
  
"Great!" Kiyone smiled gratefully. "What about my jeans? Can you get these wax spots off?"  
  
"Yes, that's too bad. Bottom line, Kiyone--I don't know squat about stains on clothes. Ask Sasami."  
  
"I just did. She said she could get food stains out but didn't have a clue about floor wax. She thought you might know."  
  
"We both struck out, huh? I'm sorry."  
  
"At least, if you can get this wax off my feet..."  
  
"In two shakes. Coming right up." Washuu rose from her chair. She walked to a table loaded with bottled liquids and glass containers. "Haven't done wet chemistry for a while. This should be interesting."  
  
"Uh-huh..."  
  
"Oh, I'm using an established formula, Kiyone. Don't worry."  
  
"Okay."  
  
As Washuu poured and mixed ingredients, she asked, "How's that boyfriend of yours? He's a cutie."  
  
"You mean Tris?"  
  
"None other."  
  
"Why do you think that he's..." Kiyone hesitated.  
  
"A cutie? I have eyes."  
  
"No, I mean...that he's my boyfriend?"  
  
"Hey, it's obvious!" Washuu grinned. "If you could only watch you two together--fidgety, nervous, glancing at each other when you think the other's not looking. Classic symptoms. You're telling me he's not your boyfriend?"  
  
"No," said Kiyone. "I'm not telling you that."  
  
Washuu shook her head. "I never had you pegged for getting hooked up with a boyfriend, Kiyone...not until you had your career all settled the way you want it. You're not like those other girls. But I guess it's true. It's when you're not looking, particularly, that you find it."  
  
"I guess so." Kiyone appeared uncertain.  
  
Washuu cocked her head at Kiyone. "Is there a problem?"  
  
"Well..." Kiyone felt she could trust Washuu. The petite scientist had proven to be a sympathetic and discreet friend from time to time. And Kiyone really needed to talk to someone frankly about Tris. "I really haven't been in a situation like this before. I'm kind of new at this, but...I really don't think he knows that he's my boyfriend."  
  
"What?" Washuu set down a beaker with a thump. "What kind of a dummy is he?"  
  
"Maybe it's my fault." Kiyone was venturing into terra incognita and was unsure about it. "I kind of made up my mind about it. I know it's only been a short time we've known each other, him and me. I sure didn't expect it. But I've made up my mind, anyway. Yet I'm not sure he even has a clue how I feel about him."  
  
"Have you hinted?"  
  
"With just about everything but a sledgehammer!" Kiyone growled.  
  
"In other words, you've been tossing off signals and he's too dense to catch them?"  
  
"That's about it. He's clueless!"  
  
"Men! Heads like bricks, sometimes. There was this cute galactic physicist once. Couldn't get the big galoot to even hold my hand. Of course, being exiled kind of dried up my social life..." Washuu reminisced.  
  
"Washuu..."  
  
"Oh, sorry. Well, Kiyone, you've had to deal with all sorts of folks as a cop. What do you usually do with meatheads who don't get it?"  
  
"Make 'em get it--real fast."  
  
"There you go. Make Tris get it." Washuu walked up to Kiyone and handed her a bottle. "Splash this on your feet and rinse them with cold water. Presto. No more wax."  
  
Kiyone smiled with warm regard for the redheaded super scientist. "Thanks, Washuu. For everything!"  
  
"Don't thank me. Just remember me in your will."  
  
------  
  
A short time later, Tris was working on a monumental backache while the sun baked the back of his head.  
  
In other words, he was trimming impertinent blades of grass that dared poke their impertinent heads above the stones comprising the walk path between the shrine and the lake. He had actually made some progress on that one path. He might even get it done before he returned to the University. What an accomplishment! Guiness would need to hold the presses.  
  
Of course, the grass would only grow back...  
  
A shadow fell over the stone path before him.  
  
He looked up. It was Kiyone.  
  
He grinned, always glad for a break and especially so when it involved his favorite Galaxy Police Detective First Class. He rose to his feet, knees popping rhymatically.  
  
"Hi, Kiyone--hey, what happened to your jeans? Kinda nasty looking."  
  
"Never mind that!" Kiyone quickly moderated her voice. "I mean, that's not important...Tris."  
  
"If you say so, Blue Eyes." He grinned and made ready to duck.  
  
"I say so, Tris," Kiyone told him softly.  
  
"Huh?" Tris stared at her, a bit puzzled by her placidity. "You all right, Kiyone?"  
  
"Oh, I'm fine...darling."  
  
Tris's jaw dropped. Darling? He could not understand this. He eyed Jiyone warily. "Why are you calling me that all of a sudden? I thought "Boy Toy" was the designated appellation." He didn't mention the follow-up jab that usually went with it.  
  
"Oh, you're a Boy Toy, too. But you're also...well, kind of a darling."  
  
Tris had never heard Kiyone's voice sound so sweet. And her eyes glowed at him. It was damned mysterious.  
  
"I am?"  
  
"Aren't you?"  
  
"Well, let me think. I guess I could be. You did let me kiss you."  
  
"That's right! Do you think I'd let just any boy kiss me?" Kiyone's voice was back to normal. She crossed her arms. With Kiyone, that gesture was the equivalent, Tris had learned painfully, of an Earth cop unsnapping the top of his holster.  
  
"No, of course not."  
  
"Well?"  
  
Tris hated questions like that.  
  
"I'm trying to understand you, Kiyone. Are you saying I'm not an idiot anymore?"  
  
"Oh, you're an idiot."  
  
"I'm not a big stiff any more?"  
  
"You still are," Kiyone told him, matter-of-factly.  
  
"Not a goofball?"  
  
"I never called you a goofball."  
  
"Well, there's that, anyway," Tris said.  
  
"But you are, of course."  
  
Tris frowned. "Kiyone, you've got to help me out here. What's just been said doesn't usually go with words like "darling." You know?"  
  
"But you are a darling. You're a darling, idiotic goofball of a big stiff." Kiyone used that sugary tone again. Her violet blue eyes sparkled. "You're my darling."  
  
"Kiyone, now listen..."  
  
"I'll prove it to you."  
  
"Wait a minute--"  
  
"Don't be so dense!"  
  
Kiyone walked up to him. She slipped her arms around his neck. Her lips sought his, found his, and clung...  
  
When they broke, Kiyone said, "Now...are you my boyfriend or not?"  
  
"Wow. Okay. I'm your boyfriend."  
  
"Good. Because I've already been your girlfriend for over 24 hours."  
  
Tris stared at her, nonplussed. Finally he said, "Day late and a dollar short. That's me."  
  
"That's for sure."  
  
They kissed again. Longer this time.  
  
"When's our next date, buster?" Kiyone asked him when they came up for air. She kissed his nose. It was kind of stupid-looking but she liked it.  
  
"I don't know," Tris said. "I kinda hesitate to take out a girl who won't even put on decent jeans to neck--"  
  
A second later, he had adroitly jumped backwards, avoiding her lightning-quick jab.  
  
"Now, Kiyone," he told her, backing up slowly. "If you're going to date me, you'll have to get used to the jokes."  
  
"And you'll have to get used to a few things too, buster," Kiyone said, edging toward him. "Come here and I'll show you."  
  
"Huh-uh. You'll have to catch me first--"  
  
------  
  
Ryoko, soaring through the air, happily avoiding the Princess's many offers of gainful employment back at the house, suddenly beheld a rather unusual spectacle.  
  
Just past the house and near the lake, she espied two figures. They were running. Ryoko thought it was rather warmish to be running, especially running so hard. Besides, lunch was due any minute.  
  
She lazily swooped down. She identified the runners. They were Kiyone and that goofball, Tris.  
  
Ryoko knew they were both exercise fiends (which, to Ryoko, meant they exercised), but this was peculiar even for them.  
  
Tris was out in front, displaying the racehorse gait that had helped him immensely in running the 440-yard-dash in high school. Right behind him streaked Kiyone, who demonstrated the relentless pace that had won her Special Mention at the annual Galaxy Police Academy Track and Field Invitational.  
  
The space pirate blinked, uncomprehendingly. She swooped lower to investigate.  
  
"Stop--(pant-pant)--stop--I'm going to catch you --(pant-pant)-- anyway--" That was Kiyone's voice. "You're just making it--(pant- pant)--harder on yourself--"  
  
Tris didn't answer. He had no breath to spare. Besides, Kiyone was gaining on him.  
  
Ryoko shook her head in wonderment. That goofball could run! But Kiyone could burn up the track, too. Ryoko wouldn't have accepted anything but even odds on either of them.  
  
However, a handicapper who had done his research would have uncovered Tris's penchant to trip. As mentioned previously, Tris almost never tripped while running. This time, however, his high school track coach was not there to bird-dog him. In addition, Tris suddenly had Ryo-Ohki hopping playfully at his feet. The cabbit loved to chase things.  
  
"Ryo-Ohki!" Ryoko yelled from the air. "Look out! That goofball will step on you!"  
  
"Will not!" Tris panted, hearing Ryoko. And he didn't--he missed Ryo-Ohki--and he missed his step, too. He wobbled, and then tripped. The young American plowed into the turf with considerable velocity. His high school coach would have given him ten extra laps for that carrier landing.  
  
"Ooooooffffff--" Tris commented on the firmness of the ground. He lay still, without further remark.  
  
Ryo-Ohki bounded up to him. The cabbit sniffed Tris, concerned. She nuzzled the back of Tris's neck. Tris stirred.  
  
"Meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki was relieved. She hopped off Tris and bounded away.  
  
Ryoko was relieved, too, although she'd hardly admit it.  
  
The most concerned had been Kiyone. She increased her speed somehow upon seeing Tris tumble, convinced the idiot had broken his neck. Then she saw him move. Thank God! She stopped, then bent over, panting, trying to catch her breath.  
  
Ryoko swooped down to her. She hovered above Kiyone. "What's going on?" the space pirate demanded. "What's the foot race for?"  
  
"We're just getting acquainted," Kiyone wheezed, still winded.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Please go, Ryoko," Kiyone requested. "And tell Sasami we may be late for lunch."  
  
Ryoko looked at Kiyone. Then she looked at Tris. She shrugged. "Whatever you say, girl."  
  
"Don't leave me, Ryoko," Tris pleaded from where he lay face down on the ground, his voice muffled by grass.  
  
"Sorry, guy...I've got my orders." Ryoko rose into the air and floated away.  
  
------  
  
"Where are Tris and Kiyone?" Tenchi asked Ryoko again, as the family ate lunch in the dining room a little while later.  
  
"I told you, sweetums...taking a little jog by the lake," Ryoko replied.  
  
"Now? Missing lunch?"  
  
"You know how those fitness nuts are," Ryoko said, shrugging.  
  
"Tris never misses lunch." Tenchi was insistent on that point.  
  
"I think he had something to eat." Ryoko grinned, thinking of the grass in Tris's mouth when he had last spoken to her.  
  
Mihoshi's blue eyes were anxious. "Ryoko, are you sure they were all right?"  
  
"Mmmmmm...pretty sure..."  
  
Ayeka eyed Ryoko suspiciously. "Did you do something to him, Ryoko?"  
  
"Me? I'm insulted, Princess!"  
  
"Is that a "no"?" Ayeka persisted.  
  
"That's a big N-O," Princess." Ryoko gave an exaggerated toss of her platinum hair. "I was just flying around, minding my own business..."  
  
"Avoiding work and sticking your nose where it does not belong," Ayeka translated.  
  
Tenchi intervened. "It all does sound strange, Ryoko," he told her.  
  
Lord Yosho began to rise. "I'll go look for them, Tenchi..."  
  
"Look!" Sasami cried. "They're here!"  
  
Everybody turned toward the dining room entrance.  
  
Tris and Kiyone stood there. Kiyone held Tris's arm. Her long, dark teal hair was mussed a bit, her blouse still soaked with perspiration. Tris was a mess. He had grass stains on his polo shirt and khakis. His face betrayed direct contact with the good earth.  
  
"Miss lunch?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"No," Sasami said, her eyes wide. "I'll go get some more for you."  
  
"Thank you." Kiyone turned to Tris. "Shall we sit down?"  
  
"Only if I don't have to get up again."  
  
"Idiot. Isn't he an idiot?" Kiyone said with satisfaction.  
  
They sat down, Tris taking his time about it.  
  
"Everything okay?" Tenchi asked his buddy.  
  
"I'll tell you about it later," Tris replied.  
  
"No you won't," said Kiyone.  
  
"No I won't," said Tris.  
  
Lord Yosho now slowly sat down, too.  
  
"But--" Tenchi said.  
  
"Tenchi," Lord Yosho said. "Let Tristram and Kiyone eat."  
  
"Yes, Grandfather."  
  
Lunch continued. The conversation was somewhat muted, but Tris and Kiyone did get fed.  
  
------  
  
After lunch ended, Ayeka quickly exited the dining room and then impatiently waited in the living room...until Ryoko appeared. Then she reached out and grabbed the space pirate.  
  
"Hey, Princess! What gives?"  
  
"You better tell me what happened out there!" Ayeka demanded. "I mean it, Ryoko!" She was almost dying of curiosity.  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "Well, I didn't see all of it, Princess. But I can sure tell you one thing."  
  
"What?"  
  
"When it comes to boys, that Kiyone can teach us both something," Ryoko said with something like awe.  
  
______________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) The sailor suit for Japanese schoolgirls is so ingrained in that country's popular culture that one almost forgets that it's just a school uniform. It's worn by girls in middle and high school only. The sailor fuku's origins are actually a tribute to the first gajin the Japanese people saw on a regular basis--sailors from European and American ships. This writer will never forget one of the first things he saw on his first visit to Japan--a middle school opening its doors for recess and little girls running out, all wearing sailor fuku. 


	6. CHAPTER 5: No Need For Dracula

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
No Need For Dracula  
  
___________________  
  
"Wow," said Sasami. "I can see myself in the floor, Kiyone."  
  
The little girl leaned over further, peering at the mirror gloss of the freshly waxed floor. "You and Mihoshi did an awfully good job."  
  
Kiyone smiled. "Thank you. Mihoshi and I think it came out all right."  
  
"It is quite nice," Ayeka weighed in. She had divested herself of her formal robed gown. Now she was only wearing the tight satiny undergarment that was more revealing than anything Ryoko ever wore. Of course, Ayeka would never reveal it outside the room. She walked to her wardrobe to get her long, flowing, lavender silk nightdress.  
  
"It was fun," Mihoshi said. She was already snuggled in her futon with Trissy. "Except all that polishing...my arms still ache!"  
  
They were all preparing for bed in the women's "dormitory." For Ayeka, Ryoko, and Sasami, this was their first opportunity to see their floor now nicely waxed (lots of wax, thanks to Mihoshi) and polished (hard labor with cloths...no motorized polisher in the Masaki household) floor of their bacherlorette barracks. All three were complimentary, including Ryoko.  
  
"Yeah, smells nice in here," Ryoko commented. "Of course, the floors are a wee mite slippery." She had just seen the Princess sway a little bit as she opened her wardrobe door. Ryoko smiled, at peace.  
  
"Yes, you'll need to watch your step." Kiyone tried to restrain herself from rubbing a strategic area (and didn't quite succeed) as she recalled her two spills following the floor polishing. The second spill had included Mihoshi who had panic-grabbed her so that both of them ended up sliding across the room until a handy wall stopped them.  
  
"I am afraid you are right, Kiyone," Ayeka admitted after nearly toppling again.  
  
"Better go barefoot, Princess," Ryoko advised. "Shuck those house slippers."  
  
"Humph!" Ayeka obviously had no intention of going barefoot.  
  
Ryoko shrugged. That was the Princess's lookout.  
  
"Sasami, you stay put. I shall get your nightgown also," Ayeka said, closing her wardrobe with her own nightgown in hand. She started toward Sasami's wardrobe.  
  
"Okay. Thanks, Ayeka," Sasami replied from where she sat on her futon.  
  
"Wheeee...!" Mihoshi laughed. She had pushed Trissy on the waxed floor for fun. The stuffed pooch slid on her velveteen paws a short distance on the gleaming woodwork...and stopped at Ryoko's futon.  
  
Ryoko looked at Trissy. "That mutt gets uglier every day."  
  
"She does not!" Mihoshi defended her doggie. "Push her back Ryoko, please."  
  
"Like fun I will," Ryoko declined. "I'm not touching it."  
  
Kiyone sighed wearily. She walked--carefully--over to Ryoko's futon. Ryoko waited until Kiyone had just about reached her and then pushed Trissy back to Mihoshi.  
  
Kiyone stopped, hands on her hips. "Thanks a lot, Ryoko!"  
  
"Yes, thank you, Ryoko." Mihoshi beamed.  
  
"You're welcome, Mihoshi," Ryoko said.  
  
"What's the idea?" Kiyone grated.  
  
"I just changed my mind," Ryoko said, quite innocently. "That's all."  
  
"Wanted to see me fall, huh?"  
  
"Me? Bite your tongue, Detective."  
  
"I may bite something...but it won't be attached to me!"  
  
The galactic police officer started to walk back--and swayed--and then caught herself. Ryoko had the grace not to laugh out loud.  
  
"Don't fall again, Kiyone," Mihoshi told her helpfully.  
  
"Gee, I'll try not to." Kiyone gritted her teeth.  
  
"So you already fell, huh? That's why I saw you rubbing your butt earlier!" Ryoko chortled.  
  
The sound of Kiyone gritting her teeth was almost audible now. She walked carefully to her wardrobe and opened the drawer at the bottom. She withdrew a garment.  
  
"It is not funny to see someone fall, Ryoko," Ayeka admonished the space pirate as she carried both her and her little sister's nightgowns back to their futons.  
  
"Yeah? I guess all those comedy shows must have it wrong then, Princess." Ryoko turned her gaze back to Kiyone.  
  
"What's that you're putting on?" Ryoko asked Kiyone, who had fully divested herself of outerwear and was slipping into what looked like a huge white cotton sack with a hole at the top. "What's that gnarly thing on the front?"  
  
Kiyone decided she wasn't mad at Ryoko anymore. She might as well get mad at the weather. "It's supposed to be a moose," she explained.  
  
"Looks like a sick one," Ryoko commented. "What's that writing under it?" Ryoko's grasp of written English was none too good.  
  
"It says, "Wotsammata U." It's a joke...supposed to be, anyway."  
  
"Well, ha, ha," Ryoko said caustically. "Only one person I know around here would own something like that."  
  
"You're right." Kiyone smiled. "It's Tris's."  
  
Ryoko was interested now. "Why did he give it to you?"  
  
"I made him."  
  
Ryoko considered this. "Why would you want it?"  
  
"I just do. He sleeps in it...or he did." Kiyone grinned deviously.  
  
"Kiyone tried to wash her jeans that got floor wax on them in the washer and she accidentally had her big white nightshirt rolled up with them," Mihoshi explained, as informative as ever.  
  
Kiyone groaned and rolled her eyes heavenward. Blabbermouth!  
  
"Bet that came out just swell!" Ryoko grinned.  
  
"Aw, that's too bad, Kiyone," Sasami commiserated. "Did it help your jeans at all?"  
  
"No." Kiyone grimaced. That had made the whole mess ever worse. She had failed to get the floor wax off the legs of her jeans and her comfy nightshirt had gotten nuked in the bargain. Now she was obliged to sleep with a dopey looking moose on her chest! Oh, well...at least it hadn't cost her anything, aside from a kiss or two. Kiyone smiled to herself. That big stiff!  
  
"Put your nightdress on, Sasami," Ayeka told her little sister, having managed to step carefully and not slip, all the way back to her futon (to Ryoko's disappointment). She handed her little sister her mightdress. Sasami rose from her futon to slip it on while Ayeka donned her own nightdress. Sasami had already coiled her long pigtails and encased them in specially designed velvet sheaths to prevent them from being mussed while she slept. For her part, Ayeka had placed her two long back queues of hair in similar velvet sheaths for the same reason. In contrast, neither Ryoko nor Mihoshi did anything with their hair at bedtime and Kiyone simply tied her long hair in back with a yellow hair band. Preparing for bed was a bit more of a ritual for Ayeka and Sasami than for the others. "But why Tristram's shirt, Kiyone?" Ayeka now asked.  
  
Kiyone shrugged. "I don't have anything else to wear to bed and he just brought in extra clothes, you know."  
  
Ryoko caught Ayeka's eye. They silently shook their heads, obviously not buying that one little bit. Watching them, Sasami was confused by their reaction. Kiyone's explanation sounded logical to her.  
  
It also sounded logical to Mihoshi. The blonde Galaxy Police officer was feeling bemused, though. Kiyone first saying Tris was her boyfriend, and now she had his big moose shirt to sleep in. Of course, Mihoshi had Trissy, from Tris. But Mihoshi was feeling that deja vu thingy...if she remembered right what that word meant.  
  
She had originally fallen in love with Tenchi, and still loved him-- she had even fantasized when they were caught in Washuu's Dimensional Tuner thingy that she was married to him--but Ryoko and Ayeka were the ones he looked upon as girlfriends. Now, she supposed, she was out of the running for Tris. Kiyone was her very best friend and Mihoshi would do nothing to hurt her or to damage their friendship. But she liked Tris an awful lot and she had hoped that she and he...well, no chance of that now, it seemed. Still, she ought to ask Kiyone about it.  
  
Mihoshi petted Trissy sadly. Her feelings for Tris would just be another thing to hurt her, she knew. Mihoshi hurt inside and yearned inside far more than the people around her suspected. But she hid it well.  
  
------  
  
Hours later, the communal bedroom was dark.  
  
The occupants slept peacefully. All except for Ayeka, who was battling for her life.  
  
Ayeka had never known such horror. The huge, pulsating mass, with its great, bulging yellow eye, reached for her with dripping tendrils. She could not move. The huge, glaring eye had enthralled her, somehow. Her powers were gone. No one was with her. She was alone with it. She felt the tendrils wrap around her neck. They were warm and clammy. They pulled her to the pulsating flesh-colored mass. Her body jolted, as if electrified. The pain!--dear heavens, the horrible pain!--it was killing her--she couldn't move--she seemed unable to even scream--  
  
Ayeka opened her eyes, panting. The thing still held her! She tried to push it away--  
  
"Ayeka...!" A sharp, childish whisper knifed through the fog that encased her head.  
  
Reason returned. Vision cleared. Ayeka now saw it was Sasami holding tightly to her shoulders, trying to gently shake her awake.  
  
"I'm...I'm awake now, dear," she whispered.  
  
Sasami's face reflected her bottomless loving relief.  
  
"Oh, thank goodness!"  
  
Ayeka took the opportunity to hug her little sister. "Did we wake anyone...?" she whispered. She released Sasami and looked looked around the dark room. No, the others were still and quiet--save for Mihoshi's snoring--in their futons.  
  
"Was it that awful dream again?" Sasami whispered, her voice soft and sorrowful.  
  
Ayeka managed a weak smile as she whispered back, "Yes, dear. It was that horrible monster, as always." She attempted a tiny joke. "It certainly was a job for Pretty Sammy!"  
  
Sasami clutched her big sister and pressed her face in a soft shoulder. Her own shoulders shook.  
  
"Now, now, dear," Ayeka whispered, stroking Sasami's head. "It will be all right. Silly dreams do not mean a thing. They will end soon. Wait and see."  
  
Sasami raised her head and nodded somberly.  
  
Yes...please make them end, Ayeka prayed silently.  
  
------  
  
In the darkness of his bedroom, Lord Yosho sat up in his bed.  
  
He had felt that Presence again...that cold entity that he had sensed before. He glanced out the window of his simply furnished bedroom. The stars twinkled in a black velvet sky. Peaceful and silent. And the Presence was gone, at least for now.  
  
Slowly, the Juraian Prince settled back into bed. No, he could not place it yet. But he would. Enemies always showed themselves, eventually. And when this one did reveal itself, Lord Yosho and his grandson would have to deal with it. It was their responsibility and their honor.  
  
Yet...Yosho worried. He was used to enemies that attacked openly and at least didn't skulk around in the dark. This enemy was not only surreptitious, but it also represented something that Yosho knew he had never encountered before. That was unsettling, the Juraian Prince admitted to himself. Worse, it seemed to foreshadow another great struggle and a desperate battle, something Yosho had hoped would never blight their lives again. As tenuous as this Presence was, it was redolent of evil and rancor. It meant harm to them--of that there could be no doubt.  
  
Yet at the moment, it was only a feeling, a sensation. It was nothing one could take action again or even identify. Yosho knew he would simply have to wait until the Presence took more material form before he could alert his grandson and the others. It would do no good to agitate them now about something so tenuous.  
  
Lord Yosho sighed. He willed himself back to sleep. Strength was needed for the days ahead.  
  
------  
  
The next morning, immediately after breakfast, Kiyone sat on her futon in the communal bedroom. She looked at her ruined jeans where they lay on her futon before her. She had a pair of scissors and an idea...if she had the nerve to try it.  
  
The unseasonable spring warmth had helped germinate the idea. After all, spring would soon turn into summer, the weather would thus stay warm, and by fall she would have saved up enough money to buy another pair of jeans. Of course, hopefully by that time she would be back at Headquarters earning a Sergeant's pay again. God, she hoped so!  
  
Mihoshi, who had been following Kiyone around as always, sat on her own futon. She was tying a pink ribbon around Trissy's shaggy head. She hummed some silly tune, happy and contented. No one else was in the room.  
  
Kiyone made her decision. She applied the scissors. Sharp steel met denim and denim lost.  
  
Mihoshi looked up. "What are you doing, Kiyone?" she cried, aghast. "Your nice blue jeans!"  
  
Not any more. Kiyone held up what was left. Blue denim shorts...in fact, blue denim short-shorts. Kiyone had cut perhaps too bravely. Too late now.  
  
"You're going to wear...those?" Mihoshi was shocked.  
  
"Yes!" Kiyone replied, sounding far more determined than she felt.  
  
"But...you'll show your thighs and all!" Mihoshi couldn't believe it. Kiyone had a pair of shorts already, but they were baggy, half- legged cargo shorts--not like what she held in her hands now. These were almost as brief as burumas, the legless shorts worn by Japanese schoolgirls for gym classes.  
  
"And what's wrong with my thighs?"  
  
"Nothing." Mihoshi actually felt that Kiyone's thighs were a bit too full, maybe, but she wisely decided not to mention it.  
  
"I won't be wearing this to show off my thighs. I'll be wearing it so I can salvage these jeans and have something to work in. It's warm outside, Mihoshi. Besides, you've seen lots of women wear shorts like these on TV."  
  
"Sure!" Mihoshi smiled, suddenly enthused. "All those girls who have guys chasing them. And at the beach, too! Beach party!"  
  
"This isn't the beach, Mihoshi," Kiyone reminded her.  
  
"Uh-huh. But there's beaches not so far away. Tenchi mentioned it once," Mihoshi pointed out. "Gosh, it'd be nice to go to a beach, huh, Kiyone?"  
  
"Yeah, well, how'd we get there and how would..." Kiyone's eyes widened. "Hmmm."  
  
"What, Kiyone?"  
  
"Never mind. I have to think about it first."  
  
"Think about what?"  
  
"Never mind!"  
  
"Okay," Mihoshi said agreeably. She had finished tying the pink ribbon on Trissy. She loved how it looked on her plush puppy dog.  
  
Kiyone, wearing just her short-sleeved white cotton blouse and undergarments, stood. She took a deep, brave breath. She put the short-shorts on.  
  
Then she walked to one of the mirrored wardrobes. The waxed floor was a little less slippery now to her bare feet. She looked at herself in the mirror. Girl! She never knew she had so much leg. Wow! She was rather pleased at the effect.  
  
Staring at herself in the mirror, Kiyone wondered what the other women would say. Hah! She knew what they would say. Well, too bad. She could wear short-shots if she wanted to. It'd only be around the house, anyway.  
  
Kiyone grinned saucily at her reflection in the mirror. She thought of Tris. It was a devilish thought. That big stiff...talk about her legs, would he? Wait until he got a load of her in this! His eyes were sure to pop out. Well, they had better pop out!  
  
Then, behind her, Kiyone heard the sound of scissors on cloth.  
  
"Mihoshi!"  
  
It was, again, too late. Now, like her partner and very best friend, Mihoshi was wearing short-shorts, too. She walked over to where Kiyone stood by the mirrored wardrobe.  
  
"You big copycat!"  
  
Mihoshi grinned, delighted at her reflection in the mirror. "Gosh. Look at my legs! Now we're both beach girls! All we need now are lifeguards!"  
  
Or groundskeepers maybe, Kiyone chuckled to herself, as another devilish though came to her.  
  
------  
  
"You've just about got that hill mowed," Tris called to Tenchi. "Bet you're glad."  
  
"Sure am," Tenchi called back from the crest of a small hillock. He pushed the mower to get at the remaining tall grass. ""I should get the other hill mowed this afternoon. How are you doing?"  
  
"Stone by stone...groan by groan," Tris said. He had risen with relief from trimming errant foliage around another stone pathway. "Isn't it about lunchtime yet?" he asked Tenchi.  
  
"Way too early, buddy." Tenchi grinned. "Is that all you think about? No, I guess that's not all you think about."  
  
"What's that crack supposed to mean?"  
  
"You know what I mean. Whom I mean."  
  
"Yeah, well, I also think about increasing my medical coverage. too. Especially with "whom" around."  
  
Tenchi laughed. "You asked for it!"  
  
"Well...I got it!"  
  
Tenchi laughed again, picturing Tris at lunch yesterday. "Career- first!" Kiyone and his "career-huh?" roommate! That was one he sure didn't see coming. Still laughing, his eyes roved toward the house. His eyes widened. He stopped laughing.  
  
"Tris. Look over at the house. Second story hallway window."  
  
Tris followed instructions. His jaw dropped. "Holey moley. Will you look at that...!"  
  
Tenchi needed no invitation. He looked.  
  
In that wide and long second-story picture window, Kiyone and Mihoshi stood waving at them wearing big smiles...and their short-shorts.  
  
"Sha-zam!" said Tris.  
  
"I'll say!" said Tenchi.  
  
------  
  
"Hey, Kiyone," Mihoshi said. She kept waving at the distant Tenchi and Tris through the window. "Are their eyes popped out yet?"  
  
"Popped out and rolling on the ground!" Kiyone laughed gaily.  
  
Mihoshi stole a look at her partner. Kiyone was so animated and happy. So much better now than when they had first come back to Earth and the Masaki household. Gosh, those had been sad days! No more, though. It filled Mihoshi with joy.  
  
------  
  
"Well," Tris explained with mock seriousness. "It's obvious. Wearing such abbreviated garments no doubt results in better air circulation for comfort and allows much more freedom of movement, invaluable for the accomplishment of many household chores." Who needed Washuu for double-talk?  
  
"Are you kidding?" Tenchi said. "Look at those legs!"  
  
"Jeeze, Tenchi," Tris said slyly. "Is that all you think about?"  
  
"Very funny, wise guy."  
  
For a moment, Tris and Tenchi were silent, staring at the two leggy Galaxy Police officers. It was a sight neither would soon forget.  
  
"I'll go quietly, Officer," Tris said. "You won't even need handcuffs."  
  
Tenchi agreed silently.  
  
"Awww...show's over, already," Tris complained.  
  
It was true. With a final wave, Kiyone and Mihoshi disappeared from the window.  
  
"Just like running out of quarters," Tris muttered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing important. Well, back to toil and trouble."  
  
"Yeah, toil," Tenchi said, feeling a slight twinge of apprehension and, perhaps, guilt. "And if Ayeka or Ryoko find out about this little show...trouble!"  
  
------  
  
Fortunately, trouble did not rear its unlovely head...at least not until luncheon.  
  
The others, excluding Washuu as usual, were already seated at the table when Kiyone and Mihoshi braved an appearance in their short- shorts. Lord Yosho looked up. His eyebrows lifted a millimeter. He was not made of stone.  
  
Tenchi and Tris treated themselves to another eyeful. Their expressions were appreciative. The leg show was even better closer up.  
  
Sasami seemed enchanted with the abbreviated jeans shorts. "Gosh," she said. "I like them! So cool!"  
  
Ayeka and Ryoko took one look at Kiyone and Mihoshi and their mouths sagged open. The two Galaxy Police officers took that opportunity to scoot to their places at the table.  
  
"Yeow, girl!" Ryoko said to Kiyone. "Those are shorts?"  
  
"Short-shorts," corrected Mihoshi, smiling.  
  
"Too short-shorts," Ayeka muttered.  
  
Ryoko regarded at Kiyone with admiration. That took guts! And a little sass, too. Kiyone was a real surprise these days.  
  
"I needed to find a way to use these jeans," Kiyone explained. "You know how awful the pant legs looked. So I cut them off and made these jeans into shorts. It's warm weather now, anyway, you know. I'll just wear them around the house. So will Mihoshi."  
  
"If you wore them anywhere else, Detectives," Lord Yosho said with a slight smile, "no doubt the males among my temple's visitors would neglect their devotions in the face of such beauty." It was a typically kind and gallant way for him to say: Not around my temple, you don't!  
  
Kiyone nodded. "Yes, Lord Yosho. We understand."  
  
"What's your story?" Ryoko asked Mihoshi. "You spill something on your jeans, too?"  
  
"Oh no!" Mihoshi smiled. "I just wanted to be like Kiyone!"  
  
Kiyone rolled her eyes eloquently.  
  
"It's a good thing Tenchi works outside, huh, Princess?" Ryoko said, half in jest. "Otherwise we'd have something to worry about!"  
  
"Oh, Tenchi likes our short-shorts all right!" Mihoshi laughed. "Tris too! You should have seen their eyeballs pop out when we modeled--"  
  
Kiyone's hand clamped her partner's big mouth. It was a futile gesture. Mihoshi had spilled the beans, but good.  
  
"Modeled?" Ayeka drew herself back. "Modeled!"  
  
"No, not "modeled,"" Kiyone told her.  
  
"Then what was Mihoshi referring to?" Ayeka's voice was icy.  
  
"Aw, Princess," Ryoko scoffed. "So what? It's just legs!" She was acting more blasé about it than she really felt. But it wasn't something to convene court over. At least, not yet.  
  
The fact was that Ryoko and Ayeka were more unsettled by Mihoshi wearing the short-shorts than Kiyone. Kiyone was sweet on Tris now and she had never shown more than a sisterly affection for Tenchi anyway. Mihoshi, however, was a different matter. She was unattached, she clearly adored Tenchi, and she was a beautiful, sexually aware woman despite her simple, sweet, and cheery nature. Back during the time they had all been caught up in Washuu's Dimensional Tuner, Mihoshi had somehow gotten herself married to Tenchi for a time. That was all Ayeka and Ryoko had needed to know about Mihoshi!  
  
"I do not require your assistance or advice, Ryoko." Ayeka snapped. "I simply desire an explanation from Kiyone."  
  
"It's my fault," Tenchi broke in.  
  
"Your fault, Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka stared at him.  
  
"Your fault?" Ryoko echoed, also staring at him.  
  
Mihoshi also nearly said, "Your fault?" But Kiyone's hand kept her mouth tightly and safely clamped. Their eyes on Tenchi, Ayeka and Ryoko failed to notice.  
  
"Yeah. Tris and I were outside doing our chores when I noticed Kiyone and Mihoshi--they happened to be walking by the second floor hallway window." Tenchi hesitated, darting a glance at his grandfather. But Lord Yosho appeared to have no difficulty with his swallowing this time around. Tenchi continued. "I mentioned it to Tris and--"  
  
"And I yelled and whistled, and Kiyone and Mihoshi stopped and looked to see what all the racket was." Tris added, catching on to Tenchi's gambit.  
  
Okay, thought Tenchi, fair enough...thanks, Tris. "They just waved at us and went on, that's all. So that's how we saw them in their new shorts." Tenchi took a nibble of fish ball and glanced again at his grandfather. Yosho just sat there, chewing serenely.  
  
"Ohhh..." Ayeka's voice had modulated by a power of ten. "So there was no "modeling." I see."  
  
"The second floor hallway isn't much of a catwalk, Princess Ayeka," Tris pointed out to her.  
  
Ayeka's eyes took in Tris. Those lovely ruby eyes twinkled. "I do believe you have a point there, Tristram."  
  
Ryoko snorted. "Of course. You're making a big deal about nothing, Princess. Although maybe I should invest in a pair of those little short-shorts. What do you say, Tenchi?"  
  
"Invest? You mean steal!" Ayeka retorted.  
  
The discussion thus entered more familiar--and safer--waters.  
  
Kiyone covertly unclamped Mihoshi's mouth. She used that hand to (also covertly) slip underneath the table and gently grasp Tris's hand. She gave it a tiny squeeze.  
  
------  
  
A half hour or so following lunch, Tenchi stood in the improvised dojo with his grandfather. Both of them were taking a breather. That is, Tenchi was taking a breather. Lord Yosho breathed just fine following a particularly vigorous practice bout.  
  
Tenchi wiped his forehead. Bushido practice was warm work for such balmy weather. But it wasn't the heat that was bothering Tenchi at the moment.  
  
"Grandfather?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, Tenchi?"  
  
"I should understand things like this better, I know. But why didn't you have any objection to my telling not strictly the truth at lunch to Ayeka and Ryoko, when you made it clear a couple of days ago it was wrong for me to invent something to placate Mihoshi?"  
  
"Because, Tenchi, there is a difference between trying to smooth a path for someone and possibly causing them to trip--and amending the truth to avoid hurting people's feelings over something of little import. It's a matter of not interfering on the one hand, and being discrete on the other."  
  
"I guess I understand, Grandfather. I'm just glad it worked!"  
  
------  
  
Some time later, after a quick gulp of ice water provided by little Sasami, Tenchi was back to mowing, this time taking on the second hillock.  
  
Tris was located further down, stooping down at the pathway just before the first small hill, diligently trimming. Well...diligently trimming and rising to take a stretch about every five minutes, Tenchi noted with a grin. But his buddy made progress.  
  
Yes, he was making progress, Tris realized. And it was unexpectedly comfortable here out in the open air. Somehow, the temperature had cooled enough to be more spring-like. The sun no longer beat, but caressed Tris's back. He was full of rice and miso soup and fish balls and he had seen Kiyone--and Mihoshi--in short-shorts. He was in fine fettle. Who could want more from life?  
  
Things improved. He spotted, quite a distance away, both those young women still attired on those short-shorts out on the lawn. They were hanging up rugs on the clothesline and using a carpet beater on them. That is, Mihoshi hung up the rugs while Kiyone wielded the carpet beater. Kiyone seemed to enjoy the chore for some reason.  
  
------  
  
"Kiyone?" Mihoshi suddenly said, while she watched her partner smack the rug hanging on the clothesline with a certain amount of authority, not to mention enthusiasm.  
  
"What?" Kiyone asked tersely. They had three more rugs to beat clean of soil and only one carpet-beater, which meant Kiyone would do the honors. Mihoshi had a tendency to laugh and hit the rugs only lightly; she did not seem to have it in her to use physical violence on anything, even rugs. Kiyone didn't really mind, but she wanted to get the job done and small talk would only slow her down.  
  
"I like Tris."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You like him too, don't you?"  
  
"No, Mihoshi," Kiyone said sarcastically. She picked up the pace, really making the rug shake on the clothesline. "I always pick a guy I can't stand to be my boyfriend. That's a silly question!"  
  
"Oh." Mihoshi seemed to digest this slowly. "I've never had a boyfriend before, Kiyone."  
  
"Uh-huh?" Kiyone stopped, panting a little. She had given the rug some more hard strokes and dust particles filled the air. She accidentally caught one in her mouth as she answered Mihoshi and immediately spat it out. "Yuck! Mihoshi!"  
  
"Well, I haven't," Mihoshi insisted.  
  
"Okay, you haven't--so what?" Kiyone sensed that Mihoshi meant to go somewhere with this conversation. She held off resuming the carpet beating.  
  
"Have you had a boyfriend before, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"What's that got to do with--" Kiyone gritted her teeth. Then she mentally shrugged. She'd better answer the ding-dong so she could get back to the task at hand. "Of course I have. Guys lined up for the privilege of taking me out. I was a social butterfly! Okay?"  
  
"Gosh...were you, Kiyone?" Mihoshi stared at her partner, her blue eyes wide with wonderment. "I thought you told me you scared the guys away because you beat them at sports and stuff. All the other girls at the Academy said you'd never get a boy to date you--" Mihoshi's eyes widened more. She clamped her hand over her mouth.  
  
Kiyone closed her eyes and took a deep breath to control her aggravation. It was a bad move because she inhaled more dust motes liberated from the rug. She managed to cough and curse at the same time, a not inconsiderable feat.  
  
"Are you okay, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked solicitously.  
  
Kiyone rapidly got her coughing under control. "Mihoshi, if you have something to ask me--ask me!"  
  
"I already did, Kiyone." Mihoshi seemed mystified.  
  
"I mean--ask me what you really mean to ask me! Stop leading up to it! We've got work to do."  
  
Mihoshi seemed to understand. At least she nodded. "Well...you've had all those boyfriends and I haven't had one, not really. And Tris likes both of us, so..." Mihoshi stopped. She looked at Kiyone worriedly.  
  
So that was it! Kiyone felt anger surge within her. But she knew better than to just lash out. Mihoshi saw things her own way and yelling at her didn't help much in getting her to see sense. And Mihoshi had to see sense about this. Kiyone lowered the carpet beater. She silently counted to ten...then twenty...  
  
"Kiyone?"  
  
"Quiet!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
Kiyone reached thirty. She felt a little less angry now.  
  
"All right," she said slowly. "I will say this once, Mihoshi. Only once. Understand?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Okay. Listen up. Tris is my boyfriend. I am his girlfriend. It just happened. There's nothing heavy between us--believe me!--but there's that much, anyway. It's not a question of what's fair or what you want. It's just the way things are. You don't figure in. If you're hurt, I'm sorry. Get over it! End of discussion."  
  
And with that, Kiyone picked up the carpet beater and really laid into the defenseless rug. She hit it with a single-minded dedication. It felt so good to smack something! Smack something hard! Smack something over and over again! Yes! It was marvelous! She couldn't stop! She didn't want to stop!  
  
As the teal-haired Galaxy Police officer pummeled the rug with blows that were in direct violation of the Marquis of Queensberry rules, not to mention the Geneva Convention, a gray cloud of dust and ancient soil, soil that had clung to that rug tenaciously for years, soil that had finally met its match, billowed around her and her partner.  
  
"Kiyone!" Mihoshi cried, then lost herself in a fit of coughing. Kiyone coughed, too, but the pleasure of beating Mihoshi--that is, the rug--more than made up for it. She laid into that rug with everything she had.  
  
Then, above the rush of adrenaline that made her ears ring, the swirling clouds of dust and dirt, and the coughing of herself and Mihoshi, Kiyone heard a voice demand stridently:  
  
"Kiyone! Mihoshi! Stop that this minute!"  
  
It was a cultured voice, yet one that carried to the very treetops. It was the voice of Princess Ayeka.  
  
That voice seemed to dissolve Kiyone's rug-rage. She stopped beating the rug. Slowly, the fug of dust and dirt dissipated. Mihoshi stopped coughing. She was gray with dust. Kiyone didn't have to look down at her own self...she knew she had to be covered with gray dust, too.  
  
Now Kiyone saw the Princess. Ayeka stood a small distance from them. She had her arms folded across her chest. She looked first at Mihoshi and then at Kiyone. She radiated vexation.  
  
"I spend the entire morning mopping the floors and dusting the furniture," Ayeka told them. "Then I open a window for fresh air. But does fresh air come into the house? Does it?"  
  
"Ummm...no?" Mihoshi hazarded a guess.  
  
"You are correct!" Ayeka snapped. "Instead, dust comes rolling in-- covering everything! I say to myself: That is unusual. Dust usually does not flood the house when I open a window. So I investigate. And what do I find?"  
  
"Ummm...us?" Mihoshi guessed again.  
  
"Correct!"  
  
Kiyone intervened. "I'm sorry Ayeka. It's my fault. I got kind of carried away." She chuckled weakly. "It's kind of funny when you think about it..." Kiyone stopped. From the Princess's expression, humor had taken a trip to Fiji and left no forwarding address.  
  
"Whom," Ayeka asked frostily, "will re-clean the house? That is what I want to know."  
  
"Ummm...weum? I mean, we...us?" Mihoshi was on a roll.  
  
"Correct again!"  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi looked at each other. Then they moved closer together and quietly brushed the dust off each other. When they were spotless enough to pass the Princess Ayeka 12-Point Inspection, they trudged indoors to re-accomplish Ayeka's morning chores.  
  
Ayeka didn't follow them in...not right away. She looked at the carpet. Then she looked at the carpet beater. Finally, she laughed heartily.  
  
------  
  
Even if it did end up costing her extra work, Kiyone was at least satisfied that she had made her point about Tris to Mihoshi. In addition, by dinnertime she had rendered the issue of short-shorts moot.  
  
Before dinner, Mihoshi and Kiyone changed into full-length pants (Kiyone wore her prized "dressy" slacks, but no matter). Kiyone had decreed to Mihoshi that they wear the short-shorts only for working-- period. Mihoshi had argued with Kiyone, but gave in quickly. She had seen the look in Ayeka and Ryoko's eyes when the two had first beheld her in the short-shorts.  
  
Thus, dinner was, for once, relatively tranquil That is, aside from occasional quiet chuckles issuing from the First Princess of Jurai whenever her gaze fell upon her two favorite Galaxy Police officers.  
  
------  
  
Shortly after the evening meal ended, Tenchi and Tris briefly conversed.  
  
"Yeah, I think it's a great idea...I'm sure the girls will enjoy it," Tenchi agreed.  
  
"Okay, I'll get the instructions from Washuu and I'll put the stuff in the kitchen. I'm glad you have that old saucepan."  
  
"It was my mother's..." Tenchi's voice trailed off. He had a faraway look in his eyes.  
  
Tris knew that Tenchi was very attached to his late mother's memory and Tris certainly understood that. "Still okay to use it?"  
  
Tenchi smiled. "Sure! I think Mother would have approved."  
  
------  
  
"Do you wish something, Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka asked. Having just seated herself on one of the couches in the living room, she noticed him standing before the television set.  
  
"If I can have your attention," Tenchi said. "Everyone."  
  
Most of the gang had gathered in the living room. Ayeka, Ryoko, and Sasami sat on one couch, Mihoshi and Kiyone on the other. Tenchi had appraised his grandfather and his Dad about the evening's program and both had declined, with thanks. He had then asked Washuu to join them. She had said, "Maybe."  
  
"What's up?" Ryoko asked. "Aren't we going to watch TV?"  
  
"Well, yeah, Ryoko," Tenchi said.  
  
"So, what's the big deal?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Let him speak and you will no doubt find out," Ayeka advised her.  
  
"Well, we are going to watch TV...but something a little different," Tenchi ventured.  
  
"We got a zillion channels now, thanks to Washuu," Ryoko pointed out. "We've already watched about everything there is except those porn channels."  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka objected. "Remember, Sasami's here!"  
  
"I know what porn is," said Sasami.  
  
"No, you do not!"  
  
"Go ahead, Tenchi," Kiyone prompted him.  
  
"Thanks. As I said, we're going to watch something different. We're going to watch an old classic Hollywood movie on this old-movie channel."  
  
"Whose brilliant idea was this?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Tris's," Tenchi admitted, a bit defensively.  
  
"No wonder! It bites."  
  
"Ryoko..." Tenchi was getting a tad steamed.  
  
"Those old movies are fun--and romantic!" Mihoshi offered her opinion. "Like that one where the man loves the woman, but she goes off in a plane with another man, and he walks away with some guy...I cried!"  
  
"Sound like a real kinky porn channel special!" Ryoko cracked.  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka was incensed. "I shall not warn you again...!"  
  
"Ryoko, do you want to stay...or not?" Tenchi asked her, his jaw set.  
  
"Stay," she said.  
  
"Okay, then. Really, it'll be fun. Tris even brought some popcorn. It came all the way from America, and..."  
  
"Popcorn! I've heard of that!" Mihoshi interrupted excitedly.  
  
"Americans eat that for breakfast, do they not?" Ayeka asked, a bit puzzled.  
  
"No, big sister," answered Sasami, who paid attention to things like that. "That's puffed corn. It's a different thing."  
  
"Right!" Tenchi smiled. "Americans eat popcorn when they watch movies."  
  
"Why?" asked Ryoko.  
  
"Because it's good! Tris and I have eaten a lot of it. It's great study food."  
  
"But it's American," Ryoko pointed out.  
  
"So?" Tenchi queried.  
  
"Something about those Americans...I don't really cotton to them," Ryoko said.  
  
"That's as ringing an endorsement of the United States as I could ever imagine," Ayeka told her.  
  
"Good one, Ayeka." Kiyone smiled.  
  
Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "Watch it, Kiyone. Just because you're kissy-faced with one..."  
  
Tenchi groaned. Things were not going well. Ryoko just had to get in that shot at Tris. And now she and Kiyone were at loggerheads again.  
  
But Kiyone just kept smiling. "Yes, I am. And he's a great kisser, too."  
  
Ryoko's jaw dropped. This was news. "Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay." Ryoko shrugged. She respected Kiyone's hardball answer. "Well, then, let's bring on the popcorn. What movie are we watching?"  
  
------  
  
In the kitchen, Tris was listening to the conversation in the living room and wrestling with the quadruple sealing of the jar of popcorn, the divine stuff, direct from Princeton Farms, USA. His buddy from the States had sealed the jar with at least half a roll of postal tape. Tris had managed to open the butter seasoning can, but the popcorn jar was proving as stubborn as Ryoko. At least it had made it through customs intact.  
  
Tris grinned as he heard Kiyone's parry to Ryoko's verbal thrust. That Kiyone! Kind of a nice thing to say...  
  
He now heard Tenchi explain to the group that they didn't know what was going to be playing on the American old-movie channel, since listings were available only on the Internet and Tenchi's Dad was using the Apple for business. So it was pot luck. "More like pot unluck," Ryoko opined.  
  
Sheesh! Tris was trying to use a kitchen knife--it wasn't a Ginzu, he noted with a grin--and having little luck. If it had been the British Crown Jewels instead of popcorn in the jar, they would have been as safe as houses.  
  
Tenchi walked into the kitchen, shaking his head. "Man, that was a hard sell! Ryoko's really in a mood tonight. Say, what's holding up the popcorn?"  
  
Tris held up the jar. "This! It's sealed like King Tut's tomb. Any ideas?"  
  
"Yeah." Tenchi grinned. He walked to the kitchen entrance. "Ryoko!" he yelled.  
  
------  
  
In the living room, Ryoko started as she heard her name spoken by her true love--but not in the tone she preferred.  
  
"What have you done now, Ryoko?" Sasami asked her.  
  
"Who knows?" Ryoko shrugged.  
  
"It is so hard to keep track, isn't it?" Ayeka laughed.  
  
"You're a riot, Princess." Ryoko rose from the couch and floated toward the kitchen.  
  
"I wish she would walk a little more often," Ayeka said.  
  
"I don't know," Sasami considered. "If I could fly, I sure would!"  
  
"Aren't we gonna watch movies...and eat popcorn?" Mihoshi asked Kiyone where they sat on the other couch. She seemed a little let down.  
  
"Don't worry, Mihoshi." Kiyone told her. "The idiot will come through, somehow."  
  
------  
  
In the kitchen, Ryoko opened the jar immediately, without a second effort.  
  
"Thanks, Ryoko," Tenchi said.  
  
"You're a born arm wrestler, Ryoko," Tris added gratefully.  
  
"Thanks. It's nice to be appreciated." She smiled. She regarded Tris with her golden eyes. Great kisser? Well...maybe. "I think I will try some of your old popcorn, Tris," she said.  
  
"You'll like it, Ryoko," Tenchi promised.  
  
"I'd better." Ryoko rose from the floor and lazily floated out of the kitchen.  
  
A moment later, Sasami walked into the kitchen. "Please show me how to make popcorn, Tris," she requested.  
  
"Sure, kitten," Tris said, smiling at the amazing little girl.  
  
"Kitten? I like that," Sasami said shyly. "I like you, Tris."  
  
"Thanks, Sasami. I like you, too."  
  
Tenchi grinned. "I'll leave you both to it."  
  
------  
  
Very soon, warm, delicious smells wafted from the kitchen into the living room, as well as the sound of popping.  
  
"That's why they call it popcorn, huh?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Nothing gets by you, Ryoko," Tenchi said. He had seated himself, by informal edict, between her and Ayeka.  
  
"You especially, sweetums," Ryoko countered, and leaned against him.  
  
Ayeka frowned and grabbed Tenchi's right hand.  
  
Ryoko smirked and then grabbed Tenchi's left hand.  
  
"How am I supposed to eat popcorn?" he queried.  
  
"I'll feed it to you, Tenchi," Ryoko told him.  
  
"We'll both feed you," Ayeka amended.  
  
"Sounds great," Tenchi muttered, rolling his eyes heavenward.  
  
At the other couch, Mihoshi asked Kiyone, "Is Tris really a great kisser?"  
  
"Mihoshi!"  
  
"Well? I want to know," Mihoshi persisted.  
  
"Let's just say he kisses better than Trissy," Kiyone answered her.  
  
"Trissy! I forgot her!"  
  
"Good!"  
  
"I'll go get her."  
  
"How can you eat popcorn and hold Trissy, too?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"Oh...yeah." Mihoshi stayed put. Food had won out over cuddly companionship.  
  
Tris walked in. He held two heaping bowls of popcorn, buttered and salted. He walked over to the couch where Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka sat. He handed one of the popcorn bowls to...no, Tenchi's hands weren't free...Ryoko looked at the popcorn a little leerily...then Ayeka accepted the bowl with a smile.  
  
"Over here, Tris!" Mihoshi called from the other couch.  
  
Tris smiled and walked over to Mihoshi and Kiyone. Mihoshi grabbed the remaining bowl.  
  
"That's for all three of us, Mihoshi," Kiyone told her.  
  
"Of course!" Mihoshi shoved popcorn into her mouth. "Oh, yum, Tris!"  
  
Kiyone asked Tris, "What about the movie?"  
  
"Coming right up," Tris said. "Where's the remote?"  
  
"Mihoshi had it last," Sasami called from the kitchen.  
  
"I did?" Mihoshi asked through a mouthful of popcorn.  
  
"Forget that, then! Use the on-board controls, Tris," Kiyone advised.  
  
"Right."  
  
Tris walked up to the TV set. It was a Sony, he noted. "You know, they own Columbia Pictures," he remarked. He switched on the set.  
  
"What is Columbia Pictures?" Ayeka asked, after swallowing a thoroughly chewed kernel of popcorn. She seemed to favor the crunchy snack. She fed one to Tenchi. He crunched it and smiled at her.  
  
"Pictures in Columbia! What do you think?" Ryoko hooted. She munched more popcorn.  
  
Tris, punching the numbers he had gotten from Washuu earlier into the black box on top of the set, didn't bother to correct Ryoko.  
  
He stepped back. The TV screen blazed on. A well-dressed elderly gentleman, standing in a drawing-room set, appeared on the screen.  
  
"Who's that old buzzard?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Just the presenter," Tris explained, as he adjusted the volume. He walked back to the couch where Kiyone and Mihoshi were seated. "He's talking about the movie."  
  
"Why bother yakking about it if we're gonna watch it anyway?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Ryoko..." Tenchi began. Ryoko smiled at him and flipped popcorn into his mouth.  
  
"Where is Sasami?" Ayeka asked, glancing around the living room.  
  
"I want to pop some more popcorn and then I'll be in, Ayeka," called the little girl from the kitchen. "It's fun!"  
  
"All right, dear."  
  
Tris settled down between Kiyone and Mihoshi. He was tempted to try for some popcorn, but Mihoshi liked it so much, her hands were attacking the bowl like runaway steam shovels. At that rate, she'd have the bowl consumed by the second reel.  
  
"Did you get any popcorn?" he whispered to Kiyone.  
  
"A few kernels," she whispered back, dryly. "It's good. I like it."  
  
"I'm glad."  
  
The TV screen blackened. The movie was starting. Tris quickly walked up to the set and increased the volume so they all could hear. Then, striding over to the light switch bezel, he lowered the lights in the room. The room was plunged into semi-darkness.  
  
"Cozy," Ryoko approved, laying her platinum head on Tenchi's shoulder. "You do have some good ideas, Tris."  
  
"Thanks." Tris walked back to the couch. Mihoshi was still crunching away happily. He sat down again between her and Kiyone.  
  
He felt Kiyone snuggle against him. Her hair caressed his neck. Her lips found his ear:  
  
"Now I'll find out what kind of movies you like, buster. It'll tell me a lot about you."  
  
"There'll be a pop quiz after the movie," he whispered back. Her elbow dug into his side.  
  
"What's this? It's not going to be one of those retarded science fiction movies, is it?" Ryoko groused as the image of stylized lettering circling the Earth appeared on the screen. "Those are a laugh! Little green men!"  
  
"No, it's the logo for Universal Pictures. See?" Tris replied. "The movie's from around the Forties, I think." Okay, he thought. Maybe it will be an Abbott and Costello flick...everyone should enjoy that.  
  
"No color," Mihoshi noted. "How come some movies are like that?"  
  
"I'll explain it to you later, Mihoshi," Tris promised.  
  
Suddenly foreboding music filled the room from the TV set's speakers. On the TV screen, ghostly plumes settled to form the film's title:  
  
HOUSE OF DRACULA  
  
"Oh, no!" Tris groaned. He loved the old classic horror films but he was certain no one else in the room besides Tenchi would.  
  
"This is a good one," Tenchi managed to sputter between all the popcorn being deposited in his mouth by the loving hands of Ryoko and Ayeka. "I saw this with Tris back at the dorm. It has a lot of style."  
  
"Who's Dracula?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"He's a vampire, a real famous one," Tenchi explained. "See--the bat."  
  
A bat zoomed around on the screen. Then, thanks to some skillful cartoon animation, it morphed into--Count Dracula.  
  
"Oh, gosh!" Mihoshi was thrilled.  
  
"Just another pest who flies around," Ayeka said. "Do we not have enough of those?"  
  
"But who'd want to become a bat just to fly?" Ryoko demanded, ignoring the Princess. "That's--that's--"  
  
"Bats?" Tris couldn't resist.  
  
Mihoshi laughed. Kiyone removed her elbow from his side. He felt her form quiver with a silent chuckle.  
  
"This is a real scary movie, and fun too," Tenchi said. "If certain people would give it a chance..."  
  
"Okay, okay. You know, that Dracula, he does have some style," Ryoko admitted.  
  
"A very handsome man," Ayeka added. "Such dignity...and that mustache. He rather reminds me of Lord Yosho."  
  
Tenchi nearly choked on his popcorn.  
  
Sasami came in carrying two more bowls of popcorn. She passed out the bowls and then sat down beside her older sister.  
  
"What's a vampire?" she asked.  
  
"Take that one, Tris," Tenchi said.  
  
"Okay. A vampire is a person who died...but he was evil and so he rose from the grave with supernatural powers. He drinks the blood of living people and kills them."  
  
"Oooohhhh..." Mihoshi shivered and grabbed Tris's arm.  
  
"Balls!" said Ryoko.  
  
"Ryoko--your language!" Ayeka objected.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's just a legend, Mihoshi," Tris told her. Her grip on his arm was considerable. She really didn't seem to know her own strength.  
  
"It's scary!" Mihoshi whimpered.  
  
"It is!" Sasami agreed, sounding a little bit apprehensive, too.  
  
"Sasami, perhaps you should not watch this," Ayeka said.  
  
"Please let me stay, Ayeka!"  
  
"Yeah, let her stay, Princess. This movie's the bunk, away...and she helped popped the popcorn. You know, this popcorn's darned tasty," Ryoko interjected. She crunched more popcorn with enthusiasm.  
  
"Please?" Sasami asked again.  
  
"All right. I suppose I can see you through one night of bad dreams, dear." Ayeka smiled at Sasami with a hidden meaning only they understood.  
  
"Thanks!" Sasami snuggled happily against her big sister.  
  
"Some movie!" Kiyone murmured in Tris's ear.  
  
"It has its moments."  
  
On the screen, Dracula was asking a brilliant scientist-doctor to cure him of neck-biting.  
  
"Why would he want to be cured?" Ryoko asked. "He's got some cool moves, although drinking blood is yucky."  
  
"He wants to be normal...like most of us," Ayeka said meaningfully.  
  
"He wants to be boring...like at least one of us," Ryoko countered.  
  
"Please watch the movie," Tenchi requested.  
  
The group watched Larry Talbot, AKA the Wolf Man, enter the film and ask the good doctor to cure him of his hairy affliction.  
  
"What does that guy do again?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"He turns into a wolf when there's a full moon," Tenchi explained.  
  
"Yeah...him and about a million other guys!"(1) Ryoko said sardonically.  
  
"Not that kind of wolf. You'll see."  
  
Now on the screen, Dracula was talking to a pretty woman--a nurse-- and another pretty nurse was also present...only the second nurse was, unfortunately, a hunchback.  
  
"Look at that one nurse. She's got one hell of a posture problem!" Ryoko snickered.  
  
"Aw, the poor lady," Sasami said.  
  
"Yeah." Mihoshi commiserated.  
  
"You know, actually she's supposed to be one of the five "monsters" in this film," Tris said.  
  
"I could never understand that," Tenchi told Tris. "She's really kind of pretty and nice."(2)  
  
Ryoko looked at Tenchi. She raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you like, Tenchi? Women with humps?"  
  
"Uhhhhh..."  
  
"I could grow myself a hump. Just for you, Tenchi."  
  
"A distinct improvement!" Ayeka crowed.  
  
"Say!" Mihoshi asked. "What's that all about?"  
  
On the screen, Dracula and the pretty non-hunchbacked nurse were conversing as she played the piano. The nurse's eyes grew glazed. Dracula began to command her to play a different tune. She played eerie music. Dracula spoke of the delights of the living dead.  
  
Mihoshi shivered against Tris. Kiyone snuggled closer to him too, taking his hand in hers.  
  
On the other couch, everyone huddled closer to Tenchi, except Sasami, who pressed closer against her older sister.  
  
"Creepy," Ryoko admitted, a bit unsettled.  
  
"What did Dracula do to her?" Sasami asked fearfully.  
  
"He hypnotized her," Tris said.  
  
"What's that, Tris?" Sasami asked him.  
  
"Yes, Tristram...what is that, exactly?" Ayeka asked also.  
  
Tris was amazed. "You don't know what hypnotism is?" It seemed impossible. As advanced as the alien women's civilization was, ignorance about something like hypnotism didn't add up.  
  
Tenchi looked at Ryoko. He appeared surprised, too. "Don't you know, either?"  
  
Ryoko shook her head. "I've seen it on some of these movies and TV shows...making people bark like dogs and stuff...never knew what it was all about, though. I thought it was all faked."  
  
"I think it's something that has been banned a long time," Kiyone said uncertainly. "In the Galactic Union, I mean. But I've noticed it is allowed here on Earth."  
  
"That's right. It's used by doctors and psychologists and by some stage performers," said Tris. "Sometimes it is faked and sometimes it's not."  
  
"But...what is it?" Sasami repeated her question.  
  
Tris shook his head. It still floored him that the ultra-advanced alien women were ignorant of something as basic as hypnosis. "It's a method of capturing a person's attention and having them concentrate on something so intently that they enter a very susceptible state of mind," he explained. "It can be a form of mind control."  
  
"Yeah?" Ryoko seemed impressed. That was one power she did not have. "It's for real, huh?"  
  
"Sometimes."  
  
Kiyone looked at Tris with surprise. "How do you know all that?"  
  
"Tris is an expert on hypnosis," Tenchi said.  
  
"Come on, Tenchi. I'm hardly an expert."  
  
"You wrote papers on it. You've hypnotized people in labs." Tenchi reminded Tris of what the latter had told him before.  
  
"You have?" Kiyone asked, sounding astonished.  
  
"Just for extra credit. Lots of people can do it, Kiyone."  
  
"Well, I don't believe even physicians are allowed to practice it in the Galactic Union," Kiyone said, thinking hard.  
  
"I think you're right, Kiyone," Mihoshi said. She seemed awed by the hypnotic happenings on the screen.  
  
"Anyway, Count Dracula's hypnotic power is absolute. He can control almost anyone," Tris informed them. "It's far beyond what a real live hypnotist could do."  
  
The women now seemed to regard the vampire on the screen with increased respect--and, perhaps, a bit of apprehension.  
  
"Imagine...a man having that kind of power over you," Ayeka murmured.  
  
"He's an all-right guy, that Drac," Ryoko said. "He's no wuss."  
  
On the screen, the good doctor and the bad vampire were both laying on tables, with tubes attached to each other's wrists. A blood transfusion was taking place.  
  
"I thought vampires bit people for blood," Mihoshi said, sounding confused.  
  
"They're swapping blood," Ryoko noted. "This is getting kinky. I like it."  
  
"Look! Dracula is hypnotizing that poor nurse. He's doing something to the blood transfusion thing," Sasami reported with a shiver.  
  
"He's giving his blood to that wimpy doctor. That really shows style. Go, Drac, go!" Ryoko laughed. She also munched popcorn, forgetting for the moment to feed Tenchi. She did not neglect to hold his hand, however.  
  
Poor Ryoko! Her new-found movie idol was about to meet his comeuppance.  
  
On the screen, the now ticked-off good doctor chased the vampire, who climbed into his coffin. The doctor pushed the coffin to a shaft of sunlight and opened it. Dracula evaporated into a skeleton.  
  
"What's that all about?" Ryoko demanded, not happy at all. "What's happened to Drac?"  
  
"Sunlight is one of the few things that can kill him," Tenchi told her.  
  
"Well, that's a heck of a note," Ryoko said. "He got a raw deal there. I mean, I like the night life, myself, but..."  
  
"Hush!" said Ayeka.  
  
Surprisingly, Ryoko hushed. She watched as that other guy, the big, lumpy one, groaned and shook as the moon rose. Wuss! He was no Dracula, in Ryoko's opinion.  
  
"Uh-oh," said Sasami.  
  
Everybody was silent as the man sprouted hair and fangs and began to act thoroughly unhousebroken.  
  
"That's more like it, now," Ryoko said. "We're finally going to see something."  
  
They all watched as the Wolf Man got himself thrown in jail and the benevolent good doctor bailed him out.  
  
"They're taking him back? No way!" Ryoko remarked with disbelief.  
  
"Yes. Some households will accept anyone, it seems," Ayeka commented primly. "No matter what crimes they have committed."  
  
Ryoko leaned across Tenchi to glare at Ayeka. The Princess just sat there, supremely placid.  
  
"Please sit back, Ryoko," Tenchi said. "I'd like to see the movie."  
  
Ryoko sat back.  
  
"Any more popcorn?" she asked.  
  
"I'll make some more, Ryoko." Sasami rose dutifully, her eyes riveted on the screen.  
  
"Please sit down, dear, and watch the movie," Ayeka told her. "We have all had enough popcorn...haven't we, Ryoko?"  
  
"Okay, I guess so," Ryoko yielded, but not cheerfully.  
  
Now on the screen, Larry Talbot jumped into the sea. The doctor somehow found him in a cave, transformed into the Wolf Man. Also in the cave, the good doctor found something else--the Frankenstein Monster.  
  
"Hello, big, tall, and ugly!" Ryoko whooped.  
  
"Now, just exactly what is that?" Ayeka asked, taken aback.  
  
"It's the Frankenstein Monster," Tris explained. "He's man-made-- thrown together with parts of dead bodies and made to live with electricity. He's as strong as a dozen men."  
  
"And uglier than all of them put together," Ryoko noted.  
  
"Aw, he looks kinda sad," Mihoshi said, displaying sympathy for the big galoot.  
  
"He does," Sasami confirmed. "Poor monster."  
  
"Yes, no family, no past, thrown into a world that fears and hates him," Tris agreed.  
  
On the screen, the now-maddened, not-so-good doctor was strapping the Frankenstein Monster onto an operating table in his research laboratory.  
  
"Hey, that looks like Washuu's lab, kinda!" Ryoko laughed. The others laughed, too.  
  
"Yes, there is a resemblance," Ayeka agreed. "Except that this lab is much cleaner!" She tittered.  
  
"Wait--what's the doc doing to the poor guy?" Ryoko asked. The Monster had supplanted Dracula in her esteem. Ryoko could identify with having no family and having people fear and hate you. Of course, the Monster still looked like someone wore out an ugly stick on him.  
  
"He's going to jolt the Monster with electricity and make him powerful again," Tris replied. By now he had learned not to tell Ryoko to just watch the movie and find out. It didn't work with her. She wanted to know now.  
  
On the sceen, as sparks and electric arcs lit the laboratory, the now- mad doctor (who was also a mad scientist, it seemed), strangled the hunchbacked nurse.  
  
"No!" cried Mihoshi. "I liked her!" She whimpered softly, pressing against Tris.  
  
Kiyone reached across Tris and gently patted her partner's shoulder. "It's just a movie, Mihoshi."  
  
"It's a mean movie!"  
  
Kiyone gave up and sat back.  
  
"Just knocked her off...that's pretty cold." The doctor's stock seemed to be rising with Ryoko. "I haven't seen that hairy guy for a while."  
  
"He's been cured," Tenchi reminded her. "He doesn't get hairy anymore."  
  
"Well, forget him!"  
  
More mayhem erupted on the screen, as the mad doctor took a cart ride with a villager and gleefully dispatched him, too.  
  
"That doctor's starting to show some real style now," Ryoko said approvingly.  
  
"He's just a mean man," Mihoshi said, her voice still upset.  
  
"I'm sure he'll get his, Mihoshi," Kiyone comforted her. She had seen old American movies before.  
  
Events took place fast and furiously on the screen to accommodate the movie's short running time. Angry villagers surrounded the mad doctor's lair. The mad doctor got his, as Kiyone predicted. The Frankenstein Monster was sent back into temporary retirement with fire.  
  
As they watched the Monster being consumed by flames, no one spoke.  
  
Then they heard a sniffle. Nearly everyone attributed it to Mihoshi. But it wasn't Mihoshi. It was Ryoko. She had kind of warmed up to that Monster. Still needed to wear a bag on his head, though.  
  
Tris stood up as "The End" flashed on the screen.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Kiyone asked him.  
  
"To turn off the set and turn up the lights," he said, surprised at her question.  
  
She shook her head. "Oh, no, you're not. Just turn off the set."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Do what I tell you."  
  
Tris obliged. He walked to the TV set and shut it off. Then he walked back to the couch. Kiyone pulled him down beside her.  
  
Kiyone turned to Mihoshi. "Go to bed, Mihoshi," she told her.  
  
"But--"  
  
"Bed!"  
  
"Okay..." Mihoshi got up slowly. "That was a awfully scary movie, Tris, but I liked the popcorn!"  
  
"I'm glad you did, Mihoshi."  
  
Tenchi started to get up. "Well, if he isn't going to get the lights--"  
  
Strong female hands pulled him back down. "Think again, Tenchi," Ryoko told him.  
  
"Yes, Lord Tenchi...this is so nice," Ayeka said. In the dark, she could pretend that Ryoko wasn't there.  
  
"I guess I ought to go to bed now, huh?" Sasami was a sharp little girl.  
  
"Thank you, dear," Ayeka told her.  
  
Sasami intercepted Mihoshi on her way out of the dimly lit living room. "Let's have some tea first, Mihoshi," she said.  
  
"Okay!" Mihoshi smiled down at her.  
  
They left for the kitchen.  
  
"Yes, sir," Ryoko commented in the darkened room. "No flies on the Junior Princess. No, sir."  
  
"Ryoko...for the last time..." Ayeka stopped. She decided not to pursue the subject of that awful nickname--for now. This was no time to get cross with Ryoko. She stroked Tenchi's hand. It was a strong, masculine hand. That hand had held the sword that saved her from Prince Kagato. Ayeka was certain her Lord Tenchi would have made short work of Dracula, the Wolf Man--and, yes, that horrid Frankenstein Monster, too.  
  
Over on the other couch, Kiyone and Tris had just finished their second kiss. Her lips moved to his ear.  
  
"Do you know what?" Kiyone whispered. "I have it all figured out now..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We're all in the House Of Tenchi!"  
  
------  
  
Elsewhere in the House Of Tenchi, a discussion of some import was taking place between a real mad scientist and a Juraian Prince.  
  
The reason Washuu hadn't made it in for the movie was because she found herself visited by Lord Yosho. The latter had made one of his extremely rare ventures into her laboratory.  
  
Lord Yosho showed not the slightest perturbation with Washuu's many unsafe-looking contraptions, the tanks and pens filled with heaven knows what, or her general untidiness. He, to put it baldly, had class. Washuu showed her appreciation by clearing a spot for him to sit on one of the chemical-stained couches. She sat on apparently nothing opposite him. She pulled that trick every so often, just for grins. Yosho ignored it.  
  
"I don't think I can help you, Grandpa," Washuu said. She was pouring over graphs and charts and occasionally peering at her transluscent console screen.  
  
Lord Yosho displayed no reaction to her informality. He knew it was in Professor Washuu's nature to defy convention. She showed respect in other ways--such as by industriously looking through all her surveillance and scan data merely in response to his simple question.  
  
"It is only a sensation I have that an evil force is invading our domain," Lord Yosho said. "It is unlikely to be tangible, in that it is detectable by instrumentality. But I had to investigate the possibility."  
  
"Hey, any sensation you pick up on is tangible enough for me, Grandpa," Washuu told him. "But you're right. I can't find a trace of an alien power flux in our vicinity or an unusual transmission or energy surge of any kind." Washuu put down her handful of data records and closed the top of her translucent console--it instantly disappeared. She folded her arms and asked, "What do you think it is?"  
  
"It is heartless and cold, yet burning with malevolence," Lord Yosho answered. "I must assume that its target is within our immediate circle. Beyond that, I cannot fathom."  
  
"Sounds like you fathomed enough!" Washuu shook her head. "Brrrrr! It sounds particularly nasty to me."  
  
"I believe that it is...and that it must have come from very far away. I sense that it is also of long existence."  
  
"Worse and worse. I can see why you're beating the bushes. I just wish I had some data for you."  
  
"That is all right, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho said. "I know you will continue your surveillance and scanning. That is all anyone can do at this point."  
  
"I'm glad you're letting me in on this, Grandpa," the petite super scientist told him. "It helps to get cracking on something like this early. I guess you haven't spilled it to anyone else, huh?"  
  
"No, I haven't. I think more definite information about this entity is needed before I can justifiably disturb my grandson and the other young people here," Lord Yosho said. "At the moment, it is so ephemeral that it does not even register on your sensitive instruments."  
  
"Guess you're right. Don't play your cards too close to your chest, though," Washuu advised. She glanced at him knowingly.  
  
"I will heed your words, Professor Washuu," Yosho said, nodding.  
  
"Sure wish I knew who is being targeted," Washuu said, thoughtfully. "If it is just one person."  
  
"Yes. That would help immensely." Lord Yosho stood up. "I think we may rest assured, however, that that part of the puzzle will fall into place eventually. The problem we face is..."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Washuu finished for him. "Will it be too late then?"  
  
------  
  
"They sure are quiet in there," Mihoshi said as she sat at the dining room table with Sasami. She picked up her teacup and took a sip.  
  
"They're just being romantic, Mihoshi," Sasami said. "The poor things. They almost never get a chance to. So many other people around all the time."  
  
"Some people never get a chance to," said Mihoshi, staring into her teacup.  
  
Sasami felt her heart go out to Mihoshi. She always had known that Mihoshi was not the "ditz" that some people, especially Ryoko, thought she was. It was hard for her. Almost no eligible men came around (Tenchi didn't count; he was spoken for--in spades). Tris was the first in a long time. And Kiyone had him now. Sasami was both glad for Kiyone and sad for Mihoshi.  
  
"Well, when you go on one of your patrols, why don't you pay a visit to Galaxy Police Headquarters? Lots of young men in the Galaxy Police," suggested Sasami, the matchmaker.  
  
Mihoshi shook her blonde head. "You don't understand, Sasami. No one at GP Headquarters likes us much anymore."  
  
"I can't believe that." How could anyone not like sweet, happy Mihoshi?  
  
"It's true. After we had that trouble, just about everyone thought we deserved to be fired. They think Grandfather pulled strings to keep Kiyone and me on the force. They really resent us, Sasami." Now Mihoshi's voice grew sad. "We're all alone now, Sasami. We really are..." Tears brimmed in her eyes.  
  
"You are not!" Sasami was adamant. "You have us--all of us, Mihoshi. We're with you. We'll always be with you! And you'll show those people! I know you will."  
  
Mihoshi smiled at the little girl who had become such a good friend. Her blue eyes still radiated sadness, though. "Do you really think so, Sasami?"  
  
"I really do." Sasami suddenly smiled. "Say, guess what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's some of that ice cream left! Let's have some. Want to?"  
  
Mihoshi wiped her eyes. Those blue eyes were happy again. "Yeah! That sounds great, Sasami!"  
  
------  
  
"Say, Grandpa." Washuu had a question to ask Lord Yosho before he left her. "Could you tell me one thing? That Tris character. I like him, but he's hardly what the cabbit usually drags home around here."  
  
Lord Yosho smiled. "You mean that he is of this Earth?"  
  
"That's it. Is he meant to serve some purpose?" Washuu looked at Lord Yosho shrewdly. She had come to understand the venerable and masterful Juraian Prince very well. "I know he's Tenchi's pal and all and he's an invited guest, but this unknown entity should be enough for you to convince Tenchi to send him packing. That is, unless there's a reason for him to stay."  
  
"Well, as to that, Professor Washuu...do you recall your basic chemistry?"  
  
"Sure. Of course."  
  
"What is the purpose of a catalyst?"  
  
"To effect a chemical change in other elements..." Washuu grinned. "Oh, I get you! You are a sly old fox, Grandpa."  
  
"From you, that is the highest compliment, Professor Washuu." Lord Yosho stood up from the couch and bowed to her. Washuu stood and returned the bow.  
  
------  
  
Some hours later, the Masaki house was quiet and dark. The occupants had long retired to bed. Nothing stirred in the still of the night. Nothing, that is, until the slumbering silence was rent with a scream of pure, unbridled terror.  
  
The scream filled the women's bedroom. It ululnated from the futon occupied by Ayeka. It was followed by another scream, then another. This time the Princess's nightmares woke not only Sasami, but also the other women and the rest of the household as well.  
  
Trembling, Sasami held on tight to her big sister, who thrashed on her futon. The little Princess had forgotten to hold Ayeka's hand this time as they both drifted off to sleep. Flustered, she hadn't been able to place her hand over her sister's mouth until it was far too late.  
  
In the pitch-dark room, Mihoshi, Kiyone, and Ryoko sprung up from their futons. The piercing screams had galvanized them. Drugged with sleep--it was just after two a.m.--they stumbled against each other in the darkness.  
  
"Who screamed?" Ryoko demanded. "I--yow!" Her feet slid on the still slippery waxed wooden floor and she sat down--hard.  
  
"I don't know!" Kiyone replied. "Get the lights, Mihoshi!"  
  
"I can't find them!" Mihoshi cried, her hands scrambling at the wall. "I'm trying--oops!" She slipped and told it to the floor.  
  
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone tried to locate her by feel. "Where are you--" Now she slipped, piled onto the floor, and there found her partner.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" shouted Ryoko, still sitting painfully on the floor. She didn't know then how apt her wording was.  
  
------  
  
Both Nobuyuki and Lord Yosho rose from their beds at the sound of the screams. Lord Yosho quickly switched on his bedside table lamp, slipped from his bed, donned a kimono and house slippers, and hurried out the door.  
  
Nobuyuki didn't bother with all that. In his bare feet and pajamas, he sprang from his bed, barked his shins against the dresser, and hopped painfully to the door. Ignoring the pain, he sped out of his bedroom and hustled to the source of the screams--the women's bedroom, the "cat house." He was a parent and someone was screaming. Thus, he reached the door of the women's bedroom moments before his father-in- law. Then he hesitated.  
  
------  
  
Downstairs, the agonized screams sent Tenchi springing out of his bed like a shot. Unfortunately, he temporarily forgot about the futon and the person sleeping in it. His foot slammed into Tris's stomach.  
  
"Oooof!" Tris was awake now.  
  
Tenchi said to Tris: "Screaming! From upstairs!" He slid the bedroom door open and ran out. Tris followed, banging his elbow on the door handle. He paid it no mind.  
  
Tris could run, he had proven that, and he passed Tenchi on the way to the stairs. He bounded up the stairs, rather like he bounded up the temple steps each morning. Tenchi was only a few feet behind Tris. They reached the top of the stairs and sprinted toward where the screams seemed to come from--the women's bedroom. Both young men's pulses raced, their energy and anxiety level zooming.  
  
Tris spotted a dark figure lurking at the women's bedroom door. "There he is!" he yelled. "Get him!"  
  
"Wait--Tris!" Tenchi yelled. He was wasting his breath.  
  
------  
  
Nobuyuki had hesitated at the door, only briefly, because in the past he had been accused at being far too interested in Tenchi's female houseguests. He had spent some time since concentrating on being the very paragon of fatherly virtue and hostly discretion. But he still hesitated to open that door, even under the current circumstances.  
  
Now he made his decision and grasped the door handle. He began to slide open the door. He heard shouts. He looked down the hallway. Something was flying at him. Something big.  
  
------  
  
Unheedful of Tenchi's warning, Tris went into position and launched himself in a flying tackle.  
  
It was a great tackle. Tris had spent a one season on his high school's football team, where he had trained to be an offensive wide receiver (due to his speed) on a team whose two quarterbacks preferred to engage in heroic running plays rather than passing (last-place team, first-place cheerleaders). As a result, Tris had spent most of his time on the gridiron having interesting discussions with blockers from the opposing team and doing little else. He had finally quit football to concentrate on track. But he remembered his fundamentals.  
  
Unfortunately, the fundamentals of tackling did not take into account the presence of doors with protruding door handles. One so rarely encountered those on the football field. And Tris had an affinity for doorknobs and door handles.  
  
"Yow!"  
  
His head smacked on the door handle with a pulpy thump. It didn't stop the forward momentum of his spring, however, so he rammed into poor Nobuyuki, and they both collapsed onto the hallway floor with a resounding thud. Nobuyuki lay still. Tris grabbed his bruised head and cursed the ancestry of all door handles, past and present.  
  
Lord Yosho appeared in the hallway.  
  
"What has happened here?" he queried, observing the two-man pile up.  
  
"I think," Tenchi said tragically, "that Tris has just killed Dad!"  
  
No...not quite. As Tris slowly rose, Nobuyuki also got up, slowly and groggily.  
  
"God--I'm sorry, Mr. Masaki," Tris groaned, helping Tenchi's Dad to his feet.  
  
"It's...all right, Tristram," Nobuyuki replied shakily, proving he was a host of the first water. "Did you...did you think I was a burglar?"  
  
"I didn't think, period," Tris admitted sheepishly, rubbing his sore noggin.  
  
"Amen to that, you blockhead!" Tenchi told him. He was irritated at Tris's dumb stunt but also ineffably glad his Dad was still with them.  
  
Lord Yosho cleared his throat pointedly.  
  
"Gosh! The girls!" The screaming had stopped, but the sudden cessation seemed just as ominous. Tenchi slid the bedroom door open all the way. The men all piled into the room, Lord Yosho doing so with far more dignity than the others.  
  
Inside, Ryoko had finally switched on the lights. The sight that greeted the men was of Ryoko, Kiyone, and Mihoshi standing around yelling at each other with frustration and rubbing their bruised behinds. When they spotted the men, the three women froze. Their faces flamed with embarrassment, even Ryoko's.  
  
Lord Yosho ignored that and walked deeper into the room, slowly, noting well the mirror-waxed floor. He saw that Princess Ayeka and Sasami were still lying on their futons, watching the scene with more than passing interest.  
  
"We heard what seemed to be screams coming from this room," he said mildly.  
  
"We heard them too, you know," Ryoko muttered.  
  
Lord Yosho did not respond to the space pirate's quite understandable irritation at being caught massaging herself in a private place. "Might I inquire as to who screamed?" he continued.  
  
Sasami slowly raised her hand. "I did," she said in a small voice.  
  
"You, young lady?" Lord Yosho appeared a bit surprised.  
  
"Sasami!" said Ayeka.  
  
"It's no use trying to protect me, big sister," Sasami insisted. "I was the one who screamed. Gosh, I'm awfully sorry."  
  
"Your screaming is remarkably mature in tone and timbre," Lord Yosho told her.  
  
Sasami smiled shyly. "When I scream, I really scream!"  
  
"That's a news flash," Ryoko said grumpily.  
  
Mihoshi shook her head. "It didn't sound like you, Sasami."  
  
"Oh, it was me all right, Mihoshi."  
  
"But why did you scream, Sasami?" Kiyone asked. She radiated competence and authority, despite the oversized Bullwinkle nightshirt she wore. However, her face was still pink from the embarrassment of having her bottom-rubbing viewed by every male member of the household, including Tris. Especially Tris!  
  
Sasami shrugged. "Bad dreams, I guess."  
  
"Bad dreams...oh, that horror movie." Kiyone turned and glared at Tris. Then she noted that he was rubbing his head and grimacing. Her expression softened.  
  
"Door handle," he explained.  
  
Her expression turned sardonic.  
  
"You were right, big sister," Sasami said. "I shouldn't have watched that scary movie. I'm really sorry."  
  
Ayeka stared at her little sister but didn't reply.  
  
"Not your fault, Sasami," Kiyone assured her. She again glared at Tris. "Someone could have picked a better movie for us to watch."  
  
"He didn't know what movie was playing, Kiyone," Sasami interjected. "Remember?"  
  
"Well..." Kiyone had to acknowledge the truth in that. But she was still ticked off about Tris seeing her in such an unglamorous pose.  
  
"Of course it's not Tris's fault." Tenchi made a dismissive gesture while continuing to prop up Nobuyuki. He was slowly getting over being upset at Tris's airborne assault on his father. "And it's not your fault either, Sasami. I'm sorry you were so scared by that bad dream."  
  
The others also expressed sympathy to the little Princess. Even Nobuyuki, who was regaining his full senses now.  
  
Lord Yosho looked from Princess Ayeka to Sasami--and back again. A pause as pregnant as a mother cat ready to unload a new litter followed.  
  
"Very well," he finally said. "I think, in the future, you should avoid such films, Sasami."  
  
"Oh yes, I will, Lord Yosho."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. He walked back to Tenchi and Nobuyuki.  
  
"Here, son-in-law...I'll help you back to bed. Nothing broken, I trust?"  
  
"Nothing, father-in-law," said Nobuyuki. "But Tristram can certainly tackle a man!"  
  
All the women's faces registered enlightenment at those words. The jarring crash they heard outside the bedroom had finally been explained.  
  
Lord Yosho took over assisting Nobuyuki from Tenchi. "I think it's time for us to depart," he told the men. "The ladies need their sleep...and so do we."  
  
Good-nights were exchanged, and the men left. Tris left last, fully aware that he wasn't exactly the apple of some of the women's eyes.  
  
------  
  
Not all the women went back to sleep immediately. Princess Ayeka announced she was going to take Sasami downstairs and prepare some warm milk for her. The other women nodded. Ayeka took Sasami's hand and led her from the bedroom.  
  
A few minutes later, they were downstairs in the kitchen. Ayeka watched Sasami sip a glass of milk that the Princess had warmed on the stove.  
  
"Why did you lie, Sasami?" she asked.  
  
"For you, big sister," Sasami said simply. She lowered her glass. She had a milk mustache. Ayeka used a napkin to clean it off, gently.  
  
"I do not want you to lie, Sasami."  
  
"I know. But I also know that you don't want the others to find out about your dreams."  
  
"Well, that is true," Ayeka admitted ruefully. "They will go away eventually, and I do not want them to be the talk of the household." Especially not the talk of any household that included Ryoko.  
  
"I think I understand. You don't want Tenchi to think you have-- those kind of problems."  
  
Ayeka shook her head. "Really, Sasami! Where do you get these ideas?"  
  
Sasami said nothing. But she looked at her big sister questioningly as she drank the warm milk.  
  
"It is true that I want Lord Tenchi to see me as steadfast and capable and calm and always responsible and ready to support him," Ayeka added. "I am not a silly woman who goes to pieces over bad dreams that I have already out-grown once."  
  
Sasami lowered the glass. "I know, Ayeka."  
  
Ayeka smiled. "Are you finished with your milk?"  
  
"Uh-huh." Sasami offered her the empty glass.  
  
Ayeka wiped off her little sister's milk mustache again. She took the glass and rinsed it in the sink and placed it on the drying rack.  
  
"You know, Sasami, " she said, "the first time I had those dreams, it was quite awful, as I have told you. Yet, I can remember something very wonderful that happened during that same time."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Mama was carrying you, dear. I soon forgot about the dreams because I had a new baby sister."  
  
Sasami looked up at her beautiful big sister with tear-glistened eyes. She walked closer to her and held out her arms. Ayeka scooped up Sasami and hugged her.  
  
"Let's go back to bed, dear. No more bad dreams tonight...for either of us."  
  
------  
  
Kiyone wasn't in bed, either. After all the men had left, she thought about how Tris had looked when he left the room. She then departed the communal bedroom and walked downstairs. She could hear Ayeka and Sasami talking softly in the kitchen. She walked to the living room, where the lights were also on. Sure enough. Tris was sitting on one of the couches, his head a bit bowed, while Tenchi stood talking to him.  
  
Tenchi displayed a relieved smile when he saw Kiyone walk in.  
  
"You talk to him, Kiyone. He's upset about the things that happened today and he won't go to bed."  
  
Kiyone nodded. She walked to the couch and sat beside Tris.  
  
"Now," she asked. "What are you wah-wahing about?"  
  
"Who's wah-wahing?" Tris said.  
  
"Sounds like you are."  
  
"Aw, this whole day...this whole visit. I tried to do something right for once and gave poor Sasami nightmares, then nearly put Tenchi's Dad in traction."  
  
"See?" Tenchi told Kiyone.  
  
Kiyone sighed. "I don't know why I waste my time with a big crybaby."  
  
"A big screw-up, you mean," Tris corrected her, disgruntled.  
  
"Listen, Tris Coffin. I already told you we know you're a screw-up-- added to goofball, idiot, and big stiff."  
  
"Thanks a whole load!"  
  
"But..." Kiyone's voice softened, "you're as brave as anyone I've ever met. You went charging into that person you thought was an intruder. No hesitation. That was brave--kinda stupid--but brave. And if you try to be nice and give us a night of entertainment and someone gets a bad dream accidentally from it, no one's going to hold it against you. It just shows you're a nice guy, that's all--just not terribly lucky sometimes."  
  
"Exactly," Tenchi said.  
  
"Besides..." Kiyone bent over and whispered something in Tris's ear. Tris's eyes widened.  
  
"Huh? Really?" He looked at Kiyone, all truculence gone.  
  
"Uh-huh." Kiyone smiled that million-candlewatt smile. "Now...you tell me what I want to hear."  
  
Tris brushed back some of Kiyone's silky dark-teal hair, exposing one of her ears. He whispered into that ear.  
  
Tenchi saw Kiyone's face glow.  
  
"Okay...we've both said it. Now, are you going to kiss me and go to bed like a big boy?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
Tenchi dutifully turned his head as they kissed.  
  
------  
  
"Ryoko?"  
  
The space pirate irritatedly raised her head from her pillow. She sat up in the darkened bedroom. The place was still deserted aside from Mihoshi. She saw that Mihoshi was also sitting up.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you think..." Mihoshi's voice was hesitant. "Well, that those screams really were Sasami's?"  
  
Ryoko snorted. She should have known Mihoshi would be asking a dumb question. After Ayeka, Sasami, and then Kiyone had left the bedroom, Ryoko had turned down the lights in an attempt to get back to sleep. Mihoshi obviously hadn't taken the hint.  
  
"Of course they were! Now clam up, Mihoshi."  
  
"You sure?" Mihoshi persisted.  
  
"I'm sure! Sasami admitted it. What more do you want?"  
  
"I think I want the truth," Mihoshi said softly.  
  
"You got the truth. Don't be such a pain, Mihoshi. The Junior Princess got scared by that horror flick and had nightmares. Don't you think so?"  
  
"I don't know." Mihoshi's voice was uncertain. "It didn't sound like--"  
  
"Get off that kick! We've never heard Sasami scream before, so you don't know how she sounds when she does. Besides, who else would get nightmares from that silly movie? Me? The Princess? Kiyone? You?"  
  
"Well..." Mihoshi paused. "I guess only she would."  
  
"That's right! Now pipe down. I want my beauty sleep!" Ryoko lay back down on her futon. Mihoshi just sat on hers. To heck with her. Ryoko closed her eyes. God, she was tired.  
  
She had just started to dream that Tenchi was in bed with her when the bedroom lights blazed on again. Ayeka and Sasami had returned from the kitchen. Ryoko heard Mihoshi greet them. They returned the greeting. Ryoko keep her eyes closed. She wanted to get back to that dream.  
  
"You see, Sasami," Ryoko heard the Princess say, "some people has so much concern for others that they just drop off to sleep again regardless of everything."  
  
Ryoko groaned inwardly, but didn't stir. She was too tired to even reply.  
  
------  
  
"Uhhhh...Tris..."  
  
Tenchi spoke suddenly from the darkness of their bedroom.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"No. It's none of my darned business. Just forget it."  
  
"You want to know what Kiyone and I whispered to each other?" Tris asked.  
  
"Naw. It's none of my business like I said. Sorry I even started to ask."  
  
"Hey, I'll tell you."  
  
"Really?" Tenchi asked, surprised.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"You probably shouldn't..."  
  
"Oh, Kiyone wouldn't mind," Tris insisted.  
  
"Well...if you're sure about that. Okay."  
  
"Let me remember." Tris paused a moment. "Oh, yeah...Kiyone said, "I hope you didn't mind seeing me rubbing my butt." And I said, "Nice butt--you'd better cut down on the rice cakes, though.""  
  
"What!" Tenchi sprang up in bed. "She didn't say--you didn't--"  
  
He heard Tris's chuckle.  
  
Tenchi groaned and lay back on his bed. Snookered again!  
  
Tris grinned in the darkness. Actually, Kiyone had simply told him that she thought he was a great kisser and he had then told her the same about herself. It had sure buoyed his spirits...and it was a nice thing to go to sleep on. No bad dreams tonight for him.  
  
______________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) With all due respect and affection to the classic comedy-horror film "Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein," where Lou Costello uttered a version of this famous line. I couldn't resist borrowing it. If that isn't a Ryoko line, nothing is.  
  
(2) Indeed, the actress who portrayed the hunchbacked nurse in "House Of Dracula," Jane Adams, is just as nice today. This writer had the privilege of meeting her at a Monster Bash convention a few years ago. 


	7. CHAPTER 6: No Need For Mean Mihoshi

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
No Need For Mean Mihoshi  
  
_____________________  
  
At breakfast the next morning, Sasami made it a point to tell Tris, "It wasn't that bad a nightmare, Tris. I hardly even remember it. And I liked the movie, really, and I'm so glad you showed me how to pop popcorn."  
  
Ayeka lowered her eyes. Sasami was feeling quite badly about Tris's movie being held as the cause of last night's incident. Ayeka felt badly about it, too. The sooner it all blowed over the better.  
  
"I'm sure glad you're feeling better, kitten. You're being a awfully good sport about all this." Tris smiled his gratitude at the little girl.  
  
Sasami smiled back at him and held out a serving bowl. "Have some more natto, Tris."  
  
"Sure. It's great," Tris said, helping himself to more of the brown sticky mixture of rice, onions, and fermented soybeans (fermented with natto-kin, hence the name), seasoned with mustard and soy sauce. "Thanks."  
  
It was the shank of the breakfast meal. Lord Yosho had departed for the temple and Nobuyuki had left for work. The latter had walked a little stiffly, which made Tris wince with sympathy and guilt. He still managed to make short work of Sasami's delicious natto, though.  
  
Tenchi, Tris, Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Kiyone sat around the dining table. Breakfast was over, really, but there was such a companionable feeling amongst them that they all seemed reluctant to end it.  
  
"You know," Ryoko remarked after downing a final portion of natto, "I have to admit, Tris...I kinda had fun with that movie last night. Some parts of it really jazzed me, you know?"  
  
"What parts?" asked Ayeka, glad for a change in subject and equally glad for a chance to twit Ryoko. "Growing a hump?"  
  
"Naw," Ryoko said. "That Drac guy. The way he--what was that thing called--hypnotized those women. That really got me...well, excited, you know?" She winked at Ayeka.  
  
"I do not know," Ayeka said, turning her head. "And neither does anyone else here. Really, Ryoko! You are bringing perversity to our breakfast table."  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about, Princess." Ryoko said. "You just have no imagination."  
  
"Imagination about what, pray?"  
  
"Well...I can imagine Tenchi as Drac, hypnotizing me." Ryoko now slowly stood up. She closed her eyes. "Hypnotizing me...making me his slave...forcing me to do his bidding."  
  
"Leave me out of this, please," Tenchi requested.  
  
"But Tenchi, I would be your slave...yours to command...I would do anything you command me to do." Ryoko opened her golden eyes, about half way. She smiled at Tenchi. "Command me, Tenchi." Her voice was drowsy.  
  
"Leave the room, Sasami," Ayeka snapped.  
  
"Awwww..." But Sasami obediently trudged to the kitchen.  
  
"Now you--you stop this charade this instant!" Ayeka told Ryoko.  
  
"I am sorry." Ryoko had closed her eyes, her voice now a drowsy monotone. "I cannot obey the orders of stuck-up royal pains. I can only obey the orders of my master...my love-master...Tenchi."  
  
Ayeka stood up. "I shall remove you from your trance right now!"  
  
Tenchi, who had been quietly chuckling at Ryoko's antics as had the others, said quickly, "Please sit down, Ayeka. I'll handle this."  
  
"Oh...very well, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka sat down.  
  
"Now, Ryoko, can you hear me?" Tenchi spoke in a commanding tone.  
  
"Yes, Master," murmured Ryoko, eyes closed, delighted that Tenchi was playing along.  
  
"You will obey my commands, huh?"  
  
"Oh, yes, Master. I hear and obey you."  
  
"Then," Tenchi said flatly, "you will take the garbage out to the compost pile--like Ayeka asked you to do yesterday!"  
  
Ryoko's eyes flew open. "What?"  
  
"You heard your master's commands."  
  
"But Tenchi..."  
  
"I thought you heard and obeyed," Tenchi said, grinning.  
  
Ayeka leaned back and laughed and laughed. She was not the only one. The others joined in. Sasami could be heard giggling in the kitchen.  
  
Ryoko sat down, frowning.  
  
"You know, though," Kiyone remarked after she stopped laughing, "Ryoko has a point. It is rather...um...exciting in a way. I know a grown woman shouldn't feel that way, but...I do."  
  
"So do I!" Mihoshi seconded her partner.  
  
"Well, depending on the man...I suppose," Ayeka mused.  
  
"Hah! You do agree with me, Princess." Ryoko smiled triumphantly.  
  
"I do not. I agree with Kiyone."  
  
"Same difference."  
  
"I didn't know you girls felt that way," Tenchi said, surprised. He looked at Tris. "Did you know it, Tris?"  
  
"Nope," said Tris.  
  
"But you've hypnotized people..."  
  
"Just in a psych--psychology--lab. I was doing it for extra credit, just like the two term papers I wrote about it. I was surprised that I could do it. So was the professor! It was probably the only reason he didn't flunk me."  
  
"Why would he flunk you?" Kiyone demanded. "Didn't you study?"  
  
"Aw, I made a crack about Sigmond Freud that the professor didn't like."  
  
"Yeah? Like what?"  
  
"I said Freud just needed to get la--" Tris stopped. "I mean, to have a meaningful relationship with a kind and caring woman, and then he would have stopped seeing sex in everything folks do."  
  
"Yeah, I'll just bet that's what you said!" Kiyone spoke with heavy sarcasm.  
  
"What grade did you get from that professor, Tris?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"Aw, a "C"," Tris muttered.  
  
"A "C"! I'll bet that was a "C" for Competent," Mihoshi speculated kindly.  
  
"More like a "C" for Clueless," Ryoko cracked.  
  
Ayeka regarded Tris closely. Her voice was quizzical. "Just how many people did you hypnotize, Tristram?"  
  
"Oh, only about a half dozen, Princess Ayeka," Tris glady answered her, grateful for the change of topic. His less-than-stellar college career was one subject he preferred to avoid. "Only a few."  
  
"A half dozen!" Ayeka did not seem to think that was only a few.  
  
Neither, evidently, did Ryoko, Mihoshi or Kiyone. They regarded the American with varying degrees of surprise--and, in at least one case, a large dollop of disbelief.  
  
"I cannot imagine your being able to hypnotize anyone," Ayeka said seriously. "Please do not take offense, Tristram. You simply do not seem..." her voice trailed off.  
  
"He must have hypnotized Kiyone." Ryoko smiled slyly.  
  
"Yeah, that's it, Ryoko," Kiyone said sardonically. "He hypnotized me!"  
  
"Good--then you can take out the garbage!"  
  
Kiyone only smiled in reply.  
  
Mihoshi now joined in. "You don't think he can do it, Ayeka?" she asked, looking at the Juraian Princess with a hint of reproach in her wide blue eyes.  
  
"I did not say that."  
  
"I don't know, Ayeka," Tenchi said. "It kind of sounds as if you did."  
  
"I did not...not exactly, but..." Ayeka seemed at a loss for words.  
  
"I'm with you, Princess," Ryoko said. "Tris, you're a pretty ordinary guy. I mean, you can't even body-slam Tenchi's Dad without getting the worst of it. To be able to do something that I can't even do..." Her shrug was eloquent.  
  
Tris didn't reply.  
  
"Tris wouldn't lie!" Mihoshi insisted. "If he says he can do something, he can do it."  
  
"Your saying so doesn't make it so, Mihoshi," Ryoko said.  
  
"Tris is no liar," Kiyone told Ryoko.  
  
"No, he's not...Ryoko!" Tenchi said.  
  
"Don't get mad at me, Tenchi. The Princess agrees with me."  
  
"Well...ahhh..." Ayeka hesitated as all eyes turned to her. "Actually, I do have my doubts..."  
  
"Ayeka!" Sasami's voice issued from the kitchen.  
  
"This does not concern you, Sasami," the Princess called out.  
  
"Let's change the subject," Tris requested.  
  
"Hah!" said Ryoko triumphantly. Ayeka looked at him dubiously.  
  
"What do you mean, "hah"?" Tris asked. He was finally getting a bit nettled.  
  
"Look," said Ryoko. "Tris...I'm reasonable..."  
  
Several pairs of eyes rolled toward the ceiling, but Ryoko just continued.  
  
"It's simple," she said. "Just hypnotize one of us and you've proven you can do it. Now, isn't that reasonable?"  
  
"That's what you wanted all along, Ryoko," Kiyone charged.  
  
"Sure," said Ryoko, smiling. "I'd like to see it...if this guy here can do it."  
  
"Hmmm." Tenchi appeared as if he wouldn't mind seeing it himself. "Tris?"  
  
Now all attention shifted to Tris. He could have done without it. Ryoko looked at him with open skepticism and Ayeka looked at him with polite skepticism. Mihoshi and Kiyone both looked at him with encouragement--and so did Tenchi.  
  
Common sense came calling and advised Tris not to do it. But it was competing with (more or less) peer pressure. Tris was also irritated by Ryoko and Ayeka's obvious reservations--and that was putting it mildly! They were all but calling him a liar. So Tris told common sense to go peddle its papers elsewhere.  
  
"Okay," he said. "But just a quick demonstration."  
  
"Yay!" Mihoshi cheered.  
  
"Good for you, Tris," called Sasami from the kitchen.  
  
Ryoko seemed a bit startled that Tris had agreed, but shrugged. "This should be good for a laugh."  
  
"Now give Tristram a chance," Ayeka told Ryoko. The Princess was beginning to regret doubting Tris, at least verbally. It really was tantamount to accusing him of not being truthful. It was the poorest of manners, she realized ruefully.  
  
"Yes, exactly, Ayeka," Kiyone said. She had been about to pitch in and do something about Ayeka and Ryoko questioning Tris's statements. She was glad he volunteered to show them up. Now if the sweet dope just didn't flub it!  
  
"But who should be the subject?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Why not me?" Ryoko challenged, smiling.  
  
"Forget it!" Tenchi said. "Even I know that you can't hypnotize someone who won't cooperate."  
  
"I'll cooperate," Ryoko promised.  
  
"Oh, Ryoko, you will not and we all know it," Ayeka objected. "Let us pick someone else."  
  
"Yeah!" Mihoshi agreed. "Tris should get a fair chance!"  
  
"Then how about you?" Ryoko said to her.  
  
"Me?" Mihoshi's blue eyes widened.  
  
"Yes, you! You keep sticking up for this guy. I'd almost think you were kissy-faced with him instead of Kiyone."  
  
Mihoshi's face blushed scarlet.  
  
Now Kiyone began to rise. "Okay, Ryoko--!"  
  
"No, Kiyone." It was Mihoshi who spoke so calmly. Her face was still tinged with redness, but her eyes were clear and without tears. She looked at Ryoko. "I like Tris a lot, Ryoko. I don't think he's a liar. I trust him. And you shouldn't talk mean about Kiyone and him."  
  
Mihoshi's simple, direct declaration took some of the wind even from Ryoko's billowing sails. "Okay, Mihoshi, okay," the space pirate said without rancor. "But are you willing to let him do this hypnosis stuff to you? That's my question."  
  
"My answer...is yes," Mihoshi said bravely.  
  
Kiyone shook her head as she regarded her partner fondly. The sweet, true-hearted little ding-dong! "You don't have to do this, Mihoshi."  
  
"I want to, Kiyone."  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked at each other. Both were clearly becoming leery about the whole idea. But the ball was rolling away from them.  
  
"You're sure, Mihoshi?" Tenchi asked. "Really sure, now?"  
  
"Sure I am!" Mihoshi said with some of her usual enthusiasm. "It'll be fun!"  
  
"Okay." Tris shrugged. "Let go to the living room, where Mihoshi can be comfortable."  
  
------  
  
In the kitchen, Sasami waited until waiting became unbearable. Then she decided to go watch the demonstration. Her big sister might get angry, but Sasami just had to witness this.  
  
She walked into the living room. Tris and Mihoshi were seated, facing each other, on one of the couches. Everybody else stood around the couch, watching. Ayeka turned and spotted Sasami. The little girl pleaded with her eyes. Ayeka nodded with a smile. Sasami went to stand by her.  
  
Tris held both of Mihoshi's hands in one of his hands. He had instructed her to lean back, so that the couch comfortably bolstered her head. He held a pen in one hand, directing Mihoshi's attention to it.  
  
"That's right, Mihoshi," he said, his voice very quiet and very soothing. "You're so very comfortable...just relax...that's the way. And you are resting your mind...looking at the tip of this pen."  
  
Mihoshi's blue eyes were riveted on the pen tip. Sasami could see that the usual sparkling animation had faded from those large blue eyes. The blonde Galaxy Police officer's usually smiling face was slack. Sasami felt a shiver crawl up her spine.  
  
"Yes, Mihoshi...as you look at the pen, you feel your mind floating. Free...soft and free. You are floating like a cloud. You just want to float...like a cloud."  
  
Tris spoke so softly and reassuringly that Sasami began to feel a bit light-headed herself. She shook her pig-tailed head to clear it.  
  
"Now, Mihoshi...you are floating on a cloud. It is so peaceful and quiet...so soft and warm. You want to sleep...sleep. Listen to my voice...and sleep."  
  
Mihoshi leaned fully against the back of the couch. Her eyes closed. Her body relaxed. She was asleep. She slept very quietly, which was remarkably unlike her usual sleep state.  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka looked at each other. They were both tremendously impressed with what they had seen. Mihoshi was no dissembler; she could not and would not be faking this.  
  
"Jeeze," Ryoko almost whispered. "Is she...hypnotized?"  
  
"Yes," answered Tris quietly.  
  
"Wow!" said Sasami, and immediately clapped her hand over her mouth.  
  
Tris smiled at her. "Don't worry, kitten, you can speak in a normal tone of voice around Mihoshi now. She won't hear you. She'll only hear me."  
  
Tenchi shook his head in wonder. "This is really something, Tris."  
  
Kiyone touched Tris's shoulder. "Tris," and her voice was quietly proud but also concerned, "is she all right?"  
  
"Sure. She's really only sleeping."  
  
"Something she does real well," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"Hush!" said Ayeka. Witnessing what Tristram had done...something nagged at her...she tried mentally to grasp it...but it was gone.  
  
Ryoko ignored the Princess, as was her wont. She stepped forward. "Make her do something, Tris."  
  
"Okay." He turned to face the sleeping Mihoshi. "Mihoshi, you can hear me, can't you?"  
  
Eyes closed, Mihoshi's lips parted. "Yes." She spoke in a sleepy voice.  
  
"Will you do something for me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Raise your right arm...that's the way..."  
  
Slowly, Mihoshi's right arm rose. Her face remained slack, her eyes closed.  
  
"That's very good, Mihoshi. Now lower your arm."  
  
Mihoshi complied.  
  
"That's very well done, Mihoshi. Thank you."  
  
Ryoko said, "You sure are polite about it. Why don't you just order her around, like they do in the movies?"  
  
"Because she's still a person," Tris said. "She has feelings, hypnotized or not."  
  
"That answer your question, Ryoko?" Kiyone asked her dryly.  
  
Ryoko just shrugged. It didn't seem like much fun Tris's way.  
  
"Can she stand?" Sasami asked.  
  
"Sure." Tris stood and told Mihoshi--nicely--to open her eyes. Mihoshi's eyelids rose about halfway up. Her eyes were still beautiful and blue, but glassy. He told her to stand. Slowly, she rose to her feet and stood, still and silent.  
  
"That's exactly how I've seen people hypnotized on TV," Tenchi said. "It's amazing. I've seen hypnotized people walk on live coals and take pins through their arms and never feel a thing."  
  
"Let's try that!" Ryoko said.  
  
"Not!" said Tris.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I would rather stick a pin in myself than in someone who volunteered to do this just to support me."  
  
Kiyone looked at Tris fondly. The big stiff was showing them all why she cared for him.  
  
"That would work for me too," Ryoko said, grinning.  
  
"Suppose we stick a pin in you?" Ayeka suggested acidly. She had come to respect Tris's skill and his consideration for Mihoshi.  
  
"You can try, Princess," Ryoko told her. "Once."  
  
Tenchi quickly interjected, "I've seen people do some very funny things when hypnotized. Act like animals, and--"  
  
"That's it!" Ryoko said. "Have Mihoshi act like Ryo-Ohki!"  
  
"Let's not," Tris objected.  
  
"It won't hurt her, Tris, will it?" Sasami asked.  
  
"Well...no."  
  
Ayeka smiled. "It would be amusing, Tristram. I think I would like to see that."  
  
Kiyone smiled, too. "She loves to play games. I don't think she would mind."  
  
"It couldn't do her any harm, Tris," Tenchi added.  
  
Tris shrugged. "Okay. Real quick, though."  
  
"All right!" Ryoko approved. "Now we're gonna finally see something."  
  
As Tris instructed Mihoshi to imitate a cabbit, Ryoko quickly and silently floated away.  
  
"Now, Mihoshi, please become a cabbit...just for fun." Tris finished his instructions.  
  
Mihoshi grinned. She dropped to all fours and then positioned herself on her hands and knees.  
  
"Meow-er," she said. Now she was Mihoshi-cabbit.  
  
"My goodness!" Ayeka was astonished. "She is actually doing it!"  
  
Sasami laughed with childish joy. She walked forward. Mihoshi- cabbit bowed her blonde head to be petted. Sasami petted Mihoshi- cabbit. Mihoshi-cabbit "meow-er"-ed with pleasure, wagging her behind. (Mihoshi appeared to be mixing up cabbit behavior with that of another of her favorite creatures, puppy dogs.)  
  
Just as Sasami finished petting Mihoshi-cabbit, Ryoko floated back into the room. She held Ryo-Ohki in her hands.  
  
"Let's see what an expert thinks," Ryoko suggested.  
  
She landed. Then she lowered Ryo-Ohki to the carpet, right in front of Mihoshi-cabbit.  
  
"Look, Ryo-Ohki!" Ryoko laughed. "Another cabbit! A big blonde one!"  
  
The cabbit (the real one) stayed put where her mistress had lowered her. Ryo-Ohki observed the tall being that tended to pet her a lot and make a fuss over her and who had once dropped a whole basket of carrots for her (Mihoshi really hadn't meant to, but Ryo-Ohki didn't know). Ryo-Ohki really liked this being. She sniffed at the being.  
  
"Meow-er," Mihoshi-cabbit said companionably to Ryo-Ohki.  
  
Ryo-Ohki blinked. The tall being was evidently trying to speak cabbit. Very poor cabbit.  
  
"Look...Ryo-Ohki cannot make out Mihoshi." Ayeka smiled.  
  
"Who can?" Ryoko muttered.  
  
"Meow-er," said Mihoshi-cabbit again, cocking her head at Ryo-Ohki. No doubt about it, she was one cute cabbit. A bit lacking in the ear department and the cotton-tail department, perhaps. But no cabbit had a sweeter smile.  
  
"Think she'll eat carrots raw?" Sasami whispered.  
  
"Let's try!" Ryoko suggested.  
  
"Let's not," Tenchi un-suggested. He didn't want what had seemed to be a harmless demonstration to go too far. He was wondering if, perhaps, it already had. He looked at Tris. Judging By the American's expression, Tris shared Tenchi's feelings.  
  
Meanwhile, Mihoshi-cabbit was failing to make much of an impression on Ryo-Ohki. She "meow-er"ed to the cabbit several times, but Ryo- Ohki didn't respond with much enthusiasm. In fact, the real cabbit seemed a bit standoffish.  
  
Ryo-Ohki was not one to stand on ceremony. However, no one likes to hear one's language mispronounced so miserably by a foreigner (ask any Frenchman). Also, Ryo-Ohki preferred the tall beings to do tall being things...like to pet her and feed her carrots and other munchables. With a final sniff, the cabbit bounded away.  
  
"Well, Mihoshi sure flunked that test," Ryoko noted.  
  
Mihoshi-cabbit looked sad. There was nothing quite so wrenching as being rejected by one's own kind. Cabbits don't cry normally, but this one looked ready to.  
  
Kiyone touched Tris's shoulder. "Please take her out of it," she murmured.  
  
"Yes, Tris," Tenchi added, catching Kiyone's words. "Do that."  
  
"Absolutely," said Tris. He was beginning to feel a bit crummy about making sport of Mihoshi.  
  
"Party-poopers!" said Ryoko. They were ending it already when it was just getting good.  
  
Tris bent over toward the tanned, blonde Galaxy Police officer and erstwhile cabbit.  
  
"Mihoshi," Tris said to her.  
  
She smiled as she looked up at Tris. She cabbit-walked to him. She rubbed her blonde head against his legs. If a human being could purr, Mihoshi was doing it.  
  
"Mihoshi really likes you, Tris," Sasami observed.  
  
"Making moves on your boyfriend there," Ryoko said to Kiyone.  
  
Yes, Mihoshi really did like him. Now Tris really felt extremely crummy. He bent over and petted Mihoshi's head, because he knew that was what Mihoshi wanted at that moment. Then he rose. Time to bring Mihoshi out of the trance...past time, really.  
  
"Mihoshi, you are not a cabbit any longer. You will rise."  
  
Immediately, Mihoshi's face lost its animation. She slowly rose to her feet.  
  
"We'll both sit down on the couch, Mihoshi," Tris instructed.  
  
He assisted her gently. A moment later, Mihoshi and he were both sitting on the couch again. He held her hands. No one spoke. This portion of the demonstration of hypnotism still seemed profoundly unnerving to the women.  
  
Tris looked at Mihoshi. His feelings of crumminess had deteriorated to feelings of general rottenness. Mihoshi deserved her dignity after all. He decided to restore a bit of it. Of such good intentions are many disasters wrought.  
  
"Mihoshi," he said, quietly and soothingly. "You will please listen and attend to what I tell you."  
  
Mihoshi, eyes half closed, eyes glassy, nodded at him.  
  
"Go to sleep now, Mihoshi."  
  
Mihoshi's eyes closed. Her body relaxed against the couch.  
  
"You are now going to awaken. You will feel refreshed and rested. You are no longer a cabbit. You are now, instead, an upstanding, highly competent member of the Galaxy Police force whom many, many people respect."  
  
"He's laying it kinda thick, isn't he?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Hush, Ryoko." Ayeka looked at Tris with affection. "I think it is lovely."  
  
"I do, too," said Sasami.  
  
"It's loony. That's not Mihoshi he's describing," said Ryoko prophetically.  
  
"Nobody asked you, Ryoko," Kiyone said.  
  
"Yes, please, don't interfere, Ryoko," Tenchi requested.  
  
Ryoko shrugged. She rose into the air and floated from the room.  
  
"Do you understand, Mihoshi?" Tris asked the blonde tanned young woman.  
  
Eyes closed, Mihoshi seemed to hesitate...then she nodded.  
  
"All right, then. I will count to three. When I finish, you will open your eyes and feel just wonderful and you will forget this session but not my instructions to you. Are you ready?"  
  
Mihoshi nodded again.  
  
"One...two...three!"  
  
Mihoshi opened her eyes. She blinked. She looked around the room with frank curiosity, as if seeing it for the first time.  
  
"How do you feel, Mihoshi?" Tris asked.  
  
"I feel fine," said Mihoshi quietly.  
  
"Good." The American smiled reassuringly. "Please just sit there and rest a moment."  
  
"Certainly," Mihoshi said to him.  
  
"Well, I suppose the show's over," Tris said. "I hope everyone was entertained."  
  
"That was very cool, Tris. You were very good, too, Mihoshi," Sasami said.  
  
"Yes you were, Mihoshi," Ayeka endorsed her sister's words.  
  
Mihoshi looked at her but said nothing.  
  
"She's still a bit groggy, I think," Tris explained.  
  
Kiyone moved toward her partner. "I'll stay with her, Tris, until she's completely with us."  
  
"Thanks, Kiyone."  
  
Tenchi said, "Well, that should satisfy everyone." He said it without a speck of enthusiasm.  
  
"It satisfied a certain person, obviously," Ayeka said. "A person who did not linger to apologize. I shall apologize for both of us, Tristram."  
  
"There's no need. But thanks, Princess Ayeka."  
  
"Please...just call me Ayeka, Tristram." Ayeka smiled at the young American with both her eyes and her lips.  
  
"Okay...Ayeka." Tris returned the smile. He knew that the formal and correct Princess did not go on a first-name basis with just anyone. It was a significant sign of acceptance, he knew. Behind Ayeka, Sasami looked quite pleased with her big sister.  
  
Tenchi grinned. He definitely didn't need to worry about Ayeka accepting Tris anymore. One more down...one to go. "Tris, we'd better scoot outside or Grandfather may come in here looking for us," Tenchi said, glancing at the wall clock.  
  
"You're right. Let's go. The crabgrass awaits."  
  
With a final reassuring smile at Mihoshi, Tris left with Tenchi.  
  
Ayeka now touched her little sister's arm. "I shall help you with the breakfast dishes, Sasami."  
  
"Okay, thanks. Will Mihoshi be all right?"  
  
"She will be fine. Kiyone is with her."  
  
"That's right, Sasami." Kiyone smiled.  
  
Sasami appeared mollified. She and Ayeka left for the kitchen.  
  
Kiyone turned to Mihoshi. "You've had quite a morning, partner."  
  
"Have I?" asked Mihoshi.  
  
"Oh, that's right..." Tris had instructed Mihoshi not to remember the hypnotic session. It seemed they'd all forgotten that. "Well, you wait there and rest. I'm going upstairs to change for doing chores. We need to get started on that upstairs hallway floor. I'll be back for you in a little while."  
  
"Very well," said Mihoshi. She seemed subdued. Kiyone mentally shrugged. After a nice rest, her partner would be back to her bubbly self, no doubt.  
  
"Just relax, partner. I'll be back in a jiffy."  
  
------  
  
Outside amongst the crabgrass and the weeds, neither Tenchi nor Tris were particularly bubbly.  
  
"Well...I guess we showed them," Tenchi said. He sounded a bit unjoyous about it.  
  
"Yeah." Tris shared his unjoyousness.  
  
They were in the tool shed. Tenchi now grabbed the lawn mower, perhaps a bit too firmly than required. Tris acquired his trowel and garden shears.  
  
"I'm sorry we pressured you, Tris," Tenchi said. "I don't feel good about everything that happened back there."  
  
"You and me both, Tenchi." Tris walked past him, and out of the shed. Tenchi, dragging the lawn mower, followed him.  
  
------  
  
Having slipped off her slacks and put on her short-shorts, ready for a day of floor work, Kiyone returned downstairs to get Mihoshi. She knew her partner would want to change into short-shorts, too. Kiyone really did not mind now that Mihoshi had copied her with the short- shorts. After all, really, Mihoshi was kind of like a sister...a silly kid sister...and sisters sometimes wore the same things, just for fun. And the way everyone had been stirred up by her and Mihoshi wearing the leggy shorts--it showed them that she was no stick in the mud! She and Mihoshi could raise a few male temperatures if they wanted to. Kiyone smiled and she came as close as she ever would to actually skipping. It was all becoming fun, in a way that Kiyone wouldn't have believed possible just a week or so before.  
  
Kiyone walked into the living room. There was Mihoshi. But she was standing, with her arms folded.  
  
Before Kiyone could speak, Mihoshi said, "Young woman...you have made me wait here for over ten minutes. Don't you have any consideration for others? Do you think we're all here to function at your convenience?"  
  
Kiyone's jaw dropped.  
  
"I..." she said, then stopped. She was stunned.  
  
"And what is that costume you are wearing? It is vulgar and immodest and not what a Galaxy Police officer should ever wear."  
  
Kiyone just stared at Mihoshi. Her partner still looked like her partner. But there was no smile on the lovely, sweet face. In fact, it wasn't a sweet face any more. It was drawn and hard. The wide blue eyes were stern.  
  
"Huh...what...?" Kiyone stumbled over her words.  
  
"I see you still have problems answering correctly, Detective Makibi. A Galaxy Police officer must take control of a situation and respond fully, concisely, and correctly to all inquires. We are in uniform at all times, whether we are so attired or not. Of course, that costume you have on is far from being even acceptable off-duty attire."  
  
"What do you mean?" Kiyone flared. Mihoshi's words and manner were infuriating...and also strangely familiar.  
  
"Don't take that tone with me, young woman! You know I am right. Before we begin any duties, you will march back to your room and change into something that better reflects the Galaxy Police."  
  
"But..."  
  
"March!"  
  
Kiyone goggled at Mihoshi. But she knew something was terribly wrong, something that would not be resolved by argument. So, she marched--that is, walked--out of the living room.  
  
She paused, standing just outside the kitchen. She could not understand any of this. Then she heard a slight clatter from within the kitchen. Ayeka! Kiyone walked into the kitchen.  
  
"Hello, Kiyone," Ayeka said amiably, as she closed one of the kitchen cabinets. Sasami smiled at Kiyone, bending over a sudsy sink.  
  
"Hi..." Kiyone replied hollowly.  
  
"How is Mihoshi now?" Ayeka asked.  
  
"You have...to see this," Kiyone said, still poleaxed by the change in her partner. "You just...have to see this."  
  
"See what, Kiyone?" Ayeka inquired politely.  
  
"Come with me. You'll see!"  
  
"Can I come, too?" Sasami asked.  
  
"Sure...why not?" Kiyone replied a bit helplessly.  
  
Ayeka looked at Kiyone with concern. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Hoo-boy...wait until you see..."  
  
------  
  
A shadow fell across the stone pathway where Tris was bent over, desultorily trimming grass. Tris looked up. It was Lord Yosho.  
  
Tris scrambled to his feet, dropping the garden shears, so that they clattered accusingly on the stone pathway. Tris winced. Damaging Masaki property...and, here, money did not grow on trees, not even Juraian trees. (Tenchi had finally told him about the huge tree in the lake being from Jurai.)  
  
Lord Yosho appeared to take no notice whatsoever. "Good morning, Tristram," he said mildly. "You make progress. I am pleased to see it."  
  
"Thank you, sir."  
  
"And you make progress running up the temple steps, I've noticed."  
  
"A little, sir." Yeah, maybe two steps a day progress.  
  
Lord Yosho glanced at the sky. "I believe that today will be warmer than yesterday."  
  
"I would not be surprised, sir." Tris steeled himself. Lord Yosho was not merely passing the time of day with him. Japanese gentlemen never plunged immediately into topics that might prove sensitive. They took their time and tried to put their listener at ease first.  
  
Lord Yosho said, "I understand there was something of an entertainment after breakfast today."  
  
"Yes sir," Tris answered. He knew it! He no longer asked himself how Lord Yosho found these things out. He just did, period. "It was something like entertainment."  
  
"I understand that our Mihoshi was the subject of this entertainment."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"I also understand she was compelled to...imitate a cabbit? Or am I mistaken?"  
  
"You're not mistaken, sir," said Tris admitted. Lord Yosho had not raised his voice but the rebuke was there, nonetheless.  
  
"I see. Do you think that was a proper thing to do to a member of an elite police organization...and your friend?"  
  
"No, sir. It wasn't a thing to do to a member of any organization-- much less a friend."  
  
"Well said, Tristram." Lord Yosho paused. "Of course, I also understand that you were pressured into doing it."  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"No, Tristram?"  
  
"No, sir. No one made me do it. I did it. It was for me to say no."  
  
The sunlight glinted off Lord Yosho's glasses. It couldn't match the brightness of his smile, though.  
  
"I am glad you said that, Tristram. Very glad." He patted Tristram on the shoulder, briefly.  
  
Tris swallowed, hard.  
  
"Well," Lord Yosho remarked. "I believe my conjecture about today's temperature was correct. It has already warmed considerably. I will see you at luncheon, Tristram." He smiled again and walked off, down the pathway.  
  
Tristram stood watching him. Then he bent down, grabbed the garden shears, and started trimming grass with noticeably more industriousness than before.  
  
------  
  
"Then you know whom I am?" Ayeka asked Mihoshi. She was in the living room with the blonde galactic police officer, as were Kiyone and Sasami.  
  
"Of course, Princess Ayeka." Mihoshi made a small, deferential bow.  
  
"You seem to be acting rather differently today, Detective."  
  
"I cannot understand why you say that, Princess."  
  
"Because it is true."  
  
"With all due respect, Princess, I am the better judge of what behavior is normal for myself." Mihoshi looked at Ayeka with no friendliness in those blue eyes. Ayeka felt rather as if her world had turned upside down. She had never appreciated before how much a part of that world sweet Mihoshi was.  
  
"Mihoshi!" cried Sasami, stricken at seeing the change in her.  
  
Mihoshi glanced down briefly. "Why does this child address me so informally?"  
  
"Because she is..." No, Ayeka sensed that Mihoshi was not Sasami's friend now. It gave her an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach.  
  
"I've always associated the Jurai royal family with appropriate behavior, Princess."  
  
"You have associated quite rightly!" Ayeka snapped.  
  
"Indeed? Then why is there a pickup order still pending on you, Princess?" Mihoshi asked coldly.  
  
"What...there isn't..."  
  
Kiyone groaned inwardly. "I'm afraid there is, Ayeka."  
  
"Detective Makibi, I thought I told you to change out of those disgraceful clothes...and I should not need to remind you that you must not speak with such familiarity to a royal personage. Even if she is a wanted fugitive."  
  
"What!" Ayeka cried.  
  
"There was a pickup order issued for you, Aye--Princess. Remember?" Kiyone said, and hated to say it. "During the Kagato rebellion."  
  
"But that was long before...all that happened so long ago...it no longer means anything. Prince Kagato is dead and my family knows perfectly well where I am!"  
  
"The order has not been revoked, Princess," Mihoshi said.  
  
"But that is just a stupid technicality--an oversight, surely."  
  
"The order is still in force and it is the duty of Galaxy Police officers to follow orders to the letter," Mihoshi said briskly. "I am required to inform you, Princess Ayeka, that you are in custody." She glanced at Sasami. "Since this child is also a dependent of the Jurai royal family, with no visible means of support, she is in protective custody. We will transport you both forthwith to Galaxy Police Headquarters."  
  
Sasami began to cry. Mihoshi ignored her.  
  
"I am not in custody!" Ayeka snapped.  
  
"Yes...you are, Princess," Kiyone said miserably. She and Mihoshi had no local jurisdiction on Earth, which meant they could not arrest anyone for a crime committed on the planet. But they could take a citizen of the Galactic Union into custody if there was an outstanding warrant on them. In fact, they were supposed to do just that. Kiyone silently blessed the fact that Ryoko had chosen to make herself scarce. "I'm afraid that is a lawful order."  
  
"I shall not obey it!" Ayeka's face flushed with indignation. "The very idea!"  
  
"Princess Ayeka." Mihoshi's voice was cold, sub-zero, and quietly menacing. "My intention is to take you into custody with all the respect and consideration due to a royal personage. However, I am authorized to use force...including physical force."  
  
Sasami walked up to her big sister, stumbling a little, still tearful. "What's happening, Ayeka? Why is she acting like this?"  
  
"I wish you would control that child," Mihoshi requested.  
  
Holding Sasami, Ayeka's face purpled. "Physical force! I shall show you physical force...!"  
  
"Princess Ayeka!" Kiyone all but shouted in desperation.  
  
Kiyone knew that Ayeka maintained excellent control of herself at nearly all times and could be relied upon to keep her protean Juraian protective powers at bay. But the Princess's temper was not as well governed as Ayeka liked to believe. She could be goaded into rash action. There was still old damage visible on the house from her and Ryoko's firefights of the past. In fact, Nobuyuki had been compelled to carry out extensive (and costly) repairs to shore up the house, including putting walls around the dining room area and installing the ceiling beam rafters where Ryoko now spent so much of her time. If Ayeka began blasting out power beams now in her anger, that would be catastrophic for all of them. Plus, there were Azaka II and Kamidake II standing vigil outside, ready to react if they sensed Princess Ayeka was being threatened. If they detected that such a threat existed, they would zoom in and blast the source of the threat--Mihoshi.  
  
Ayeka glared at Kiyone, her face flushed and furious. Kiyone looked back at her, her eyes pleading. With a visible effort, Ayeka's face calmed. "I...I withdraw my statement," she said quietly. "I shall, of course, uphold the laws of the Galactic Union. I shall obey any lawful order." She stroked her little sister's head gently. Sasami's eyes had stopped tearing, but she still clung to Ayeka's robed gown.  
  
Kiyone felt relief flood her. She relaxed. Now if she could only separate Ayeka and this new version of Mihoshi, even for a little while, until Ayeka truly had full possession of herself. An idea of how to do that came to her. "Detective?" she addressed Mihoshi.  
  
"What is it, Detective Makibi?" asked Mihoshi. She sounded irritated.  
  
"I will need to change my clothing to go with you to take Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami to Headquarters. You told me that these shorts won't do. I have to admit that you're right...I have very a poor sense of proper attire. Would you come upstairs with me and help me pick out something suitable?"  
  
Mihoshi eyed Kiyone frostily. Then she nodded.  
  
"Yes, I shall accompany you, Detective. It is, after all, my duty to instruct you girls. Also, I shall perform an inspection of your quarters."  
  
"Thank you, so much," said Kiyone in a neutral tone, but she cringed inwardly at the propect of an inspection. She had hated those back at the Academy. Cripes! This was all beginning to resemble her cadet days, somehow.  
  
Mihoshi turned to Princess Ayeka. "You are aware that any attempt at flight will be dealt with severely, Princess?"  
  
"Why, you...!" Then Ayeka saw Kiyone waving at her frantically from behind Mihoshi. Again she visibly collected herself. "Yes, I certainly do!" she snapped.  
  
"Very well, Princess."  
  
Mihoshi turned on her heel. "Come Detective." She walked, her back ramrod stiff. Kiyone followed her, trudgingly.  
  
When the two Galaxy Police officers were gone, Sasami cried, "Ayeka-- that horrible woman is not our Mihoshi!"  
  
"I know, dear."  
  
"Something's happened to Mihoshi's mind. Shall we go get Tris?"  
  
"No..." Ayeka said thoughtfully. "He brought her out of that trance. I cannot imagine what else he could do." Then Ayeka made her decision. "We shall consult Miss Washuu!"  
  
Sasami brightened. "Good idea, big sister!"  
  
"You stay here, dear. I shall be back just as soon as I can with Miss Washuu."  
  
------  
  
Tris, hard at work on a stone walkpath, looked up as he heard laughter.  
  
He saw the source of the merriment--the one-sided merriment that is. Tenchi, some distance off, was mowing grass or, at least, trying to. Ryoko was impeding his progress, with amorous intent.  
  
Tris watched as Tenchi dutifully tried to keep pushing the mower forward on the lawn. But Ryoko was all over him. Literally. With her ability to fly, she simply and nimbly snaked around Tenchi, rubbing against him, tweaking his nose, patting his cheeks, then ducking down and tickling under his chin with her platinum-colored hair. When he dodged, she hovered, grinning, and then swooped down to wind herself around him again. Tris could just make out their voices:  
  
"Cut it out, Ryoko! I'm trying to mow."  
  
"You mow me down, sweetums...all the time!"  
  
Tris chuckled. He could feel for Tenchi, of course. But that Ryoko! She could flirt with the best, and she wasn't a bit shy or self- conscious or inhibited. She loved Tenchi madly, totally, and didn't care who knew it. She was the original, space girl Wild Thing.  
  
For a few minutes more, the American watched Ryoko and Tenchi continue their love ballet with the lawn mover. Ryoko was ahead on points, he decided.  
  
Then Tris ducked his head and went back to trimming. He shouldn't be watching that, his conscience shouted internally at him. Real spoilsport, that conscience of his.  
  
------  
  
Kiyone endured, with teeth firmly clenched, the white-glove inspection of her and the other women's "dormitory." It really did seem like a dormitory now, with Mihoshi running her fingers around windowsills and sniffing with contempt at the minute dust particles she found. The inspection result: Twenty-five demerits, which meant Kiyone was "bedposted"--she could not leave her room (aside from meals) during the next holiday. Ah, the good old halcyon days at the Academy! It was all coming back to her, in buckets.  
  
Mihoshi, with great reluctance, had allowed Kiyone to don her nice slacks. But Mihoshi didn't think they were nice. She made it clear that she did not consider tight pants to be appropriate attire even if it covered everything. She seemed entirely unaware of what she herself was wearing...a pink sleveless blouse and form-fitting tan denim pants.  
  
When the inspection ended, they trooped downstairs (literally) and entered the living room. There they found Princess Ayeka, Sasami-- and Washuu. Kiyone's heart surged with hope at the sight of the redheaded super scientist.  
  
"Who is this person?" Mihoshi demanded, staring at Washuu. "She seems familiar to me."  
  
"Miss Wa--" Ayeka began, then stopped as she saw Kiyone once again make frenzied hand signals behind Mihoshi's now-stiff back. Oh, dear...there was probably an old warrant out on Miss Washuu also. The Galaxy Police really needed to take care of their paperwork and update their records! Ayeka swiftly took a different tack.  
  
"This is my legal counsel," Ayeka said, formally. "Miss Wakasu."  
  
"She looks like someone...someone I know..." Mihoshi said, staring at Washuu.  
  
"I assure you, this is my counselor."  
  
"Indeed? And why would you require a legal representative merely to accompany us to Headquarters?" queried Mihoshi, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"That is my right," Ayeka said.  
  
"It is," Kiyone added.  
  
"Detective Makibi...I am well acquainted with the Galactic Union Civil Rights Charter, Section Three, Subparagraph Two, Item One. If only you were as well acquainted with general light housekeeping."  
  
Kiyone's hands balled into fists. Tight fists. But she remained silent.  
  
Washuu, who had been staring at Mihoshi with great interest, said, "May I ask you a question or two, Detective?"  
  
"You may--as long as your questions pertain to this case," Mihoshi allowed.  
  
"Okay. Aren't you aware that Princess Ayeka's whereabouts are known to the Jurai royal family and that any problems involving her and her family ended long ago?"  
  
"I most certainly am not! And even if I were, it would make no difference. The pickup order must be carried out."  
  
"Even if it serves no purpose, really?" Washuu asked.  
  
"It serves the purpose of upholding the law, even with those who enjoy special privileges otherwise." Mihoshi was positively pontifical.  
  
"I see." Washuu looked bemused. "May I confer with my client privately?"  
  
"You may."  
  
"I would like to have Detective Makibi present, too, please."  
  
"You may not!"  
  
"I could keep an eye on them and monitor their actions," Kiyone offered.  
  
"Very well, Detective Makibi. It is on your responsibility."  
  
"Yes, ma'am--I mean, right." Kiyone glared at Washuu's wide grin.  
  
"In the meantime," Mihoshi continued. "I feel the need for liquid refreshment."  
  
"Take her to the kitchen and make her some tea, please, Sasami," Ayeka said.  
  
"Yes, Ayeka." Sasami seemed none too pleased at the prospect.  
  
"What! This child make tea for me?" Mihoshi seemed aghast.  
  
"She has been very well trained in that function," Ayeka said coldly.  
  
"That remains to be seen."  
  
Glancing up at her big sister's reddening face, Sasami quickly started for the kitchen. "This way, please," she said to Mihoshi.  
  
Mihoshi followed her. They disappeared into the kitchen.  
  
Before Ayeka and Kiyone could pelt her with questions, Washuu held up a restraining hand. "Let's go outside, girls," she murmured, "where Mihoshi can't hear us."  
  
------  
  
Meanwhile, Ryoko had finally convinced Tenchi that mowing--or the attempt to--would be impossible until he dealt with her.  
  
"What do you want, Ryoko?" he asked, flustered and frustrated.  
  
"I want you, Tenchi."  
  
"That's no answer!"  
  
"Yes, it is!"  
  
Ryoko, laughing, now lowered to the ground. She stood in front of Tenchi. She stood close to him. Very close.  
  
"Forget that silly work and pay attention to me." Her golden eyes glinted.  
  
"There's a time for work, Ryoko."  
  
"And a time for play, sweetums."  
  
"I'll tell you when that is."  
  
"You have two dimples, Tenchi," Ryoko told him lovingly. "Two beautiful dimples. Unlike someone I know."  
  
"Speaking of that someone...he's watching us."  
  
Ryoko looked over at Tris. "Oh no, he isn't. He knows better."  
  
Tenchi looked, too. Ryoko was right, darn it. That Tris! What a time to finally show some discretion!  
  
"Besides, he kissed Kiyone right in front of you."  
  
"That was just a private moment between them."  
  
"Let's have a private moment, Tenchi."  
  
"Ryoko...please leave. Okay?"  
  
Ryoko pouted. "I want a kiss first."  
  
"Huh? Now?"  
  
"Tris kisses Kiyone all the time! Kiss, kiss, kiss!"  
  
"He does not," Tenchi insisted.  
  
"He does, too! I'll prove it." Ryoko floated into the air. She sailed over to where Tris was keeping his head down and his garden shears snipping.  
  
"Hey Tris!" Ryoko called down to him.  
  
"Hey what?" he responded.  
  
"Don't you kiss Kiyone all the time?"  
  
"Sure," said Tris. "I'm kissing her right now. See? Don't let all this grass and walkway fool you, Ryoko."  
  
Ryoko just laughed gaily. She swooped down to Tris. She hovered a few feet above him.  
  
"Tenchi won't kiss me, Tris."  
  
"That's his call."  
  
"You'd kiss me...wouldn't you, Tris?"  
  
"Never thought about it."  
  
"Hah!" Ryoko laughed. "What a liar! My, my!"  
  
She soared in the air. She turned a slow, lazy, and rather attractive cartwheel, from about twelve feet up.  
  
"Men!" she said loudly, so both Tenchi and Tris could hear her. "Can't kiss with 'em. Can't kiss without 'em." Then she laughed again. She was in a pretty good humor. And she was going to get that kiss.  
  
------  
  
Just outside the Masaki manse's front door, Washuu was in a pretty bad humor. She was taking it out on Tris, in absentia  
  
"That fool!" she said. "You called him a goofball, an idiot, Kiyone? You're too nice!"  
  
"Washuu..." Kiyone began warningly.  
  
"Miss Washuu, we rather cajoled him into doing it." Ayeka was trying to be fair. She was also trying to ignore what she saw in the distance: Ryoko swooping around Lord Tenchi. Ayeka turned her back to it. She would deal with Ryoko later.  
  
"Really? If you "cajoled" him to jump from the temple roof, would he do that, too?" Washuu was clearly steaming. "Where does he get off using hypnosis? That's illegal! Besides, it's like giving a chimp a proton accelerator to play with! Disaster!"  
  
"Miss Washuu," Ayeka interrupted the great scientist's rant. "I understand that hypnotism is legal on this planet."  
  
"It is," Kiyone affirmed.  
  
"Well, it shouldn't be!"  
  
"Why is it illegal in the Galactic Union?" Ayeka asked, her curiosity piqued.  
  
"Not sure of the details, but there was a real nasty misuse of it some time back," Washuu said. "It involved children, as I recall."  
  
"Good heavens!"  
  
"This podunk planet!" Washuu was incensed. "They've barely crawled out of caves! They "cure" people by sticking knives into them. Let lamebrains go around hypnotizing people. Put snacks in plastic bags you can't open without a small explosive. I don't know why I came back to this hick planet."  
  
"Maybe because no other planet would have you?" Kiyone had her arms crossed, her dander up.  
  
Washuu glowered at Kiyone a moment. Then she relaxed. She even chuckled a little. "Yeah...forgot about that." It still rankled, though. Kicked out of the Royal Science Academy--again--even after being made honorary President. Turned into a pariah again just because she had experimented a little with particle-compressed explosives. All theoretical, of course, but just try telling those Science Academy dimwits that...  
  
"Might we now discuss Mihoshi, Miss Washuu?" Ayeka requested. "What has happened to her?"  
  
Washuu didn't answer the Princess directly. Instead, she looked at Kiyone stonily. "That brainless boyfriend of yours has bullocked up Mihoshi's mind. That's what happened to your partner."  
  
"How?" Kiyone asked. "Tell us."  
  
"I will. But first, tell me, word for word, what Svengali Junior said to Mihoshi when he brought her out of that trance."  
  
Kiyone repeated Tris's words verbatim. Washuu groaned with genuine feeling.  
  
"Nincompoop!"  
  
"Why so, Miss Washuu? He was merely being nice to her," Ayeka asked, confused.  
  
Yeah," rapped Kiyone, arms still crossed dangerously. "He was."  
  
"Nice to her? You girls are the limit! None of you really understand Mihoshi, after being with her all this time--including you, her own partner," Washuu thrust at Kiyone.  
  
"Explain that, Washuu!" Kiyone demanded. "And quick!"  
  
"Glad to." It was what Washuu enjoyed most. "Mihoshi isn't like the rest of us..."  
  
"News flash!"  
  
"Let me finish! Now, Mihoshi is different because she is very innocent, very obliging, and very much wanting to please. You know that, maybe, but you don't understand it. If she likes someone, she'll do just about anything for them. Well, she likes Tris. I've only seen them together a few times, but I can tell. She really likes him."  
  
"Well...I suppose she does," Kiyone admitted.  
  
"She does," Ayeka asserted. "There is no doubt of it, Kiyone."  
  
"Okay. Now," Washuu continued, "when that birdbrain--your boyfriend, Kiyone--was bringing her out of that trance, he said some things to her he thought would boost her confidence. Well, he just doesn't understand her and he doesn't understand hypnosis all that well, either. What he thought was a nice, flattering statement was, to Mihoshi, a command!"  
  
"You mean, such as when he told her to become a cabbit?" Ayeka asked.  
  
"Exactly! To Mihoshi, Tris was commanding her to become--what was that--oh, yeah, a "highly competent member of the Galaxy Police force whom many, many people respect." So Mihoshi, under hypnosis, obligingly searched in her memory for someone to emulate whom she felt fit that description. She successfully found that someone in her memory. So now she's just carrying out Tris's instructions. She's being that highly competent officer by emulating someone else. The question is, whom is she imitating?"  
  
"Oh, no!" Kiyone smacked her forehead with her right hand. "I really am dense today! Now I recall whom Mihoshi reminds me of-- Inspector Yoolana Maki!"  
  
"Whom is that, Kiyone?" Ayeka asked.  
  
"Ohhhh, she's a real piece of work! She's always assigned to the new women recruits at the Academy to stiffen them up and mold them into proper officer candidates--from her point of view. She is a complete, total bitch, and she runs roughshod over the girls! But she has a great arrest record, lots of medals, and the Academy brass thinks they're lucky to have her. Hah! We recruits were the unlucky ones to have her!" Kiyone actually shivered a bit at the memory. "You're right, Washuu. Mihoshi's behavior fits Inspector Maki perfectly, right down to her sneer!"  
  
Washuu nodded. "That explains it. Mihoshi picked her to mimic."  
  
"From the way Mihoshi is acting," Ayeka commented, "this Maki woman must be an awful person."  
  
"Awful? She's hell on wheels, the old battleaxe!" Kiyone was burning with bad memories. "Surprise inspections, demerits for things like improper uniform cap wear--she'd use a measuring tape! Lectures on proper deportment, even about sex, as if that crusty old maid knew anything about it. Lots of girls quit because of her, but the Academy doesn't care because they expect about half of us to bail out before graduation, anyway."  
  
"And Cadet Mihoshi had her, too. I see," Ayeka mused. It was all becoming clear.  
  
"That's right." Kiyone smiled grimly. "Poor Mihoshi was terrified of old "Double Demerit" Maki! She'd stiffen to attention every time Inspector Maki went by and that old bitch would still find fault with Mihoshi and give her a demerit for something. Mihoshi would have her fatigue uniforms made so stiff by the laundry that she could hardly bend over--and she would still flunk Maki's inspections!" Kiyone seethed inside as she remembered the intentional mistreatment of her partner as a cadet. "I think the old battleaxe was incensed by Mihoshi having a grandfather who is the Grand Marshall, and she made it as tough for her as she could."  
  
"Yet Cadet Mihoshi made it through the Academy, did she not?" Ayeka pointed out.  
  
"Yeah," Kiyone said thoughtfully. "She did, at that." She turned to Washuu. "But why would Mihoshi imitate Inspector Maki?" she asked. "Why not imitate...?" She stopped herself.  
  
"Why not imitate you? There's a bit of ego talking." Washuu grinned.  
  
"You know what I mean!"  
  
"Sure, I know. Mihoshi looks up to you, no doubt of it. But remember Tris's words, that bonehead--"whom many, many people respect"? At the present time--and I don't mean to be unkind--how many people in the Galaxy Police or in general respect you these days? You and Mihoshi are currently on bad terms with most of the GP, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Kiyone admitted quietly. "Right enough."  
  
"There you go," Washuu said. "Mihoshi followed what she interpreted as Tris's command to the letter."  
  
"Well, all that explains it, Miss Washuu, but what can we do? We need to change Mihoshi back," Ayeka said.  
  
"That airhead? Who wants her back?" Washuu asked, deciding to have a little fun.  
  
"I do!" flared Kiyone.  
  
"I do also, Miss Washuu," Ayeka seconded.  
  
"You sure, Kiyone?" Washuu inwardly smiled. Ironically, this new Mihoshi was just about everything that Kiyone had long professed to want in an ideal partner. "You could go pretty far with a competent, dedicated partner like this mean but proficient Mihoshi. Much further, maybe, than you ever could with the original--"  
  
"I...want...her...back!" Kiyone all but shouted out each word.  
  
Ayeka stared at Kiyone, startled by her vehemence. But Washuu was not a bit surprised. Beneath the yelling and frustration, there was a real friendship between Kiyone and Mihoshi. In a way, Kiyone needed Mihoshi, or someone like her, for a friend, Washuu knew. Mihoshi teased and cajoled Kiyone to lighten up, to go out to karaoke bars and such, to have fun once in a while and enjoy life. On her own, Kiyone would work herself to the ground without someone to prod her to relax occasionally.  
  
"Okay." Washuu grinned. "I guess I don't care much for this Mean Mihoshi, either. Let's go talk to your brainless boyfriend, Kiyone."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because he's the only one who can cancel that command and bring Mihoshi out of that post-hypnotic state. Mihoshi won't respond to anyone except the one who hypnotized her. I'm no expert on hypnosis, but I know that much."  
  
"All right, then, let's go talk to Tris," Kiyone said.  
  
"Perhaps I should go back inside the house and visit with Sasami in the kitchen," Ayeka suggested. "With Sasami and myself present and accounted for, Mihoshi will not start getting suspicious--I hope!"  
  
"Good idea, Ayeka," Washuu agreed. "Let's go, Kiyone."  
  
------  
  
"Tenchi's gonna kiss me...Tenchi's gonna kiss me..." Ryoko chanted, hovering over Tenchi again.  
  
"Tenchi's going to get his mowing done. Then Tenchi's going to have lunch," he told her irritably.  
  
"What...no sugar? Tenchi's got to have his sugar. Tenchi loves sugar, his Ryoko knows." Ryoko smiled, sweeter than maple syrup. She hovered closer to him. "Come have your sugar, Tenchi, and Ryoko will leave her big man to his big chores."  
  
"You're giving me a big pain," Tenchi told her.  
  
"Then let me kiss it and make it better..."  
  
Ryoko lowered to the ground. She now stood right before Tenchi. Her arms wrapped around him. Her eyes glowed. It was almost hypnotic. Her lips sought his--Tenchi felt his will power evaporate. Then, over Ryoko's right shoulder, he saw--  
  
"Washuu!"  
  
"Washuu? What are you talking about?" Ryoko asked, surprised.  
  
"Washuu. She's outside, coming toward us," Tenchi explained.  
  
"Huh? You're kidding, Tenchi."  
  
"See for yourself."  
  
Ryoko turned her head, releasing Tenchi as she did. "Well, I'll be darned. Out of her hole and into the sunlight! You don't see that every day."  
  
"Not since we had that watermelon party."  
  
"Hey, she's walking toward Tris. She's got Kiyone with her. Washuu doesn't look a bit happy, either." Ryoko sounded intrigued. "Wonder if she's going to tear Tris a new one? Wonder what he's screwed up now?"  
  
"Ryoko...!"  
  
"Let's go see. Come on!" Ryoko grabbed his hand.  
  
Tenchi went along. He thought he'd better join the group. Ryoko was right. Washuu was not wearing a happy face.  
  
------  
  
"This tea is adequate, little girl," Mihoshi said, standing at the kitchen counter. She put down her teacup.  
  
"Thank you." Sasami, standing beside her, was finding it hard to keep her voice neutral.  
  
"You might, of course, steep the tea a bit longer," Mihoshi told her.  
  
"Uh-huh," Sasami muttered. Her woeful feelings were hardening into anger at hearing her tea-making critiqued.  
  
"And I would recommend fresher tea leaves. Remember, child...the fresher the tea leaves, the tastier the tea."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"I hope I don't detect a note of disrespect."  
  
"No. I'm not being disrespectful." Sasami's tone belied her words.  
  
Mihoshi shook her head resignedly at such childish behavior.  
  
A moment later, Ayeka walked into the kitchen. "Oh, there you are, Detective Kuramitsu." The Princess tried hard to make her voice sound casual.  
  
"Ah." Mihoshi eyed her prisoner with satisfaction. "I'm glad to see you, Princess Ayeka. I'm also glad you didn't try to abscond."  
  
"Thank you," said Ayeka though gritted teeth.  
  
"Do you want some tea, Ayeka?" Sasami asked.  
  
"Yes, thank you, dear." Ayeka smiled at her little sister. Sasami walked to the stove to brew more tea.  
  
"Capable child," Mihoshi said, sipping her tea. "It's a shame she lacks respectfulness."  
  
Ayeka just looked at Mihoshi, stonefaced. Inside, she boiled hotter than the tea water. She wondered if just one power beam--just one-- would hurt Mean Mihoshi all that much.  
  
------  
  
At that moment outside the house, Tris looked as if a power beam had hit him. He stared at Washuu, aghast.  
  
"I don't believe it!"  
  
"It's true, Tris," Kiyone told him quietly.  
  
"I don't see how...why..."  
  
"Because you don't know what the hell you're doing!" Washuu informed him raspingly. "Are you a psychologist? A doctor? Have you trained anywhere? No! Would you prescribe for Mihoshi if she were sick? No, you say? Then why did you mess with her mind? I thought you had some sense, Tris!"  
  
"Wow!" said Ryoko, amused. "Another Tris screw-up! It's getting as regular as clockwork!"  
  
"You're not helping, Ryoko." Tenchi turned to Washuu. "You hold on one minute, Washuu." Tenchi was shocked by what he had heard about Mihoshi, but he wasn't about to stand there and let Tris take such a verbal beating. "Didn't you do the same thing with that Dream Machine of yours?"  
  
"Yeah, Washuu--talk about messing with people's minds!" The Pretty Sammy episode clearly still rankled with Ryoko.  
  
"I was intending only to give you the tools to have a pleasant night's sleep. What happened was an accident. I didn't set out to tap into your minds and give you commands," Washuu rejoined. "That's what this ignoramus did, on purpose. And for what--a parlor game?"  
  
"You're being a little rough on him, Washuu," Kiyone objected.  
  
"I mean to be!"  
  
"Yell at all of us, then. We're all responsible," Tenchi said.  
  
"No, Tenchi," Tris said morosely. "I did it, I'm responsible, and I should have known better. All my past attempts of hypnosis were in a lab supervised by a full professor of psychology. I shouldn't have tried it on my own. Let's have that on the record, anyway."  
  
Washuu looked at him. Her expression had softened a bit. "Well, I guess you're not completely hopeless. I'm still mad as hell at you, Tris, in case you haven't picked up on it."  
  
"I caught a hint."  
  
"But I can't blame you too much. You're just a product of this backward planet."  
  
"It's home, sweet home, to me, Washuu," Tris told her.  
  
"Me, too," said Tenchi. "If you really have chilled out now, Washuu, maybe we can talk about what to do."  
  
"That's up to Tris. He screwed up Mihoshi's mind--he can un-screw it up."  
  
"How could he possibly screw up Mihoshi's mind?" Ryoko asked. "Any more than it already is, I mean?"  
  
Tenchi gave Ryoko that special look she knew so well. He didn't need to tell her. She shut up.  
  
"So, he just needs to hypnotize her again. Is that it?" Tenchi asked Washuu.  
  
"That's it...and give her the right instructions when he awakens her this time."  
  
"Tris?" Tenchi looked at the young American.  
  
"Let's do it," Tris said firmly. "I'm ready."  
  
"You're just going to walk in on her and hypnotize her, huh?" Washuu asked skeptically.  
  
"Right now, I plan to walk in on her and size up the situation," Tris replied. "Then, we'll see."  
  
"You need a plan, Stan," Washuu told him. "And you're no planner. You're not even much of a hypnotist. You'd better let us work this part out. You've done enough damage already. You'll just mess things up more on your own."  
  
"Yeah? Just watch me." Tris turned on his heel and strode off toward the house. Washuu had finally angered him.  
  
"Nice, Washuu, very nice," Kiyone said, irritated. "Give him a big job to do, and then make him feel like two yen."  
  
"Kiyone's right," Tenchi agreed. "That's no way to speak to anyone, Washuu."  
  
Washuu compressed her lips. "Well...maybe I didn't handle that just right."  
  
"You handled it lousy, Washuu," Ryoko told her. "He's a goofball, but he sure showed me something today. You won't even give him credit for being able to do something none of us can do. Just for that, I'm going to help that guy."  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi said, as the space pirate began to leave terra firma. "I don't think you should--"  
  
"Don't worry, Tenchi...Kiyone...I know what I'm doing." Ryoko floated higher. "Washuu, you just stand back and learn something."  
  
She became fully airborne and wafted toward Tris.  
  
"I hope she does know what she's doing," Tenchi said doubtfully. Kiyone and Washuu looked even more doubtful. Tenchi shrugged and began to follow Ryoko and Tris to the house. Kiyone and Washuu followed him.  
  
"Ryoko and Tris," Washuu muttered to Kiyone as they walked. "Sounds like a recipie for disaster with extra helpings!"  
  
------  
  
"Hey, Tris!" Ryoko called down as she approached the American.  
  
"Hay's for horses." He kept walking.  
  
"That's pretty funny, Tris."  
  
"Hysterically funny." Tris did not stop.  
  
Ryoko didn't seem to mind. She simply hovered beside him as he walked. "Look, I know you can fix this thing. I know how, and I bet you do, too."  
  
Tris slowed his walking pace. "Oh?"  
  
"Sure! I don't care whose act Mihoshi is copying. Mihoshi is still Mihoshi."  
  
"And?"  
  
"She's still a woman, Tris."  
  
"Ahhhh...!"  
  
"It's true. Use it!"  
  
Tris slowed down even more. He looked thoughtful.  
  
He had to admit, Ryoko seemed to have more of an plan than he had. He also realized that although Ryoko had not apologized to him for doubting his word earlier, she was, in her own way, making amends now. "You mean, try to appeal to her...womanly nature?"  
  
"I mean, bowl her over. Get her intrigued. Then--give her the whammy!"  
  
"Say...you really have an idea there, Ryoko."  
  
She did, too. If this new Mihoshi--this Mean Mihoshi--could still have her interest aroused, her curiosity piqued, he could perhaps induce her into hypnosis. But he would need something to capture her attention. He didn't think the tip of a pen would work this time! He told this to Ryoko. Ryoko thought a moment, and then laughed with glee. She suggested the perfect object to capture even Mean Mihoshi's attention.  
  
"I'll go to my stash and get it. I haven't been a space pirate all these years with nothing to show for it!"  
  
------  
  
A few minutes later, Tris reached the house. He waited just outside the front door until Tenchi, Kiyone, and Washuu reached him. He then told them part of what he and Ryoko--mainly Ryoko--had come up with. Tenchi looked relieved (he was usually a little leery of Ryoko's scheming, but this sounded relatively reasonable). Kiyone looked proud of him and Washuu even appeared a bit repentant.  
  
"It's okay, Washuu," Tris said when the great scientist tried to apologize. "You were right, up and down the line. You sure used a wire brush, though, when you tried to scrub the stupid off me."  
  
"You're an all right guy, Tris," Washuu said. "And at least the stupid does scrub off you."  
  
"Better save your bouquets until after I pull this off," Tris said. "If I do."  
  
"Do you think you can get Mihoshi to be...cooperative?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Think so. Ryoko really came up with a great idea. I don't think any woman could resist it."  
  
"Resist what?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"Yeah, what? I can resist pretty darn well," Washuu added.  
  
"Well, say a man came to you, a man you don't outright despise...and he told you..."  
  
Tris told them. Both the women looked impressed. Tenchi grinned.  
  
"Well...I'd at least look at it," Kiyone admitted.  
  
"You bet I'd look at it!" Washuu confirmed. "That Ryoko is a sharpie."  
  
"Yes, but where is Ryoko?" Tenchi wondered.  
  
"Right here," Ryoko replied, suddenly materializing from teleport above them. She floated to the ground.  
  
Tris nearly jumped out of his skin. He could never get used to that aspect of Ryoko's amazing powers.  
  
Recovering quickly, he asked Ryoko, "You found it?"  
  
"You bet, partner." Ryoko smiled at him. From a hidden pocket in her tight crimson sheath dress, she produced it...the most dazzling gem, mounted on a finely wrought ring band, that Tris had ever seen. The gem was oval, with a deep azure fire. The band looked very fragile, but boasted fine scroll work and seemed to be made of platinum or something very close to it.  
  
"I lifted this off some snooty high-caste young frump a while ago, just before I gave up pirating for good," Ryoko explained.  
  
"Now, that's a keeper!" Washuu noted. "It's a Zarian Brilliant. It's priceless."  
  
"It's a beauty, all right." Kiyone sighed.  
  
Tenchi caught Tris's eye. He grinned. Tris grinned back.  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi said, "you are a marvel sometimes."  
  
"Really?" Ryoko smiled. "Then where's my kiss?"  
  
"Later!"  
  
"I'll hold you to that, lover." Ryoko was satisfied. Tenchi kept his promises.  
  
Kiyone took the sparkling gem ring from Ryoko and handed it to Tris. "Better go in the house and do your stuff, buster," she told him. "Mean Mihoshi is going to start getting antsy soon."  
  
"Okay. Where's my kiss?" Tris asked her.  
  
Kiyone smiled and shook her head. "To quote Tenchi--later!"  
  
------  
  
Ayeka was just about to strangle Mean Mihoshi and to blazing hell with the consequences when Tris entered the kitchen. The Princess nearly quivered with relief.  
  
"I am so glad to see you, Tristram," Ayeka told him. "I really mean that."  
  
"Me, too." Sasami smiled for the first time since she had met up with Mean Mihoshi.  
  
"Glad to be here, ladies. I was told my girlfriend...oh, here she is."  
  
Mihoshi turned, stiff-backed, to observe the visitor. She eyed Tris.  
  
"I believe...I know you."  
  
"Of course you do, darling." Tris smiled at her, piling on all the charm--at least all the charm he could acquire after watching every Cary Grant movie ever made. "I told you I had something special for you. Remember?"  
  
Mihoshi regarded at him with those hard, cold blue eyes. Tris could now appreciate what the others had been talking about. It was downright unnerving to see Mihoshi like this.  
  
Ayeka tensed, as did Sasami. Tris held his smile, the confidence just oozing out of him as Mihoshi continued to look at him with hard appraisal.  
  
Finally she asked, "Something for me?"  
  
"Yes, darling."  
  
"Why do you call me "darling," young man?"  
  
"Just a habit. I always call my fianceés darling."  
  
"Fianceé!" Mihoshi looked startled. If nothing else, she had been shaken from that overwhelming self-possession.  
  
"How lovely!" Ayeka caught on quickly. "You are very lucky, Detective. I must admit, I have had my eye on this handsome man myself."  
  
"What?" Mihoshi was still obviously coming to grips with the fact that her old-maid persona now had a beau. "You have, Princess?"  
  
"Oh, yes. There are not many good catches such as this wealthy young man around."  
  
"That's for sure!" Sasami added.  
  
"My blushes, ladies," Tris said with becoming modesty.  
  
"Wealthy?" Mihoshi examined Tris's polo shirt and khaki pants, both the worse for several hours of trimming grass. Tris certainly did not appear wealthy.  
  
His slip was showing, Tris knew. Time to bring in the clincher.  
  
"Just a few pleasure planets, here and there, in my portfolio. By the way, darling, I finally found the ring you wanted."  
  
"Ring?"  
  
"Yes, darling...your engagement ring."  
  
Both Ayeka's and Sasami's eyes widened. This was some bluff!  
  
Mihoshi hesitated.  
  
Tris waited, trying to keep his affectionate smile from slipping.  
  
"I think I'd like to see this ring." Mihoshi's voice had lost a bit of its coldness.  
  
Tris mentally blessed Ryoko, that cagey space pirate. She had been right. It was hard for a woman to resist having a peek at an engagement ring bought for her.  
  
"And so you shall." Tris opened his right hand, and presented it to her with a flourish.  
  
"Ahhhhhh..."  
  
Mihoshi was captivated by the stunning gem ring. So were Ayeka and Sasami.  
  
Ayeka had not seen a Zarian Brilliant in some time. Even the Juraian crown treasury could boast only a few examples. In fact, an acquaintance of hers back on Jurai had a ring with such a fabulous gemstone stolen from her by a masked bandit--it had broken the poor women's heart. Understandably. Then Ayeka's forehead crinkled. Stolen...where had Tris gotten this ring...?  
  
No such questions seemed to confound Mihoshi. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she beheld the ring with its fiery jewel. "Is this what you bought for me?"  
  
"Yes, darling. It's yours. And, if you look at it closer...you'll see how flawless it is."  
  
Mihoshi leaned forward for a closer look at the gemstone.  
  
"Just a little closer...that's it. It's such a fantastic jewel...you just can't take your eyes off of it..."  
  
------  
  
Some time later, all were gathered in the living room. Tris and Tenchi had moved Mihoshi there to make her re-awakening more comfortable.  
  
Mihoshi was sitting, slumped back, on one of the couches. Her eyes were closed. Tris was sitting beside her, looking a bit apprehensive.  
  
"Go on, Tris," Kiyone told him. "Bring her out of it."  
  
"I want to do it right this time."  
  
Washuu walked up to him. "Tris, you'll do it right. Just do it."  
  
"Come on, Tris," Tenchi said. "You're the man!"  
  
Kiyone squeezed his shoulder. "You are."  
  
"Okay." Tris turned to Mihoshi.  
  
"Mihoshi...you can hear me."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"It was fun, playing make-believe, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yes...it was fun," Mihoshi murmured.  
  
"But now it's time to end it. Kiyone needs your help with the housework. And Sasami has some nice tea and cookies for you. And we all want you back, Mihoshi. Okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I'll count to three and then you'll awaken, after having a nice nap. You will remember nothing of this. Are you ready?"  
  
"I'm ready."  
  
"One...two...three!" Tris stood up from the couch and backed away a bit. Mihoshi began to stir.  
  
Then...slowly...Mihoshi's eyes opened.  
  
Everybody else in the room seemed to hold their breath.  
  
Those blue eyes took them in. They were warm and affectionate and clear. Not a bit of rancor or calculation showed in them. Nothing but inner serenity and sweetness.  
  
"Hello, everybody!" Mihoshi said. "Did I fall asleep again? I'm sorry!"  
  
Kiyone impulsively walked up to her partner. She hugged her. "Don't be sorry, Mihoshi...don't every be sorry!"  
  
"Gosh..." Mihoshi's face was pink with surprised delight at her partner's show of affection.  
  
Sasami walked up to her, too. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "I'm so glad you're back, Mihoshi. I missed you!"  
  
"Why...where did I go?" Mihoshi asked, smiling at her young friend.  
  
"Never mind, Mihoshi." Kiyone fondly tucked some stray golden blonde hair back beneath Mihoshi's maroon hair ribbon. Mihoshi beamed at Kiyone's ministrations.  
  
Tenchi grinned at her. "You were asleep, Mihoshi. We very glad you're awake now."  
  
"Really?" Mihoshi looked at Tenchi. She seemed a bit confused, but pleased.  
  
Ayeka now walked up to Mihoshi. "You are feeling quite all right now, dear Mihoshi?"  
  
"I feel all right, Ayeka."  
  
"I am so very glad."  
  
Ryoko also walked up to the seated Galaxy Police officer. "Yeah, I am too, Mihoshi."  
  
"Gosh, thanks, Ryoko!" Mihoshi still appeared a bit nonplussed, but she clearly loved all the attention--especially from Ryoko.  
  
"Well, cutie," Washuu said to Tris, both of them standing a little distance away from the others. "You pulled it off."  
  
Tris nodded. "By the skin of my teeth. But any landing you can walk away from is a good landing."  
  
"Roger that!" Washuu smiled at Tris's surprised reaction. "Hey, I know some of that pilot lingo!" She looked at Mihoshi. "Yeah, she's back with us now. Look at them make a fuss over her! About time. You did a bad thing, Tris, but maybe it ended up being a good thing. I think Grandpa says that happens sometimes. Well, stick a fork in me...I'm done. See ya." Washuu left the room.  
  
Tris shook his head with amused wonderment. Washuu...one of a kind and no mistake.  
  
He walked up to the group surrounding Mihoshi.  
  
"Hi, Tris!" Mihoshi said to him.  
  
"Hi, Mihoshi." Tris smiled. "How are you doing?"  
  
"I'm doing real fine...gosh!"  
  
Ryoko, who had slipped away from the room, now floated up to her. She carried something in her arms. She gave it to Mihoshi. "Here. I thought you might want this."  
  
"Trissy!" Mihoshi hugged her plush pooch. "Thank you, Ryoko!"  
  
"Yes," Tenchi said, smiling. "Thank you, Ryoko."  
  
"You know how to thank me, Tenchi..." Ryoko smiled slyly at him.  
  
"What? What do you mean?" Ayeka asked.  
  
"Nothing," Tenchi said. "Isn't it nice to have our Mihoshi back?"  
  
Mihoshi was looking at Tris. She felt a sudden urge to hug him. She hugged Trissy instead. "Tris, why is everybody being so nice to me? Is there something wrong?"  
  
"There's nothing wrong, Mihoshi."  
  
"Of course not, Mihoshi," Kiyone told her. "In fact...things couldn't be righter!"  
  
Meanwhile, Ayeka was taking this opportunity to clear up a certain matter.  
  
"I want to ask you a question about that ring, Ryoko," she confronted the space pirate. "I seem to recall an acquaintence of mine had one just like it--and it was stolen!"  
  
"Well, fancy that," Ryoko said. "What's your question, Princess?"  
  
"Tristram got that ring from you, did he not?"  
  
"He sure did, Princess."  
  
"So, then--where did you get it, Ryoko?"  
  
"That's two questions, Princess."  
  
"Ryoko! I demand to know where--"  
  
"Girls...can't you two have this discussion later?" Tenchi asked, walking up to them.  
  
"Fine by me, Tenchi." Ryoko smiled at him.  
  
"Very well, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka conceded. "But the subject is not closed!"  
  
At that moment, still sitting on the couch, Mihoshi was thinking hard. "You know...I had a funny dream." She frowned.  
  
"Was Pretty Sammy in it?" Tris joked.  
  
Mihoshi laughed. Kiyone shook her head, smiling.  
  
"Ohhhh..." Sasami said, but she was not really annoyed. Then she glanced up at the wall clock. "Gosh, I nearly forgot. It's time for lunch!"  
  
"Lunch!" cried Mihoshi. "Yay!"  
  
------  
  
As the group gathered in the dining room for the midday meal, they were unaware--blissfully unaware--of more trouble coming their way.  
  
It was coming in the form of a small space cruiser--a POS, or Privately Owned Ship, as the Galaxy Police would classify it. It was a trim craft and an expensive one, made for private individuals and their guests to cruise the known spaceways in comfort and safety. The ship was the property of one Kagal Qe'ent, a wealthy and politically influential importer from the planet Souiis, possibly the most wealthy and influential world in the Galactic Union, next to the planet Jurai.  
  
However, that worthy was not piloting his ship. He was on a holiday with his new (and third) wife on one of the pleasure planets. He would have found no pleasure at all had he known his cruiser was out of home dock and in deep space. His displeasure would have increased tenfold had he known whom was at the cockpit's controls.  
  
The person at the controls was finding things rather out of control. The pilot was a young female, very expensively dressed in a toga dress bespeaking the very latest fashions of the teen set on Souiis. Her lime hair (a very hip shade, ask any young Souiisian) was piled atop her head in what might have passed as a "beehive" on Earth. She was overdressed, over-bejeweled, over-perfumed, over-made-up, over- indulged...in fact, she was the teenaged daughter of Kagal Qe'ent. The equally young female in the second cockpit seat resembled her, somewhat, except that she wore a stylish long purple tunic, belted at the waist, with tight red leggings. She wore her raspberry-colored hair in a long--again, to employ an Earth term--ponytail. She was the daughter of a business partner of Kagal Qe'ent, one Torvah Vetrah.  
  
They were two rich, spoiled, and immensely self-centered and arrogant teen girls. Parents throughout the galaxy would have recognized their type immediately. One of them had taken her Daddy's cruiser for a joy ride. Only, the joy had gone out of the ride, because they were lost.  
  
"No, we aren't, Beah!" Viatrix Qe'ent denied hotly. "I know where we are!"  
  
"You do not! I mean, we're out in the boondocks somewhere!" Beah Vetrah countered. "I thought you knew where that band was going to play!"  
  
"I did," Viatrix insisted. "It just...isn't where it's supposed to be! Is that my fault? The stupid Galaxy Police outlawed the concert just because a few losers got trampled the last time and the place they moved it to is really out in the boonies. Maybe they had to move it again because the stupid cops found out about the new place."  
  
"Maybe--but who cares! We're lost! I should have never come!" Beah wailed. "You took your Daddy's cruiser without asking! Now we're nowhere!"  
  
"It was your idea as much as mine! Besides, all we have to do is let the navcom (navigational computer) guide us."  
  
"You don't know how to work it!"  
  
"Do too!"  
  
"Sure you do...just like you knew how to run the synthesizer. Now we have nothing to eat!"  
  
"You don't need to eat anything," Vernoa said cattily. "You're getting fat, anyway."  
  
"I am not!"  
  
The two girls fell silent. Even their usual occupation of watching each other for any indication of weight gain--no matter how slight-- and crowing about it had lost its charm. They sat on the richly appointed cockpit seats, facing the POS's cockpit console that contained the navcom. They stared helplessly at the console's twin viewscreens and then out the transparent front of the cockpit. Just blackness and stars. The ship had stopped moving since its navigational controls had received no input from the human occupants. They weren't anywhere and not going anywhere.  
  
"Well..." said Beah, with some hope in her voice. "If you really can work that navcom, why don't you do it? I really am hungry and I want to go home. We've missed the concert anyway."  
  
Viatrix looked at her friend. Beah looked like she might cry. Viatrix hoped she would not. If she did, Viatrix night start crying, too...and then where would they be?  
  
In fact...where were they?  
  
She reached a decision. She had seen Daddy work the navcom when they entered spaceways he did not immediately recognize. She would press some buttons on it. It was better than doing nothing. She was wrong, of course.  
  
A beringed finger jabbed at a few promising buttons. The small navcom datascreen blinked and asked for input. Viatrix shrugged and punched more buttons.  
  
The ship shuddered and began to move--jerkily.  
  
"Cool, girlfriend!" Beah approved. "Now we're moving. But shouldn't it be more smooth?"  
  
"Who cares?" Viatrix was relieved. "We're going somewhere, finally!"  
  
Yes, they were going somewhere. Off the main spaceways. Gliding aimlessly through space...where they haplessly entered an obscure sector of the galaxy where no inhabited planets existed advanced enough to be part of the Galactic Union, where space traffic was accordingly restricted to authorized vessels only. A sector whose floating space navigational buoys--known as nav buoys--alerted the relevant authorities when an unauthorized ship (one that lacked the proper signal beacon) entered. The POS was not authorized, of course, and the nav buoys acted according to their programming. A signal was sent to the closest Galaxy Police Command Post.  
  
The two girls were ignorant of this. Their ship just kept penetraing deeper and deeper into that out-of-the-way and godforsaken patch of space, that lonely sector with the single inhabited planet. That planet's primitive natives called the sector the "solar system." That planet, of course, was Earth.  
  
Viatrix and Beah, who thought things back home at Souiis were pretty lame and backward, were about to find out just how lame and backward a planet really could be. 


	8. CHAPTER 7: No Need For Hospitality

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel. ------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
No Need For Hospitality  
  
_______________________  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi were dust-mopping the upstairs hallway, in preparation for waxing it, when they received the official call.  
  
"What's that?" asked Mihoshi.  
  
"It's our signal!" cried Kiyone, glancing at the GP alert bracelet on her right wrist (Tris had mistaken it for a fancy watch when he first saw it). The bracelet's diode blinked and a tiny speaker buzzed. "We're needed, Mihoshi!" Kiyone's adrenaline soared. Finally! Some action! Maybe a real case! This could even be the big one! "Let's go!"  
  
"Right!"  
  
Mop handles clattered into the wooden floor as the two Galaxy Police Officers ran on bare feet down the hallway, down the stairs, and onto the first floor. They continued on to the genkan entryway, where they slipped on street shoes (running shoes, actually) and slid open the front door.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Sasami from where she sat on one of the couches in the living room, reading a fashion magazine.  
  
"We got a call!" Mihoshi told her excitedly. "Probably a big-time bad guy we gotta catch!"  
  
"Probably just some drunken speeder," Kiyone amended. But deep within, her hopes were high. Like Tris said--in the field and in the game!  
  
"Good luck!" Sasami said, putting down the magazine and standing up. She beamed a smile, although her coral eyes reflected worry. She always fretted a little bit for her friend, Mihoshi, when the latter went on duty...just a little. She never told Mihoshi that, though.  
  
"Thanks! Tell the others. We don't know when we'll be back," Kiyone replied, straightening, her laces tied. She slid open the front door.  
  
"Be sure to let me know what happens on our favorite TV show--" Mihoshi began, but was then jerked out the door by Kiyone's hand gripping her arm  
  
"Come on, Mihoshi! Move it!"  
  
Sasami watched them leave. "I will..." she promised to Mihoshi's retreating back.  
  
------  
  
Tenchi, in the process of finally getting that darned second hill mowed (he had run into some protruding roots that slowed his progress considerably), spotted Mihoshi and Kiyone running out the door of the house.  
  
He called over to Tris, who was stooped over a stone walkway, clipping away as usual.  
  
Tris looked up at Tenchi's shout. He saw the two women run out the gate and to the middle of the main yard--and stop. Whew! For a minute there he thought he'd done something again. Kiyone had given him a nice long kiss at the Mean-Mihoshi-mesmerism-mess's happy conclusion...but you never knew with her.  
  
"What's up? What are they doing?" Tris asked.  
  
"I'll bet they have a call! A case! They're going into space to check it out." Tenchi seemed excited and happy for the two women.  
  
"All right!" Tris had long wanted to see Kiyone's and Mihoshi's Galaxy Police starship, the one they called Yagami. He ran toward them, as did Tenchi.  
  
Mihoshi smiled at Tenchi and Tris as they came up to her and Kiyone. Kiyone had just used her left red ball-shaped earring (actual GP issue for female officers that Mihoshi refused wear because she thought it was too heavy) to signal their Galaxy Police cruiser to leave Earth's orbit (out of sight of terrestrial satellites of course) and to cruise down to them. Kiyone smiled at Tenchi. She gave a special smile to Tris.  
  
"Like I told you, Tris, I like your wheels...now you can check mine out!"  
  
Suddenly a huge shadow enveloped the small group. Tris looked upward. He gulped.  
  
A massive, capable-looking craft was hovering above them. Tris gawped at it. It seemed all shapely fuselage, but spouted sharp fins as well. In addition, several banks of paired and purposeful wings (resembling, somewhat, those of a World War One biplane) protruded from amidships, obviously designed for flight in atmospheric conditions. The vessel looked big enough to accommodate the entire Masaki house and actually had at one time, according to Tenchi. Tris whistled. Holey Moley--a real interplanetary spaceship! He was actually seeing one! Then he noticed its color.  
  
"Hey!" he exclaimed. "It's the same color as--"  
  
"--as your Mustang! Right!" Kiyone finished for him, obviously pleased that he noticed.  
  
"Is it that deja vu thingy, Tris?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"Close enough," Tris said, surveying the starship that hovered above them. "That is one cool ride and no doubt about it!"  
  
"You should go for a long trip in it sometime," Tenchi told him, grinning. "Like all of us, even Dad, did that time I told you about. Just bring plenty of food along!"  
  
"That'd be great! Fat chance of that happening, though," Tris admitted.  
  
"See you!" Kiyone waved. Mihoshi waved, too.  
  
"Hey, how do you get aboard?" Tris asked.  
  
"Transport beam," Kiyone explained briefly. "It's the latest upgrade. We just had it installed. Watch."  
  
"Transport beam? It doesn't scramble your atoms and reassemble them on board, does it?" Tris asked, half humorously, half seriously.  
  
"No! That's crazy, Tris," Kiyone snapped at him.  
  
"Doctor McCoy would agree with you..." Tris murmured.  
  
Suddenly, twin beams of dazzling incandescence spouted from the ship's undercarriage. The beams covered Mihoshi and Kiyone. Quickly, their trim figures left the ground and rose up toward the ship, although there appeared to be nothing holding up their bodies. Their rising forms reached the underbelly of the Yagami and then disappeared. The light blinked out.  
  
"Man!" Tris shook his head. "Gene Roddenberry, call your office!"  
  
"Tris," Tenchi said, shaking his head, "you have watched 'way too much TV in your young life. 'Way too much!"  
  
"I have not," Tris said. "And stop talking like Mr. Rogers!"  
  
------  
  
Once aboard the Yagami, Mihoshi and Kiyone quickly changed into their Galaxy Police uniforms. That is, Kiyone did. Mihoshi had difficulty with the regulation tie, as always. Kiyone impatiently told her to let it go. Kiyone didn't even bother putting on her fingerless pilot's gloves. She was dying to see what had triggered the alert.  
  
Reaching the CAC (Command And Control) center, more traditionally known as the ship's bridge, Kiyone saw that both her and Mihoshi's comm panels was glowing amber on the main console. Sure enough. A message was waiting for them. She slid into her pilot seat and punched the message up. Mihoshi sat down beside her in her co-pilot's seat.  
  
"What is it, Kiyone?" asked Mihoshi as her partner read the scrolling electronic printout.  
  
"It's not a speeder or someone with a snootful this time!" Kiyone said gleefully. "It's a POS, an expensive cruiser, traveling without an authorized recognition beacon for this sector--and it's also running a serpentine pattern! Trying to dodge the nav buoys, no doubt! Also, it's in this backwater..." Kiyone's face flushed with excitement as another notice scrolled up on her comm panel. "Mihoshi--this ship is definitely stolen! The report just came in. The owner identified her!"  
  
"Gosh!" Mihoshi was excited, too. "We've never run across anything like this before!"  
  
"That's right! This is a live one! Quick, Mihoshi--get us into space proper."  
  
"Right!"  
  
Mihoshi's nimble fingers flew over the navigational control panel. With but the slightest of tangible jars--Mihoshi was at her best, Kiyone noted--the ship left Earth's gravitational field in seconds. The sleek red police cruiser entered outer space, with full thrusters blazing. Meanwhile, Kiyone was busy with her own task.  
  
"There!" Kiyone sat back. "I've just entered the last known coordinates of that ship. It's pretty close to us." The teal-haired Detective First Class smiled at her partner. "This may be it, Mihoshi! A high-profile case. Our chance to get back in everyone's good graces--and get back to Headquarters."  
  
"Think so?" Mihoshi queried, glancing up from the nav instrument cluster she had been studying. Kiyone was so fast! They were locked on a bearing, all right. They'd reach it in no time at the speed they were travelling.  
  
"Figure it out partner. All those clues...what do they add up to?"  
  
"Someone who is where they shouldn't be?" Mihoshi ventured.  
  
"More than that! Much more. Think, Mihoshi! Private ship, stolen, trying to dodge detection. Taking refuge in the middle of nowhere..."  
  
"This isn't nowhere. This is our home, Kiyone," Mihoshi pointed out.  
  
"No, it isn't Mihoshi!" Kiyone snapped. "If this is what I think it is, we may soon be living back in our real home--our apartments at the Compound--and working at a real job--Headquarters staff."  
  
Mihoshi didn't share Kiyone's feelings. But, instead of arguing, she asked, "What do you think that ship is doing out here, Kiyone?"  
  
"Smuggling! No doubt of it. It fits the classic profile, Mihoshi. Steal an expensive private cruiser that no one would believe contained anything but some fat cats and their rich friends, fill it full of contraband, and sneaky Pete around in the hinterlands to drop off the loot to a dealer, who stashes it on some planetoid. It's slick." Kiyone smiled dangerously. "But we're slicker!"  
  
"We sure are!" Mihoshi agreed. She had caught her partner's excitement.  
  
"Those smugglers probably don't even know that there's a GP patrol unit stationed this far out," Kiyone added. "Boy, are we going to ruin their day!"  
  
"But...if they're so slick, Kiyone, wouldn't they know that?" Mihoshi queried.  
  
Kiyone's reply was cut off by the nav indicator panel that began to blink a scarlet hue. The ship's fully splayed scanner beams had picked up the errant spacecraft. Immediately, heads-up displays opened before Kiyone and Mihoshi's eyes. The ship they sought was now in plain view. It was a rich person's toy all right, one of the new Valturan-class luxury cruisers.  
  
"Dead ahead!" Kiyone said. "We've got them!"  
  
Mihoshi efficiently punched up a powerful and unbreakable comm link that she directed into the other spacecraft. The link, used only by the Galaxy Police (by law), locked into a ship's communications system and overrid all broadcasts from it. Only communications to and from the GP cruiser were enabled for the ship so affected.  
  
"Mandatory comm link established and locked on," Mihoshi reported. She pointed to a small grilled aperture between them. "That transmitter, Kiyone."  
  
"Thanks...you're doing super, partner."  
  
Mihoshi blushed with pleasure. She thought of how everyone had made such a fuss over her earlier that day--even Ryoko--and Kiyone had even hugged her. This was the best day (aside from her date with Tris) that she could remember in a long time. And now they were about to catch a smuggler!  
  
Kiyone brushed her dark teal hair back under her brimless official cap. She leaned forward a bit and spoke into the transmitter:  
  
"This is the Galaxy Police. This is official business. You are not authorized to be in this sector. Shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded."  
  
------  
  
In the luxury cruiser, Viatrix Qe'ent and Beah Vetrah were a pair of very sick-looking teenaged girls.  
  
"The cops!" Beah, true to form, was waffling immediately. "I'll be grounded forever--or at least until school starts again!"  
  
"Shut up!" Viatrix tried furiously to think. Could she explain away their presence? No. Those cops would check with the ship's owner. And if Daddy found out...it wasn't worth thinking about. Desperation seized her.  
  
"We're getting outta here!"  
  
"Outrun the GP? Viatrix! No!" Beah began to blubber.  
  
"I said, shut up! You were right the first time. We're dead if we get caught--"  
  
Their communication panel glowed and the voice of that lady cop filled the cockpit again. "You are required to respond! We are preparing to board you. Tell us--"  
  
"I'll tell you nothing, witch!" Viatrix shouted. She snapped off the comm console and looked at the navcom. She hadn't had much luck with it. Maybe she would have better luck with it now. This new cruiser was fast. Daddy bragged about it all the time. It might even outrun that GP bucket.  
  
Again, young Viatrix made a fateful decision. Her beringed fingers flew over the navcom's buttons frenziedly, jewels sparking as she did. This time she pressed touchpads she hadn't pressed before, just in case they did something.  
  
They did something, all right. Suddenly, the POS lurched and shuddered--then it began to surge forward, as the brand spanking new dyna-thrusters (her Daddy's pride and joy, after Viatrix) fired up.  
  
"We're moving!" Beah sniffled. "Gee--we're going so fast!"  
  
"We're getting away--oof!" Viatrix now smacked against her best friend, as the cockpit rotated upwards at a crazy angle.  
  
The ship's navcom, inputted with conflicting coordinates, was changing the cruiser's direction constantly, causing it to dart hither and yon at blinding speed--but, at least, away from the GP ship.  
  
------  
  
Back on the Yagami, the two Galaxy Police officers watched the other ship's antics with consternation.  
  
"They're getting away!" Mihoshi cried.  
  
"The hell they are!" Fury filled Kiyone. Attempted escape was futile and pointless and always raised her blood pressure. "Lock on the tractor beams."  
  
"Can't. The ship is too far out of range for that," Mihoshi reported, eyes glued to the indicators.  
  
"What--?"  
  
Kiyone now read the indicators, too. That little ship was fast-- amazingly fast--what the hell--? Then Kiyone knew and the knowledge infuriated her. That ship was the latest design, fitted with dyna- thrusters, no doubt. They shouldn't sell such advanced propulsion technology to civilian spacecraft manufacturers. It was damned stupid! Well, never mind about that. That smuggler--Kiyone was convinced of it now; who else was desperate and reckless enough to try to run from a GP ship?--wasn't going to get away.  
  
Kiyone proceeded to step two, as laid down by the Galaxy Police Field Officer's Manual of Instructions.  
  
"We're going to fire a warning shot across that ship's bow, Mihoshi." Kiyone's face was grim. This could spark a firefight, but she was ready. She was even, perhaps, a little eager for it. "Since they refused to respond to our call, maybe this will get their attention!"  
  
Mihoshi looked worried. That little ship was darting about like a headless chicken, going in all sorts of directions, entirely randomly...going nowhere, fast. Perhaps it would just run out of fuel. Then there'd be no need to shoot at it.  
  
"Kiyone--" she began.  
  
Kiyone sensed what her partner was going to say. "That ship has dyna-thrusters, Mihoshi. It could reach a populated planet before we caught up to it. Then we'd still have to stop it, maybe even fight it. Innocent civilians might get hurt. We need to stop it now!"  
  
Mihoshi fell silent. She still looked worried.  
  
Besides, Kiyone thought, another GP ship would have to be called in to assist in any chase scenario--that was according to GP regulations. That meant share the credit. No way!  
  
Kiyone did not realize it then, but she was reverting to the same precipitous behavior that contributed to her demotion in the first place. It would serve her no better this time.  
  
"You will immediately cease and desist!" Kiyone shouted into the transmitter. "If you do not shut down in ten seconds, we will open fire!"  
  
Again, no reply came from the suspect vessel. It continued on its rapid, erratic course.  
  
Kiyone activated the fire control computer with practiced skill, rapidly locked onto the target, then factored in a few degrees just beyond it...close enough to give those smugglers something to think about. That was not standard Galaxy Police practice. Warning shots were usually fired at least ten degrees of lateral difference from the suspect vessel. But Kiyone was mad at the smugglers and wanted to really intimidate them. It would prove to be a costly mistake.  
  
Outside the red Galaxy Police ship, a quasar-beam cannon lowered from the vessel's underbelly and swiveled into position. Its individual barrels protruded into full extension. The GP's latest weaponry had earned the name of "quasar" due to its enormous destructive force. Quasars represent giant black holes at the center of galaxies. They emit incredible energy--some 10 trillion times the energy of the sun--due to the protean force released by matter falling into black holes. The cannons themselves compressed simple molecules such as hydrogen to an enormous degree, with the resulting blast of energy capable of disabling even a Juraian Tsunami-class space galleon.  
  
At the fire control computer, Kiyone saw that the suspect ship kept zigging and zagging, almost faster than the eye could follow it. Useless! Even so, the suspect ship seemed determined to get away. And Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi was determined to stop it.  
  
Kiyone re-adjusted her aiming coordinates and glanced at the onboard chronograph. Time was up! She punched the firing touchpad.  
  
Beneath the Yagami, the quasar-beam cannon jolted out an eye- piercingly bright, white-hot beam. The beam radiated into the exact empty parsec of space Kiyone had aimed it at.  
  
Unfortunately, at the same time inside the luxury cruiser, Viatrix's fingers were frantically punching the navcom control's touchpads practically to ruins--she was seized with desperate fear. The POS made a near-impossible reversal in course, throwing both girls from their seats with a sickening lurch--and shunting right into the path of the quasar beam--  
  
"No!" Mihoshi cried.  
  
"Damn it to hell!" Kiyone cursed.  
  
There was a quick flash as the quasar beam impacted the rear of the cruiser. Another blinding flash resulted. The cruiser immediately stopped. It floated in space, dead. Its engines were flamed out and its inner thruster reactor components were fused into a solid mass. The expensive dyna-thrusters were a hunk of modern art now, for all practical purposes.  
  
"We...we hit it..." Mihoshi said with agonized disbelief.  
  
Kiyone groaned inwardly, but kept a calm outward demaonor. She felt no better about it than Mihoshi, but this was no time for breast- beating.  
  
"We fired a warning shot by the book, and that ship just blundered into it. The fire control and nav logs will back us up, Mihoshi. What we need to do now is to board that ship. Let's get our sidearms and move!"  
  
------  
  
At about that time, back on Earth, Tenchi was also issuing instructions to his partner.  
  
"Well Tris, we'd better get a few more licks in before dinner," he said.  
  
"Yeah..." Tris was still looking up, where Mihoshi and Kiyone's ship had disappeared--in the twinkling of an eye.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
"No." Tris shrugged. "Yeah, let's go back and chop more grass."  
  
He walked back to the pathway he had been trimming...not exactly appearing chipper.  
  
Watching him, Tenchi thought he knew why his friend seemed a bit down. It was one thing for Tris to know Mihoshi and Kiyone- especially Kiyone--in the familiarity of the Masaki home, two attractive young women who seemed very much like himself. But now he had seen that they were much more...they were aliens from distant planets, commissioned officers in an elite space police force that patrolled the galaxy, important figures in a world that was as remote to Tris as the very stars themselves.  
  
Tenchi had tried to warn Tris than Kiyone's time on Earth was entirely governed by how long it took for her to gain her rank back or at least maneuver an assignment to a better duty location than the solar system--and no longer. That last time, after the battle with Kagato, Kiyone had not wasted a moment in leaving them for GP Headquarters, dragging a tearful Mihoshi with her. She would do the same again when the opportunity arose. A light romance on the side was one thing, but her career was paramount.  
  
Well, maybe Tris would understand now, Tenchi hoped. It was an awful shame though. In a way, those two lonely souls needed each other. Well, it was none of his business...yeah, right...  
  
Tenchi shrugged and walked back to his own chores. When he reached the lawn mower, he was surprised to find Ayeka standing there, waiting for him.  
  
------  
  
Tenchi was not nearly as surprised, however, as Kiyone and Mihoshi were after entering the stricken cruiser.  
  
Using the Penetrator, the GP's force-entry collapsible tunnel that they extended from the Yagami into the cruiser, they had entered the vessel. They purposely had entered in the area identified by their records as that particular model of cruiser's main gantryway. Upon reaching the narrow gantryway, they had drawn their hand blasters and walked toward the ship's cockpit. They had not bothered with opening the closed cockpit doors. Instead, Kiyone had pulverized the doors' control panel with her blaster and then kicked the doors open, angrily. Behind her, Mihoshi had winced, but got into position. She and Kiyone had then sprung into the cockpit, blasters ready--  
  
--to find two teenaged girls, one blubbering, the other staring at them defiantly.  
  
"You wrecked Daddy's ship!" the non-blubberer (Viatrix) yelled at them. "He paid a lot for it. Look at my dress--it's ruined! Daddy's going to have your badges!"  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi stood frozen with shocked disbelief. The smugglers were a couple of kids?  
  
No, no, no--! Kiyone groaned inwardly as the full force of this new disaster hit her. No...it can't be...no us...not me...not again!  
  
"They're just girls," Mihoshi noted. "They don't look like smugglers to me, Kiyone."  
  
"Smugglers!" Viatrix found new courage in the ridiculous charge. These two lady cops were clowns! She decided to continue on the offensive.  
  
"Listen, Mop Head," she said, addressing Mihoshi and her hairdo, "I'm the daughter of the most powerful man on Souiis!" (Viatrix was exaggerating here, but not by much.) "I'm no girl! I'm a woman! I have a boyfriend...well, almost!"  
  
"Yes, and he goes to the High Academy, too!" Beah had finally stopped crying. "My Daddy is very powerful also. So there!" She stuck out her tongue.  
  
"It can't be..." Kiyone muttered. She lowered her blaster. Mihoshi followed suit.  
  
"Yes it can, Split Ends," Viatrix said nastily. (To Viatrix, un-chic hairstyles such as the two GP officers wore were a worse offense than smuggling.) "You've really messed up this time." She was displaying the personable style that had sent several of her private tutors and governesses into early retirement or other careers.  
  
"Watch your mouth," Kiyone told her. "We're Galaxy Police Officers. I am Detective First Class Makibi and this is Detective First Class Kuramitsu."  
  
"Big deal! I'm Viatrix and this is Beah. And you two cops are Detectives No Class!"  
  
"I said, watch your mouth! You will show us the proper respect!"  
  
"Respect? Hah! For a couple of loser cops who patrol the boondocks?" Viatrix had a talent for hitting raw nerves dead center. She saw that both of the lady cops' faces had blushed scarlet, momentarily. Bull's eye!  
  
"You're under arrest for traveling without authorization into a restricted area. You might chew on that for a moment." Kiyone maintained control of herself, although she quaked within at the thought of how this would all look at Headquarters.  
  
Viatrix seemed to quail for a moment, but recovered quickly. "My Daddy will get us off. He knows the High Commissioner of the GP Civilian Advisory Board, personally."  
  
Kiyone groaned inwardly. If that were true...the High Commissioner had great influence in the GP; he was nearly as powerful as the Grand Marshall himself. Her stomach now got that queasy feeling of impending doom. Her stomach was rarely wrong.  
  
"Besides, you shot our ship! For no reason!" Viatrix charged.  
  
"You attempted flight!" Kiyone returned the volley.  
  
"The ship's navcom went unglued. I couldn't control it." Viatrix clearly had her story already in place. She'd had plenty of practice in that arena, Kiyone suspected. "You shot us with no reason, Split Ends! We were just out of control, needing help--and you sure helped us!"  
  
"Yeah--you could have killed us!" Beah added.  
  
Kiyone was beginning to boil inside with anger and frustration. She refused to believe the girls' tale. She also refused to believe that she had anything like split ends. She spent about as much time on her hair as Mihoshi spent on hers, and that was considerable. But she controlled herself again, somehow. Those two little brats weren't going to provoke her into saying something she'd regret later.  
  
"You two are under arrest, I said. You are both in custody now. Showing disrespect to a Galaxy Police officer is an offense and you will be so charged if you keep displaying such discourtesy. I won't warn you again!"  
  
"Charge away, Detective Split Ends," Viatrix said. Beah stuck her tongue out again. She never wasted words when a gesture would do.  
  
"Very well." Kiyone reached into a pocket and brought out her GP transcriber-recorder. "First, I must take down your particulars-- your full names and addresses and so on, so we can notify your parents."  
  
The two girls looked at each other.  
  
"We can't stay here!" Viatrix insisted. "Your shot knocked out our engine and our power supply, too. Our battery power won't last long and our life-support system will go out and we'll die!" Viatrix obviously knew something about ships...just nothing about navigation.  
  
"We'll take you aboard our ship when I finish with this!" Kiyone rapped. "Then we'll take you to the area GP Command Post. There, you'll be charged."  
  
"Hah!"  
  
Kiyone turned at Mihoshi, who had been staring at the two girls with incredulity. "Detective Kuramitsu...please go back to Yagami and report this to Headquarters while I get their particulars."  
  
"Yes, Detective Makibi." With a last dubious look at the two little monsters, Mihoshi left.  
  
------  
  
"You didn't need to come out here, Ayeka," Tenchi told her. They both stood facing each other on the lawn. "I was coming in pretty soon, anyway."  
  
"I wanted to talk to you alone, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said quietly.  
  
Tenchi looked at the Juraian Princess with some consternation. Ayeka's pretty, patrician features were a bit pinched. Her ruby eyes seemed woeful. She was clearly upset about something.  
  
"Okay, Ayeka. Is something wrong?"  
  
Ayeka lowered her eyes. "I have a confession to make to you, Lord Tenchi."  
  
"Yes, Ayeka?"  
  
She took in a deep breath, and then let it out. Why was it so hard to talk to the man she loved so much? She plunged ahead. "Sasami was not the one who screamed the other night and woke the house. It was me, Lord Tenchi."  
  
"Ayeka...!" Tenchi was astonished.  
  
"I know...I know. I allowed my little sister, my loyal little sister, to lie for me. Oh, I am ashamed--so ashamed!"  
  
Ayeka lowered her head.  
  
"But why, Ayeka?"  
  
"My stupid, useless, senseless pride! I did not want to admit that I have been plagued with horrible nightmares for a span of time now. Sasami has been helping me keep them a secret. The little dear has been covering up for me. Now we have involved your friend, Tristram."  
  
"I see. You had the nightmare. And since you've already been having nightmares, it couldn't have been the movie." Tenchi understood now. Tris had really taken a bum rap--and because of Ayeka, of all people.  
  
"No, no, it was not the movie, Lord Tenchi. I had the same exact nightmares before as a child. They have simply recurred. That means they will go away eventually. That is why I have not mentioned them. But when poor Tristram got blamed...and Sasami lied for me...and today, when I saw Tristram own up to his own mistake with Mihoshi...I thought about what I had done. Suddenly, I could not stand myself."  
  
Her voice was choked with heavy emotion. Her body quivered. Tenchi touched her chin with his fingers and slowly raised her head. Tears streamed down Ayeka's cheeks, tears of remorse. Her lovely eyes were like liquid rubies, tearful and repentant.  
  
"But Ayeka, you should have told us about the nightmares. We would have understood. We would have been aware of them, at least. Maybe we could have helped."  
  
"Only time will help with the dreams, as it did before. But I could not stand it...if you thought something was wrong with me, Lord Tenchi. I simply love you too much to risk losing you by allowing myself to look weak and unfit in your eyes."  
  
Tenchi shook his head. "The only thing wrong with you, Ayeka, is that pride you mentioned. I understand it, though. Your dignity, your position--all of that makes you prideful. But it is the fact that you are so thoughtful and caring and sympathetic...that's what makes you a true princess, Ayeka. To me, anyway."  
  
More tears followed the first down Ayeka's cheeks. "I would rather be your princess here on Earth, Lord Tenchi...than the First Princess of Jurai. I mean that with all my heart."  
  
Tenchi smiled fondly. He took out his handkerchief and dried away Ayeka's tears.  
  
"But you are First Princess of Jurai, Ayeka. And your people would have it no other way. And neither would I."  
  
"Really, Lord Tenchi?"  
  
"Really, Ayeka."  
  
"You are too forgiving and good. I don't deserve you. I should--" her voice quavered.  
  
"You should go over to Tris and apologize to him. He won't say anything about it to anyone else. Only we four will know. That's enough."  
  
"You...you will not inform Lord Yosho?"  
  
Tenchi shook his head. "No. Grandfather would see this as a private matter between ourselves. We should handle it ourselves." He smiled. "Just like when you girls resolved that argument the other night."  
  
Ayeka slowly nodded. She visibly composed herself. "May I borrow your handkerchief, Lord Tenchi?"  
  
Tenchi handed it to her. She finished repairing her face with it.  
  
"Ayeka...I'm kind of worried about those nightmares. Are you sure they'll just go away?"  
  
"I am certain, Lord Tenchi. They did before." Ayeka handed Tenchi back his handkerchief.  
  
"Okay. But if they don't go away soon, we'll need to do something. Maybe Washuu could find a way to help." Tenchi grinned. "Of course, I don't recommend using that Dream Machine again!"  
  
Tenchi's levity made Ayeka laugh softly. "Oh, no! I love Sasami, but I simply could not endure Pretty Sammy again!"  
  
They both laughed briefly. The air had cleared.  
  
"Guess I'd better get back to work," Tenchi said.  
  
"Yes." Ayeka looked resolute. "I think I shall have a talk with Tristram now. I shall see you again at dinner, Lord Tenchi."  
  
"See you then."  
  
He watched the elegantly gowned figure of Princess Ayeka, moving slowly, but with grace, walk to where Tris was bent over trimming grass. He saw her speak to him, saw him rise. They conversed for a few minutes. Then Tris stuck out his hand, and Ayeka took it. Tenchi smiled.  
  
------  
  
At that moment, Kiyone was most definitely not smiling. In fact she was ready to curse again, but held her temper in check. It took a monumental effort.  
  
She had taken down the two girls' particulars for the official record and then talked with Mihoshi via her communicator. Mihoshi had already notified a salvage crew at the area GP Command Post to come and collect the damaged cruiser. She had also reported their capture of the stolen POS and its occupants to Headquarters. Kiyone had then escorted the two teen girls through the intrusion tunnel and back into the police starship. Mihoshi would retract the tunnel once she knew they were aboard.  
  
When Kiyone and the girls had entered the Yagami, Kiyone first brought them to the small brig designed for holding prisoners. But they had kicked up such a fuss that she finally put them in the ship's recreation room where they could at least listen to music and watch entertainment media. With great relief, Kiyone left them there and returned to the ship's bridge. The sooner she got those two little horrors off her hands, the better.  
  
Upon entering the bridge, Kiyone greeted Mihoshi, but her partner only looked at her silently. Mihoshi's face seemed drawn with concern. Uh-oh.  
  
"You retracted the tunnel okay?" Kiyone asked her. Sometimes the bargain basement Penetrator tunnel malfunctioned, thanks to the lowest-bid mentality of the GP contracting branch. Mihoshi just nodded her head.  
  
"Well, what is it, then?" Kiyone demanded.  
  
"Kiyone," Mihoshi said, her voice sounding strained. "You are to contact GP Headquarters immediately."  
  
Double uh-oh! Kiyone knew a bad portent when she encountered one. Wordlessly, she slipped into her seat and punched up GP Headquarters on the comm panel.  
  
On her viewscreen, a face appeared. Kiyone was relieved at first to see that it was the hearty and hirsute features of Chief Tor Bodai. He was Chief of Patrol for several regions, including the region containing Kiyone and Mihoshi's sector. He was also the former Chief Instructor at the Galaxy Police Academy where Kiyone had been one of his favorite cadets. Usually, she had to deal with regular GP Headquarters staff officers who did little to hide their contempt for her and Mihoshi from their expressions and verbal tones, although they never strayed beyond official communications.  
  
Then Kiyone realized how unusual it was for Chief Bodai, who was many layers above her in the bureaucracy, to inquire directly into a case so early in its inception. Another bad portent.  
  
"Yes, Chief?"  
  
"Detective Makibi," and Chief Bodai's voice was sympathetic. She steeled herself. "We have a situation here."  
  
"What is it, Chief?"  
  
"It seems that news of your...arrest...has reached the ears of both the girls' parents. One of those parents, who owns the POS, a certain Kagal Qe'ent, is a close friend and confidant of our High Commissioner. Evidently, and this is off the record, Detective, this man worked quickly after he was first notified about his stolen cruiser. He discovered that his daughter must have taken it. At any rate, Detective, the High Commissioner is now involved."  
  
Ye gods! A politician involved in the case! Kiyone prepared for the worst. It came.  
  
"I must tell you that the story of your vessel firing upon and hitting a Privately Owned Ship containing two teenaged girls has not set well here. I know you acted properly and your ship's logs will back you up. However, the appearance of the situation is a negative one. I cannot say how things will turn out, but even if you are technically correct, Detective, you and your partner's judgment will likely be questioned at the highest levels."  
  
Kiyone listened to the Chief's words numbly. This was a nightmare. It was like a replay of that disastrous manhunt that had gotten her and Mihoshi busted back to Detective First Class. The highest levels. That meant the Grand Marshall, Mihoshi's grandfather. The very man who could not afford to show either Kiyone or his granddaughter the slightest bit of consideration.  
  
"They broke several laws, Chief." Kiyone's voice was neutral but her blue eyes mirrored her inner turmoil.  
  
"Yes, but the girls are still minors, Detective. Naturally, the father will not bring charges against them, and a navigational data dump could account both for their presence in the restricted area and their alleged attempt to escape pursuit. That's why the situation is so delicate."  
  
"Yes, Chief." That little bitch Viatrix had called it right! Malfunctioning equipment would serve as an alibi for the brats.  
  
"However...there might be a way to ameliorate the situation somewhat," Chief Bodai said with a bit more animation. "The girl's father has asked for permission to come and pick up his daughter and her friend personally, rather than having them transported to a GP Command Post. His concern is understandable. Their appearance at a GP facility would get around and might damage their reputations."  
  
Oh, of course...and we wouldn't want to inconvenience the little dears...oh, no. Kiyone sat and just listened as a dull ache filled her stomach. Suddenly she hated her job, hated the Galaxy Police, hated those brats...and she was beginning to hate herself, too. She could do nothing right and once again her career was in the toilet. For two lousy Jurais, she'd shut off the viewscreen, dump the brats off at the Command Post, and resign...well, no, she wouldn't. But it was tempting.  
  
Seeing her partner's shoulders shaking, ever so slightly, Mihoshi reached under the console and gently grasped Kiyone's hand. The news had hit her hard enough, but to her partner, Mihoshi knew, it was a body blow. Mihoshi's heart ached for Kiyone.  
  
She felt Kiyone grasp her hand and saw her shoulders stop shaking. Thank goodness!  
  
"So..." Chief Bodai continued. "It would greatly aid in defusing the situation if you could quarter the girls in a comfortable place for a few days. It will take that long for the father to arrange transport. By a comfortable place, Detective, I do not mean your ship. I mean, rather, the quarters you maintain on the planet Earth. That show of goodwill and a willingness to cooperate will go far with the High Commissioner, I am certain. It might persuade him not to formally approach the Grand Marshall. Do you understand, Detective?"  
  
Kiyone did understand. Chief Bodai was going out on a limb to suggest this method of mitigating the situation. He could simply have told her and Mihoshi to bring the girls to the area Command Post and let them suffer the fallout. Chief Bodai was the same old darling he had been at the Academy. Kiyone was grateful, although the unfairness of it all--and the potential further damage to her career--made her want to scream.  
  
"Yes, Chief. I get you."  
  
"I thought you would, Detective. You are an intelligent and competent officer. Of course, you must make certain that their stay at your quarters is pleasant and...uncontroversial."  
  
In other words, Kiyone silently translated, treat the brats like royalty and allow no further incidents to occur, including not arousing any notice from the authorities on Earth. It was a tall order.  
  
"Yes, Chief," Kiyone responded neutrally.  
  
"Very well. You will be contacted when the parent's transport vessel is in your sector. Until then, you are excused from regular patrol duties. Chief Bodai out."  
  
The viewscreen went blank.  
  
With a moan, Kiyone laid her head on the console. She kept it there for a while. Mihoshi continued to hold her hand.  
  
Then Kiyone sat up, slipped her hand from Mihoshi's, and squared her shoulders.  
  
"All right," she said briskly, "I have the two brats--I suppose I should stop calling them that--in the rec room. I'll go tell them, and--"  
  
"Kiyone...where are we going to take them?"  
  
"To our quarters on--" Kiyone stopped. What quarters?  
  
"Chief Bodai and everybody else at Headquarters think we still have that apartment in the city we had to give up!" Mihoshi reminded her. "They don't know we're living with an Earth family...and who else we're living with!" She meant Ryoko, of course, although Washuu was a liability as well.  
  
"Damn!" Kiyone had forgotten that little vital fact while she had just sat there and listened to Chief Bodai and kept saying yes like a dummy.  
  
"What will we do?" Mihoshi asked. "If we take the girls to the Command Post..."  
  
Kiyone laughed bitterly. "After the Chief went to all that trouble to help us? How would we explain why we couldn't take those pests to Earth? We might as well just turn in our badges as do that!"  
  
"But if we take them to Tenchi's--there's so many there now. And if Ryoko says the wrong thing to the girls--or Washuu--and the girls find out who they really are--"  
  
"Washuu won't. Ryoko won't either, once she knows the score. We can count on them, Mihoshi...all of them." Kiyone suddenly thought of Tris. How she wanted to be with him, right now!  
  
"You mean, we're going to take them to Tenchi's?"  
  
"Do we have a choice? Doing anything else means another reprimand and probable dismissal. We may be able to pull it off. We can try, anyway."  
  
"Yes, Kiyone." Mihoshi now smiled at her. "It'll work out! It might even be fun!"  
  
"Sure," muttered Kiyone. "If yanking out your own teeth is fun...!"  
  
------  
  
During dinner in the Masaki home the absence of Mihoshi and Kiyone was quite noticeable. Especially to Tris. He sat rather alone, not being flanked by Mihoshi and Kiyone for once. Sasami scooted closer to him. Still a lot of empty space, though. Tenchi's Dad was also missing dinner due to more overtime, a fact not lost on his son and father-in-law.  
  
Conversation seemed restrained. The group appeared to miss the presence of the two women, especially bubbly Mihoshi. They were halfway through their meal when Washuu walked into the dining room.  
  
"Hi, Washuu," Tenchi said, surprised and pleased to have her attend a meal with them. The others also greeted her.  
  
Tris patted an empty place beside him. "Have a seat, Washuu."  
  
"Don't mind if I do." Washuu sat down on Kiyone's mat next to Tris. She smiled at him. For some reason, despite the hypnotism incident, the super scientist really liked him, Tris knew.  
  
Sasami went to get her a teacup, a bowl, chopsticks, and napkins. When she brought them back to Washuu, the great scientist helped herself to rice and cabbage rolls. She munched with enjoyment.  
  
"I received a message from Kiyone on the comm console in my lab. You all better hold onto your seats," she warned. "This is a doozy!"  
  
"What's up?" Tenchi asked. Tris leaned toward Washuu, concern etching his features.  
  
"Oh, your girlfriend's okay, Tris! Mihoshi is, too! They're both fit to be tied, though." Washuu explained the situation and consumed cabbage rolls simultaneously.  
  
When she finished (both the tale and the cabbage rolls), the table was silent.  
  
Tris shook his head. Poor Mihoshi--and poor Kiyone! No one deserved such rotten luck, least of all them. He called how happy and pumped up Kiyone had been when she had left.  
  
Finally, Ryoko spoke:  
  
"Tris, take off your crown. Mihoshi and Kiyone are now the royal screw-ups around here!"  
  
"Such tender sympathy," Ayeka said to her acidly.  
  
"Hey, I'm sympathetic, Princess. When I used to blast people's ships they held it against me, too. Imagine that!"  
  
"Ryoko..." Tenchi said.  
  
"Yes, sweetums?"  
  
Tenchi shook his head.  
  
Ryoko made a zipping motion across her lips. Her eyebrows lifted in silent interrogation.  
  
Tenchi nodded.  
  
Lord Yosho spoke. "This is most distressing. I feel for our two Detectives. I also understand their situation. I feel we can do nothing else but offer their charges our hospitality."  
  
"Thanks, Grandfather." Tenchi said.  
  
"Of course, we must. But how are we to do it?" Ayeka asked. "Our shared bedroom is hardly large enough for the five of us...six, counting Miss Washuu here."  
  
"Don't worry about me," Washuu said. "I'll just keep bunking in my lab. No problem."  
  
"Thanks, Washuu," Tenchi said.  
  
Washuu smiled at him. "You're welcome."  
  
Sasami said, "Perhaps a few of us could move in with Washuu for a few days. I wouldn't mind."  
  
Both Ayeka and Ryoko looked as if they would mind...considerably.  
  
Washuu resolved that possible point of contention quickly. "No, Sasami, you would mind. I tend to create a pretty strong atmosphere sometimes during my experiments."  
  
"You mean raise a big stink!" Ryoko said.  
  
"Yeah, that's probably a fair description," Washuu admitted.  
  
Ryoko turned to Tenchi. "I could sleep on the roof like I used to-- or in the rafters." Ryoko had cut out such free-form sleeping habits in her quest to act more "normally" around Tenchi, to prove to him that she could succeed as the respectable wife of a Shinto priest.  
  
"You do already," Ayeka murmured. "All day..."  
  
Tenchi shook his head. "That sort of thing won't help. This is just onesies and twosies."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. "We need to free up a room. Thus, I propose turning my bedroom over to our new guests. I could easily share my son-in-law's room with him."  
  
Ayeka looked shocked. "The two heads of the household--forced to that? I protest, with all due respect, Lord Yosho!"  
  
"Yes, Grandfather, I'm not comfortable with that either," Tenchi said. He looked thoughtful. "I have an idea." He grinned and glanced at Tris. "Tris...didn't you tell me once you were a Boy Scout?"  
  
Tris nodded. "I have the poison ivy scars to prove it. I can't show them to you in mixed company, of course."  
  
"Okay, wise guy. Then you should fall right in with my idea."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"We pitch that old tent we have outside. We stay there and those two girls have my--our--room. The weather's been warm enough for camping out."  
  
Tris shrugged. "All right, but only if I can bring my official Boy Scout survival kit."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Five bags of chips, two boxes of donuts, and one copy of Playboy."  
  
Tenchi groaned. "I had to ask! Well...seriously, are you game?"  
  
"I was born game. As I've gotten got older I've only gotten gamier."  
  
This time, everyone around the table, with the sole exception of Lord Yosho, groaned.  
  
"Just say yes, Tris," Tenchi requested.  
  
"Yes, Tris."  
  
"Okay, problem solved," Tenchi said.  
  
"Wait! Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka seemed less than pleased. "Do you seriously propose to sleep outside in some cloth shelter? Like some...primitive?"  
  
"You know," Tris said to Washuu, "it sounds even more fun the way Ayeka describes it."  
  
Tenchi said, "Yes I do, Ayeka. I camped out lots of times when I was younger."  
  
"That is true," Lord Yosho said. "When Tenchi was a boy, he and his father and I would spend summer nights in the woodlands in that tent he mentioned. We would sit before a camp fire and talk." Yosho had a faraway look in his eyes. "Those were wonderful times."  
  
"Yes they were, Grandfather," Tenchi said, remembering those summer nights also.  
  
"Tenchi's mother would always surprise us by bringing us some special treat," Yosho continued. "Yes...wonderful times."  
  
Tenchi nodded slowly. Yes, he remembered that. They would talk and laugh, and then his mother would appear, carrying a basket. One time, she brought them rice cakes. He remembered it vividly. His pretty mother...her smile...  
  
"The way you describe it, Lord Yosho," Ayeka said softly, "it does sound rather special. I apologize for my remarks."  
  
"There's nothing to apologize for, Princess," Lord Yosho told her.  
  
Sasami smiled sympathetically at her big sister. For Ayeka, it had been a day full of apologizing.  
  
"I'll be happy to bring you boys food," the little Princess told Tenchi and Tris.  
  
"Aw, gee," Tris complained. "And here I was planning to cook sweet potatoes, Indian-style."  
  
"Indian style?" Sasami asked.  
  
"Yep. Wrap 'em in mud, cook 'em for two hours, then go raid a white settlement for something to eat," Tris said.  
  
Tenchi turned to Sasami. "Bring the food, please."  
  
"So you're really going to do it?" Ryoko asked. "Sleep outside? Hmmm." She had a sly look. "Perhaps I will go back to sleeping on the roof!"  
  
"In which case," Ayeka commented, "we can only hope for rain."  
  
"Good one, Ayeka," Washuu said with a grin.  
  
"Speaking of being on the roof," Tenchi said to Ryoko, "you'll have to cut out flying, and passing through walls, and all that. And you must watch what you say to the new houseguests. Those girls mustn't get a clue as to who you are."  
  
"Bummer," said Ryoko. She then remembered to glare at Ayeka for that "rain" crack.  
  
"And that goes for you too, Washuu," Tenchi added.  
  
"No problem. I'll just keep a low profile around those two."  
  
"Now that I have to see," Ryoko told her.  
  
"You just watch your own p's and q's, Ryoko," Washuu replied testily.  
  
"It makes good sense to give those girls your room," Tris told Tenchi. "Of all the bedrooms, your bedroom would probably suit those girls more. And you have that stereo in there. They can listen to some primitive Earth tribal music. You know, Bach, Beethoven, Five Inch Nails..."  
  
Tenchi chuckled. "Yes, they'll certainly get an education."  
  
"If we're lucky, they'll just play your stereo and watch the TV in the living room and eat--if they're anything like my cousins," Tris added.  
  
"That would work out great. Just keep them in the house." Tenchi nodded.  
  
"And from what Kiyone told me, you'll want to keep them in the house," Washuu noted.  
  
"These young women are...troublesome?" Lord Yosho inquired.  
  
"They're pure poison, according to Kiyone. Of course she's just a tad prejudiced, but their antics don't exactly recommend them."  
  
"There is something to that, Professor Washuu," Yosho said. "That means we will need to work even harder to make them feel welcome. For hospitality's sake, certainly, but also for the sake of our two Detectives."  
  
"That's right, Grandfather," Tenchi agreed.  
  
"I don't know...a couple of snotty little girls...sounds like a pain, a real pain," Ryoko grumped.  
  
"You heard Lord Yosho and Lord Tenchi," Ayeka told her.  
  
"Oh, I'll go along. I want to help, too. But...no flying, no walking through walls, no war stories, no fun. Sheesh! Sounds like the only happy campers around here will be Tenchi and Tris!"  
  
------  
  
Neither Kiyone nor Mihoshi were happy campers. Although they were relieved to learn from Washuu that the Masaki household was quite willing to board the two new guests, they were not so relieved to learn once they had arrived back at Earth that they would need to keep the two brats in the Yagami for another hour. That would give Tenchi and Tris time to get the tent pitched in the yard and Ryoko and Ayeka time to finish setting up the brats' room, formerly Tenchi's and Tris's bedroom. Unfortunately, every extra moment with the brats was like extra root canal work. And Viatrix and Beah were getting antsy.  
  
"How long we gotta wait here, Mop Head?" Viatrix asked Mihoshi. She and Beah were still in the rec room. It was Mihoshi's turn to put up with them while Kiyone monitored the ship's controls and rested her jangled nerves on the bridge.  
  
"A little while longer--and I am not a mop head!"  
  
"Oh, no? Who does your hair? That tight-pants partner of yours?" Beah asked.  
  
"No. I do it myself."  
  
Both girls clapped their hands over their mouths and looked at each other. "No excuse!" they said together and broke into malicious laughter.  
  
Mihoshi was extremely slow to anger and wanted to like everybody. These girls were making that just about impossible. They hurt her feelings and called her names and did not seem to have any respect for her uniform. They really bothered Mihoshi and bewildered her, too.  
  
"What's this crummy planet you're taking us to called again?" Viatrix demanded.  
  
"It's called Earth. It's a nice planet. You'll like it."  
  
"I'll just bet!" Viatrix seemed skeptical. "It isn't even in the Galactic Union. And the Union will take just about any putrid planet. This place must really be the pits!"  
  
"It must be," Beah echoed.  
  
"No, it's not. The people there aren't very advanced in space travel and that's why they aren't in the Union," Mihoshi explained patiently. "But they are so nice and friendly. They have lots of fun things to do and lovely food. You'll see."  
  
"It sounds like a real hole. The people there probably live in caves and wear animal skins," Beah speculated.  
  
"No, they don't!" Mihoshi couldn't believe such negative attitudes. "They don't live in caves. They live in houses...nice houses. Of course, Tris does wear a leather jacket."  
  
"Who's Tris? That's a dumb name." Viatrix's lip curled.  
  
"It is not! It's a very good name!" Mihoshi was once more quick to defend Tris--too quick, this time.  
  
"Hah!" Viatrix, once again aiming for the jugular, had seen the look in Mihoshi's eyes at the mention of Tris. "He's her boyfriend! Detective Mop Head has a boyfriend!"  
  
"On that awful old planet?" Beah shook her raspberry ponytail. "He can't be much!"  
  
Mihoshi blushed scarlet. "He's not my boyfriend. He's a very nice boy, that's all. You two don't know anything about him."  
  
"He won't give you a tumble, huh?"  
  
"What?" Mihoshi's face flamed with shock. "How can you say such things? It's so crude...and mean!"  
  
"So Mop Head doesn't have a boyfriend," Viatrix told Beah, who nodded. "She just wishes she did. Some lame Earth guy. That's feeble!"  
  
Actually, Viatrix had to admit privately, she was in the same boat-- that dreamy older boy who went to the High Academy wouldn't give her a tumble, either. But she was scared and worried and even feeling a little guilty...all of which she handled it in the only way she knew how--by being as difficult as possible with authority figures. Besides, this Detective Kuramitsu was an easy target.  
  
Mihoshi, her face still flushed, was about to reply to Viatrix's comment when she heard Kiyone's voice demand: "What's going on in here?"  
  
The blonde Galaxy Police officer turned around. Kiyone was standing in the rec room entrance.  
  
Glaring at the two teenaged girls, Kiyone walked into the rec room. The peace and quiet on the bridge seemed to have done her a little good, but not much.  
  
Before Mihoshi could say anything, Viatrix answered. "She's been telling us all about Earth. It stinks!"  
  
"I did not say that, Kiyone!" Mihoshi insisted. "I told them how nice it was!"  
  
Kiyone surveyed Viatrix and Beah with weary resignation. "I'm certain you did, Detective Kuramitsu. Our...guests...should be a little more open-minded."  
  
"Your partner is sure open-minded," Viatrix said cattily. "She wants to date some caveman on that Earth place. Did you know that?"  
  
"Caveman?" Kiyone looked confused.  
  
"Yeah, and he even wears animal skins! That's gross!" Beah chimed in.  
  
"Huh?" Kiyone looked at Mihoshi. Mihoshi was blushing.  
  
"His name is Tris! Tris! I wouldn't name a cabbit that!" Viatrix laughed gleefully. Beah joined in.  
  
Kiyone closed her eyes. No...no...no...!  
  
"Hey, we thought you already had your nap on the bridge, Split Ends!"  
  
Kiyone opened her eyes. Her violet blue eyes blazed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kiyone," Mihoshi said morosely.  
  
"Don't worry about it." Kiyone turned to the girls. "I've had just about enough of you two. Keep it up and it's off to jail you go!"  
  
"Yeah--and then I bet it's off the force you go!"  
  
"Right! Otherwise, we'd be in jail right now!" Beah was correct, of course. The girls might be plagues but they weren't stupid.  
  
Kiyone looked at her partner, who was blinking back tears. That tore it! Kiyone would not tolerate anyone abusing Mihoshi.  
  
"Listen, you two little bitches," Kiyone said in a low, intense voice that made Viatrix and Beah start. "Keep it up...and just for the pleasure of tossing you both in jail and having that stigma attached to you forever...I'll take whatever happens next!"  
  
That stopped the two girls cold. They even closed their mouths, which was something.  
  
"Now you two stay in here and listen to music or watch programs. But just--shut--up!"  
  
Kiyone turned from them. She looked at Mihoshi, who in turn regarded her with wonderment.  
  
"We'll both go to the bridge this time, partner. Let's find out what's holding things up."  
  
------  
  
What was holding things up was something that wasn't holding things up--at least, not very well--the old tent's ridge pole.  
  
The aluminum pole had bent and Tris had spent some time trying to straighten it. Finally he had to give it up as a bad job and use it, although it was still rather less than straight. As a result, the tent leaned...somewhat drunkenly.  
  
"It is a very old tent, Tristram," Lord Yosho told him, surveying the result. "It is adequate shelter for a few days, I believe."  
  
Tenchi walked into view from around the tent, where he had been tightening the guy ropes around the stakes. "Man...look at it lean."  
  
The two young men had pitched the tent only a few yards away from the house so that they would not have to cover too much ground to reach one of life's necessities...the toilet. The elderly tent, a bright orange color, still looked rather festive, if one assumed that the festivities had gotten a bit out of hand. Tenchi loved the old tent, though.  
  
"Yeah," Tris said. "The Leaning Tower of Tenchi!"  
  
Tenchi chuckled. "Don't blame it on me. You bent the ridge pole, bonehead."  
  
"Don't know my own strength."  
  
"What strength? It's aluminum!"  
  
"It will do," Lord Yosho said.  
  
"Yes, sir," Tris said. "At least the tent's made of nylon. Those old canvas jobs tend to leak. And this tent has a floor. That's good."  
  
"Afraid of laying on grass?" Tenchi egged him. "What kind of Boy Scout were you?"  
  
"One that didn't like bug bites, that's what kind."  
  
"I'm glad you two were able to erect the tent before dark," Yosho told them. The daylight was just beginning to dissolve into twilight. "You had better get the futons and the blankets inside. I will go and procure you some lanterns."  
  
"We have flashlights, Grandfather."  
  
"Lanterns will not go amiss." Lord Yosho left for the temple.  
  
Tenchi and Tris heard the front door slide open. They looked in that direction. They watched as Ayeka, Ryoko, and Sasami stepped outside and walked up to them.  
  
"When are you going to get the tent up?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"It's up," said Tenchi.  
  
"That thing? Looks like it'll fall any moment!"  
  
"Then it'll still cover us," Tenchi told her.  
  
"Looks like a Tris job to me." Ryoko grinned.  
  
"Guilty." Tris grinned back, a little sheepishly.  
  
"Aw, we both put it up," Tenchi said.  
  
"It does not look very solid, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said, inspecting the somewhat sagging structure. "I shall worry about you and Tristram in it."  
  
"We'll be fine, Ayeka," Tenchi said.  
  
Ayeka looked dubious.  
  
"I think it's fun!" Sasami said. "Living in a tent outdoors! I'd like to do it sometime."  
  
"That's easy, Junior Princess," Ryoko said. "Just go outside and lay under a tree some night. It'll give you about as much shelter."  
  
Ayeka was about to chastise Ryoko about using that impudent nickname again when Washuu's voice sounded from the open front door. They all turned. The great scientist stood in the doorway, looking a bit flushed from hurrying from her lab.  
  
"Hey out there! Kiyone wants to know if she can bring our little guests in. I get the impression they're being kind of a handful."  
  
"Are we ready?" Tenchi asked Ryoko and Ayeka.  
  
Ayeka nodded. "We did out best with your room, Lord Tenchi. We put the prettier pillows and sheets and blankets in the bed and futon. Sasami put all her fashion magazines in there, too. We moved your clothing and Tristram's to the closet next to the bath chamber. I believe we are finished."  
  
"The room doesn't look too bad." Ryoko grinned at Tenchi. "Of course, I've always liked your bedroom, Tenchi...especially the bed."  
  
Ayeka only sniffed, refusing to be drawn.  
  
Tenchi turned to Washuu. "We're ready, Washuu," he called to her. "At least, as ready as we'll ever be!"  
  
"Gotcha." Washuu disappeared from the doorway.  
  
------  
  
Amazingly, the two pests kept quiet all the way to the transport beam chamber. Kiyone and Mihoshi sent them to Earth first, then followed them down.  
  
Standing now on the lawn of the Masaki homestead, Kiyone's fingers manipulated her red earring. The Yagami slipped back up into the sky. In a moment, the starship had vanished from view.  
  
"Gack!" said Viatrix, surveying the wide lawn and the wooded area just beyond. "This is a jungle! We'll get eaten by wild animals!"  
  
"I pity the wild animals," Kiyone muttered.  
  
"Hey..." Beah said, staring at Lake Masaki. "What's a Juraian tree doing here?"  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kiyone muttered.  
  
Ryo-Ohki bounded up to them, happy to see to the two nice beings back and curious about the two new beings.  
  
"A cabbit!" Viatrix exclaimed. "How can they have a cabbit in this dump?"  
  
Kiyone didn't say anything. Neither did Mihoshi. They both had forgotten about Ryo-Ohki. Inwardly, Kiyone cursed.  
  
Fortunately, Ryo-Ohki quickly saw that no pets or carrots were in the offing. The cabbit bounded away.  
  
"It sure is funny seeing a cabbit here," Viatrix muttered. Beah nodded. They both looked at the two Galaxy Police officers narrowly.  
  
Mihoshi changed the subject. "Look, Kiyone." She pointed. "What's that?"  
  
Kiyone looked. She saw an orange fabric structure that stood--or, rather, leaned--next to the house. It sagged rather sadly.  
  
"Heck if I know."  
  
"We're not going to stay in that!" Viatrix cried. "I'll tell Daddy!"  
  
"Me, too!" Beah chimed in.  
  
"I'm sure that's not meant for you two...although it's an idea, at that," Kiyone gritted.  
  
"Watch it, Split Ends!"  
  
"You watch it. Remember what I said on the ship? I can always call Yagami back."  
  
The two teen girls fell into a moody silence.  
  
"But what's it for, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked, referring to the orange tent.  
  
"Not sure. But I suspect a wonderful guy and a hopeless idiot are behind it!"  
  
------  
  
Actually, they were in front of it, watching Kiyone, Mihoshi, and the two teenaged girls. Ayeka, Ryoko, and Sasami had already returned to the house.  
  
"They look like regular girls, sort of," Tenchi mused. "Crazy hairdos and too much makeup and jewelry, though."  
  
"Yeah, regular little angels," Tris said sarcastically.  
  
"I didn't say that..."  
  
"So that's the Galaxy Police uniform," Tris observed, contemplating Mihoshi--and Kiyone. "You know, they look kind of like the marching band's uniforms from my high school days...the tight jackets and pants, the military cut, even those brimless hats. They ought to issue a baton with that uniform."  
  
Tenchi chuckled. "Don't let them hear you say that--especially Kiyone! But they do look cute in them, don't they?"  
  
"Yeah...as long as I don't see them in my rearview mirror!"  
  
Now the four females reached them. The two girls were in front, with Mihoshi and Kiyone bringing up the rear. The girls carried small portmanteaus, no doubt containing their personal belongings and makeup...lots of makeup to judge from the quantity smeared on their faces. Kiyone and Mihoshi were toting travel bags, which held the civilian clothing they had brought on board their ship.  
  
"Welcome to our home," Tenchi said to Viatrix and Beah, bowing. "I am Tenchi Masaki. This is my good friend, Tristram Coffin."  
  
Viatrix ignored the bow. "Tristram? Tris?"  
  
"That's right," Tris answered, surprised.  
  
The two girls covered their mouths, looked at each other, and giggled heartily.  
  
"My reputation precedes me again," Tris said, bemused. Tenchi just shook his head in puzzlement.  
  
"I'm Viatrix," one of the girls introduced themselves. "This is my friend, Beah. This place sucks already. But you guys are kinda cute. And you don't wear animal skins at all, despite what Mop Head said."  
  
Neither Tenchi nor Tris knew exactly how to respond to that.  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi came up. They seemed vastly relieved to see Tenchi and Tris. Kiyone gave Tris a brief affectionate look. They all exchanged greetings.  
  
"This is a tent, right?" Kiyone asked, referring to the sagging nylon shelter.  
  
"Give the lovely lady cop a cigar," Tris said.  
  
"I'll give you something in a minute, buster," Kiyone promised him. But she smiled. God, it was so good to see him!  
  
"It's so nice to be back, Tenchi and Tris!" Mihoshi smiled at the two young men.  
  
"Watch her make her play for that guy," Viatrix muttered to Beah.  
  
"What?" Kiyone snapped at them.  
  
"Are we going into that shack or not? There's bugs out here!" Beah demanded.  
  
"There sure are," Tris told her. He obviously didn't like the wonderful Masaki house referred to as a shack.  
  
"Tris...!" Tenchi said warningly.  
  
"Take them inside, Mihoshi," Kiyone requested tiredly. "Please." She dropped her travel bag, so that it plopped by her feet.  
  
Mihoshi looked at her. "Okay." She picked up Kiyone's bag and shooed the less-than-jolly girls toward the front door.  
  
Once the front door had slid shut behind them, Kiyone looked at Tris. Tris looked at Kiyone.  
  
Tenchi knew he was now a third wheel on a bicycle built for two. "Guess I'll go see where Grandfather is with those lanterns," he said. He left.  
  
"Rough day, Blue Eyes?" Tris asked sympathetically.  
  
"Just hold me," Kiyone said in a tiny voice.  
  
Tris took Kiyone in his arms. She melted against him.  
  
They stood there, a little while. Slowly, the day turned into night.  
  
------  
  
"What is this stuff?" Viatrix demanded, putting down her teacup.  
  
"It's called tea," Sasami told her. "Don't you like it?"  
  
"It tastes funny."  
  
"Yeah," said Beah.  
  
Viatrix and Beah were seated at the table in the dining room. They were accompanied by Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, and even Washuu, who had lingered to get a gander at the girls who had already wreaked so much havoc. Mihoshi was upstairs, changing from her uniform.  
  
"You girls don't have to drink it, you know," Washuu told them.  
  
They drank it anyway. Viatrix eyed Washuu. "Who are you?" Everyone had introduced themselves (Ryoko using a fictitious name) except the great scientist.  
  
Washuu smiled. She was not about to give her name to these girls. "I'm just an old maiden aunt. No one important."  
  
Both Viatrix and Beah looked like they believed it...the part about not being important, anyway.  
  
"Well, I have some old maiden aunt things to do." Washuu rose. "I hope you two enjoy your stay." She rose and left the dining room.  
  
"She doesn't look old enough to be anyone's aunt," Beah said, staring after Washuu.  
  
"She just hides it well," Ryoko said, with a double meaning.  
  
Ayeka favored Ryoko with a warning glance. Ryoko shrugged.  
  
"Do you have any more of this tea?" Viatrix asked.  
  
"Yes," said Sasami. She poured for Viatrix and then for Beah, too, when she also stuck out her cup. Sasami had thought that a couple of visiting older girls might be fun, but she wasn't finding Viatrix or Beah much fun. For one thing, they treated her like a servant.  
  
"So you all live here, huh?" Viatrix asked, sipping tea.  
  
Ryoko, Ayeka, and Sasami nodded.  
  
"Why?" Beah demanded.  
  
"Because we like it here," Ryoko told her, a bit impatient with the teen girl's snotty attitude. "Why do you think?"  
  
Viatrix eyed the woman with the wild platinum hair coldly. "Who does your hair? The little kid here?"  
  
"Hey!" said Sasami.  
  
"I do my own hair," Ryoko replied.  
  
Viatrix and Beah giggled. "No excuse!"  
  
"Huh?" Ryoko wasn't sure what they meant by that, but she was sure it wasn't complimentary.  
  
Ayeka decided to take a hand. "I understand you girls are from Souiis. I and my little sister visited there, once."  
  
The Princess was determined to keep things pleasant, for Kiyone's and Mihoshi's sakes. Besides, it was the requirement of basic hospitality.  
  
"Uh-huh," said Viatrix.  
  
Both she and Beah eyed Ayeka warily. Even before she had introduced herself, her manner, her clothes, and that jeweled band on her forehead bespoke Jurai royal family. And it turned out she was the First Princess to boot, the one who had taken a powder. The girls were not too regardful of the Princess's little sister, but they knew they would need to tread carefully around the First Princess herself. As powerful and influential as their own parents were, the Jurai royal family was the last word in power and influence in the Galactic Union.  
  
"I found Souiis to be a very charming planet." Ayeka smiled at them.  
  
"Uh-huh," replied Beah.  
  
"It has a lovely mineral springs resort. Sasami and I enjoyed it very much. There is nothing like it on Jurai."  
  
"Uh-huh," replied Viatrix.  
  
Ayeka found it hard to keep the conversational ball rolling with "uh-huh" as a response. She changed the subject. "How do you find Earth?"  
  
"We wish we'd never found it," Viatrix said. Beah nodded.  
  
"The feeling's mutual," Ryoko muttered.  
  
Two pairs of cold teenaged eyes shifted back to her.  
  
Ayeka silently wished Ryoko would keep her comments to herself. Conversing with these two girls was difficult enough as it was. "Would you care for more rice cakes?" she asked politely.  
  
Viatrix shook her head.  
  
"No," said Beah. "Will they damage my teeth?" She had already eaten four.  
  
"Of course not, young lady." Ayeka stared at Beah. "Why would you think that?"  
  
"They tasted like they would."  
  
Ayeka heard a tiny growl beside her. It was Sasami.  
  
Before the Princess could respond, Mihoshi walked into the dining room. She had changed into her favorite tan denims and pink frilled sleeveless blouse.  
  
"Hi, everybody," she said cheerily. "Kiyone's upstairs now, changing. She'll be down soon."  
  
"It's Mop Head," Viatrix said nastily.  
  
"She didn't really pay money for that blouse, did she?" Beah snidely questioned.  
  
Mihoshi looked at them. She blinked her wide blue eyes, several times. She turned and left.  
  
"Got her trained right," Viatrix told Beah. She laughed. Beah laughed, too.  
  
"That's mean!" Sasami told them. Her face was pink with anger at their treatment of Mihoshi.  
  
The two teens looked at the little girl without comment. Their disdain was evident. Ryoko rolled her eyes upward and contemplated the ceiling.  
  
Oh dear, Ayeka thought. Showing hospitality to these two was going to be quite a challenge.  
  
------  
  
Outside the Masaki manse, Tenchi and Tris's new home-not-far-away- from-home was lit with the gentle radiance of several Japanese lanterns that Lord Yosho had brought. He, Tenchi, Tris, and Nobuyuki, who had finally arrived home from work, sat on a blanket in front of the tent, bathed in the glow of the lanterns that were positioned in front of them, rather like a faux campfire.  
  
"Are you boys going to be all right out here?" Nobuyuki asked. He had been told the story and was as sympathetic to the two Galaxy Police officers' plight as everyone else had been.  
  
"Sure, Dad," Tenchi said.  
  
"If you could spare a condo, though..." Tris added.  
  
Nobuyuki chuckled. "I would if I could, Tristram."  
  
The four men sat in silence now. Happy cicadas chirruped in the grass. Moths excitedly investigated the glowing lanterns. Fireflies tried to compete with the lanterns and failed.  
  
"This seems rather familiar...doesn't it, son-in-law?" Lord Yosho finally remarked.  
  
"Yes, it does, father-in-law." Nobuyuki thought of younger days, with his little boy...and his beautiful bride.  
  
"We could roast weenies," Tris suggested. "Or even sweet potatoes. Only it might take a while with these lanterns."  
  
The other three chuckled good-naturedly.  
  
"A bit too close to the house for a fire," Nobuyuki said. "One would be nice, though...just the thing."  
  
The front door slid open. A slim figure walked over to them. The lanterns' glow revealed it to be Mihoshi.  
  
The men greeted her amiably.  
  
"May I sit out here with you?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Of course, and welcome," Lord Yosho told her.  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yosho."  
  
She looked at Tris. Tris smiled and patted the blanket beside him.  
  
Mihoshi sat down next to him.  
  
"How's it going in there?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Okay, I think. I just can't stand those girls, though," Mihoshi said, matter-of-factly. She was so tired and hurt by what those girls had said to her. She wanted to lay her head on Tris's shoulder, but decided it might upset Kiyone.  
  
"Really, Mihoshi?" asked Nobuyuki. "How come?"  
  
"They're just so mean and spiteful. They say the most awful things, and if we're not nice to them, we'll probably get in more trouble." Mihoshi now changed her mind. She leaned against Tris and laid her blonde head on his shoulder. There was no romantic intention. She was just seeking comfort and closeness from someone she liked a whole lot.  
  
"That's really a shame, Mihoshi," Nobuyuki told her. "I've seen politics interfere with one's job, even at my work, and it can be a nasty thing."  
  
"Those girls are sure nasty," Mihoshi said. She wished Tris would put his arm around her.  
  
"Perhaps they are merely frightened and unsure of themselves. They are strangers in a strange land, Detective," Lord Yosho remarked.  
  
"I think they are just mean, Lord Yosho," Mihoshi asserted.  
  
"Indeed? That is most unfortunate, Detective. They are to be pitied in that case," Lord Yosho said. "Your partner, I assume, is dealing with our new guests now?"  
  
"Yes, Lord Yosho. Her and the other girls."  
  
"It is quite a distressing situation. However, with good effort, it can be rectified. Of course, you and your partner must work together and each must not let the other down." Lord Yosho's glasses glinted in the glow from the lanterns.  
  
Mihoshi was quiet and thoughtful for a minute or two. "Yes, Lord Yosho."  
  
She rose. Saying her good-byes, she left to return to the house. The front door shut behind her.  
  
"Father-in-law, I've said it before, and I'll say it again...you should speak at those management seminars I have to attend," Nobuyuki told Yosho.  
  
"You flatter me too much, son-in-law."  
  
"Oh no he doesn't, sir," Tris spoke up. "I've never seen a better example of nicely telling someone to go attend to their duty and not run away from it."  
  
"That's right, Grandfather." Tenchi smiled fondly at him.  
  
"Indeed? Well, thank you all. As to management seminars...perhaps the best management is self management," Lord Yosho said mildly.  
  
------  
  
Kiyone was trying her best to practice self-management a little while later. She and Mihoshi had shown the girls to their room (formerly Tenchi's and Tris's room). The girls were not impressed.  
  
"This is tiny! My maid's room is larger!" Viatrix charged.  
  
"And it's so hokey! Look at those awful pillows and blankets. I think I'm in a nursery," Beah added.  
  
Kiyone thought both girls belonged in one, but kept silent. Mihoshi just stared at them with that hurt look on her face.  
  
"This is hardly better than that jail cell on your ship you tried to throw us into!" Viatrix got her licks in again.  
  
"It's the best we can do...you two." Kiyone fought to keep her words, if not her tone, civil.  
  
"That's pretty lame...but then so's this backwater planet," Viatrix said. "What is this thing?" she asked, pointing to Tenchi's stereo. It was a nice midi-system, with bookshelf speakers, CD player, and a kareoke function. Tenchi and the women had generated quite a bit of fun with that particular function in the past. The stereo was a Pioneer, of course.  
  
"It's an Earth device. It plays music that is either broadcast or stored in small media," Kiyone told her. She quickly described the stereo's functions and pointed to Tenchi's small collection of CDs.  
  
"Crude!"  
  
"It works, though," Kiyone told them. "If you do play it, you mustn't play it loudly. One member of this household must get up early in the morning to go to work. He needs his sleep."  
  
"What does he do?" Viatrix asked sarcastically. "Dig roots?"  
  
"He designs houses!" Mihoshi told her. "Very nice houses, like this one."  
  
Viatrix and Beah looked around the room. "And he still has a job?"  
  
Mihoshi opened her mouth to protest. But Kiyone grabbed her arm. "All right, you two. We're leaving now. The television will be playing in the other room--it displays this planet's visual entertainment programming. You may watch it with us, if you wish."  
  
"Fat chance! As if we'd watch a bunch of Earthlings pick fleas off themselves or something," Viatrix rapped.  
  
"Good night!" Kiyone propelled Mihoshi toward the door.  
  
"You could send in those two cute boys," Viatrix called after them. "Especially that Tris...I'm sure he's ready for a change."  
  
The bedroom door banged shut behind the two Galaxy Police officers.  
  
"Do you think we should keep giving those cops the business like that?" Beah wondered. "They were pretty ticked off, Viatrix."  
  
"That's how we keep the upper hand, dummy," Viatrix snapped. "I haven't gone through half a dozen governesses and chaperones for nothing!"  
  
------  
  
"Boy, here we are, camping out," Tris remarked inside the tent a few hours later. He lay on his futon, hands folded behind his head, looking up at the darkness. He had a flashlight near at hand in case nature called, as did Tenchi. "Can you feel the excitement?"  
  
"Yeah..." Tenchi muttered sleepily from his own futon.  
  
"Gee, Wally, what fun. I know! Let's have a pillow fight. Then Mom and Dad might come and bring Skippy the dog with them!"  
  
"Listen, I saw that show, too--it's been running about forever here, you know," Tenchi reminded Tris grumpily. "And the family didn't have a dog!"(1)  
  
"Did too. His name was Captain Jack--but he lasted only one episode."  
  
Tenchi groaned. "Tris, I told you before you've watched too much TV. That proves it! Now why don't you try to get some sleep? And let me get some!"  
  
"Aw, Wally...this is the part of the program where Eddie and Lumpy sneak around and make bear noises to scare us."  
  
"Too much TV...I swear..."  
  
"Not on our show, you don't. Mom and Dad sleep in separate beds, too."  
  
Tenchi was about to tell Tris to knock it off, once and for all, or he'd crown him with the flashlight when a dark shape suddenly appeared inside the tent.  
  
"Yow!" Tenchi and Tris both sprang from their futons. Tenchi then had the presence of mind then to switch on the flashlight he had instinctively grabbed on his way out of bed.  
  
It wasn't Eddie or Lumpy. It was Ryoko.  
  
"Did I scare you boys?" She grinned. She wore only Tenchi's white dress shirt that she used as a nightshirt. The shirttails only came down to her upper thighs. So attired, she was the sexiest-looking female imaginable, and she knew it.  
  
"No," Tenchi gritted. "I was just having my nightly heart attack!"  
  
"I think I just left my heart in San Francisco," Tris groaned, "along with my spleen."  
  
"Sorry guys." But Ryoko didn't look too sorry.  
  
"What do you want, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Why, I just wanted to see how my sweetums was doing...and his goofball friend, too."  
  
"We lost about a year's growth, thanks to you! Go back to bed," Tenchi told her.  
  
"Aw...and here I came all this way to make sure my sweetums was all right."  
  
"Yes, and you can go all the way back."  
  
"I don't think," Ryoko said, "that I got my good-night kiss yet."  
  
"I don't think," Tenchi replied, "that you had one coming."  
  
"Do you think that's fair of my sweetums?" Ryoko asked Tris.  
  
"Why ask me?"  
  
"Kiyone gave you a real big kiss before you came out here to bed," Ryoko said. "I saw you two. How do you both kiss so long without breathing?"  
  
"Go ask her."  
  
"I did." Ryoko smiled slyly. "She said a boyfriend should kiss his girlfriend every night...especially when the boyfriend goes camping."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure she said that to you!" Tris grated.  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi said. "I'm going to count to ten, and--"  
  
Suddenly, from the house, noise erupted violently. It sounded like a full-blown rock concert--with the speakers turned up to "eleven." The noise was almost a physical force, assaulting their eardrums like sonic sledgehammers.  
  
"What's that racket?" Tenchi shouted over the din.  
  
"Sounds like the Beastie Boys!" Tris guessed.  
  
Tenchi and Tris quickly drew on their robes and slipped their feet into shoes. They hurried toward the house, Ryoko right at their heels. She had remembered the injunction against flying.  
  
They entered the house, which was shaking slightly with the aural onslaught. They went into the living room, which was now fully lit, as was the rest of the house. Above the racket, they could hear voices. They followed the sound of the voices down the hallway and the ear-splitting din grew even louder. They saw Kiyone, Mihoshi, Ayeka, and Sasami, all in their night wear, standing at the visitors' bedroom door. The sledgehammering noise issued from within. Tenchi's stereo was getting a real workout, particularly the speakers.  
  
Kiyone was pounding on the door.  
  
"Turn it off, damnit!" she yelled. "Open up! I'm warning you!"  
  
Somehow, they could make out girlish laugher behind the door along with the head-pounding din of angry young men telling the world where to get off in ten chords or less.  
  
"They must have tuned to that alternative rock station!" Tris shouted.  
  
"I don't care what they did!" Tenchi yelled back. "They need to stop it! Dad needs his sleep!"  
  
"I need my eardrums!" Ryoko added.  
  
Kiyone kept pounding on the door. Mihoshi began pounding on the door now, too. Ayeka alternately covered her ears and Sasami's ears. The song lyrics were somewhat raw.  
  
"Tenchi!" Tris shouted. "Those speakers weren't made to handle this much volume! If they keep it up, they're gonna--"  
  
Then, as if on cue, a final eardrum-mangling blare erupted. It was immediately followed by silence.  
  
"--blow your speakers!" Tris stopped.  
  
"I know," Tenchi said. He looked furious.  
  
"Open this door!" Kiyone still shouted.  
  
"No," they heard a voice from behind the door. It was Viatrix. "You'll beat us...like you did on your ship."  
  
"No one touched you!" Kiyone shouted. "But that's one hell of an idea!"  
  
"Kiyone," said Mihoshi.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You don't need to shout now."  
  
"Oh...yeah."  
  
Tenchi pushed his way to the door. "What's the big idea?" he asked through the door. "You woke everyone up. You blew my speakers! They cost money!"  
  
Viatrix's voice from behind the door answered. "Oh, we're sorry. You're that cute boy named Tenchi, aren't you? It's this crude device, Tenchi. That cop showed us how to play it and she must have showed us wrong. We couldn't control it."  
  
"Oh?" Tenchi sounded entirely unconvinced.  
  
"Uh-huh. We didn't mean to cause trouble, really. It just got away from us." Now Beah's voice chimed in.  
  
"That sounds remarkably like your alibi for evading capture," Kiyone said disgustedly.  
  
"That's a true story, too, and we won't tell a lie to make you look better--even if you beat us again!" came Viatrix's defiant voice from behind the door.  
  
"I didn't lay a hand on you...to my eternal regret," Kiyone snapped.  
  
"Can we go to sleep now?" Beah's voice was soft and sweet. "We're awfully tired."  
  
"Yes," Tenchi said, tiredly, resignedly. "Go to sleep!"  
  
He turned. He saw his grandfather and father, in their kimonos, standing by the stairway.  
  
"I think the concert is over, Grandfather...Dad. They blew my speakers!"  
  
Nobuyuki shook his head. "Perhaps I should sleep in the tent!"  
  
"Afraid it was just about as loud out there, sir," Tris told him. "The mosquitoes would be glad to see you, though."  
  
Nobuyuki chuckled and shook his head. "I'll go back to bed. Good night!"  
  
"I'll say good night, too," said Lord Yosho.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lord Yosho...Mr. Masaki," Kiyone said.  
  
"It's certainly no fault of yours, Detective. Good night." Yosho followed his son-in-law back upstairs.  
  
Tris looked at Kiyone standing there, her face mirroring her chagrin. He walked over to her. He put his arms around Kiyone's shoulders. She smiled at him crookedly, then sagged against him.  
  
"What are we going to do?" she asked dispiritedly.  
  
"Do what Grandfather and Dad are doing," Tenchi answered with a shrug. "Go back to bed."  
  
------  
  
Hours later, everyone had succeeded in finding sleep...even Tenchi and Tris in their tent.  
  
In the women's communal bedroom, Sasami work up. It was what she had willed herself to do...to wake up several times a night and check on her big sister.  
  
Anxiously, she glanced over at Ayeka's futon. She relaxed. Ayeka lay there, completely still.  
  
The little girl snuggled back in the covers. Perhaps her big sister's nightmares were beginning to recede, as Ayeka had predicted they would.  
  
------  
  
But they hadn't, not yet. And the biggest nightmare was still to come.  
  
The entity was there. At the controller's command, it was worming its way again in the subject's subconscious. This time, however, it did not produce the blood-freezing horror images in the subject's mind. It simply worked slowly to completely break down the subject's formidable inner will barriers. One by one, those barriers would be breached. It would take some time, but the controller was prodigiously patient. Now the work would go on quietly, night after night.  
  
In actuality, the shocking nightmares had not been necessary to reach the final goal of mind-mastery. Rather, it had been a treat for the controller to strike such terror into that hated subject from the hated family, a sadistic pleasure to cause such intense mental suffering and to experience, by extreme long distance, the sickly exciting screams of terror from the royal whelp. Yes, it had been a pure, indulgent pleasure. But the time for indulgence had passed. And, from reading the subject's memory, the controller knew he was coming too close to alerting his victims. Oh, he meant to alert them, to toy with them, for pleasure. But not just yet.  
  
No, it was the time now for stealth...for low power, low intensity, but productive mental pillaging. It was the great work and the only work for the controller.  
  
Outwardly, Ayeka continued to sleep, silently and without movement-- almost as if she were dead.  
  
Appropriate. For the controller intended real death for all, particularly for the Juraian whelps and the truant Juraian princes-- and those who aided them. Death. Screaming, horrible death. And in so doing, to obtain final revenge...complete, irrevocable revenge. The detested royal whelp herself would provide the means to destroy them all. It wouldn't stop there, either. The entire galaxy would soon be awash in blood.  
  
And, even sweeter...all that would be the prelude to peaceful and final oblivion.  
  
------  
  
The Galaxy Police navigational (nav) buoy floated in space. It was exactly and precisely where it was supposed to be, as always, ready to help both privately owned and official-use spacecraft from the Galactic Union calculate their celestial course. In addition, as in the case of all buoys positioned in this particular sector, it also alerted the area GP Command Post if it detected a ship that did not generate the required authorization signal via its recognition beacon. It was a big job for such a small robotic craft.  
  
The buoy kept its fixed position by constant, unrelenting communication and triangulation with other buoys. It instantly corrected any deviation in position with soft flares of thrust from its small gyro-rockets.  
  
Before it loomed the giant planet Saturn with its shimmering rings of ice and dust. The buoy took no notice of the spectacular sight. It wasn't programmed to. But it was doing what it had been programmed to do at that very moment.  
  
The approaching ship had been scanned by the buoy for some time. The buoy now analyzed the ship's recognition beacon. The proper authorization signal, the crypto-hash, had been received. The buoy took no further notice of the ship.  
  
"Hacked it!" shouted a young male voice in the cockpit of the spacecraft. "That nav buoy is now a cracked node!"  
  
"Slam it, man! That rec code Tazzian gave us was spot-on! Awesome!"  
  
"Too bad it cost us so much! That bottom-feeder!"  
  
"But it worked, my man..."  
  
The spacecraft was rather unusual looking. It had an ungainly shape, with panels of different hues glinting from starlight on the fuselage. Various makes and models of scanning and communication nodes protruded from it. The craft had evidently been put together with less than craftsmanship from the salvaged remains of various POS craft, along with a component here and there gleaned from a Galaxy Police surplus outlet. It was a junkyard dog of a ship. But it functioned.  
  
It also bristled with the latest technoid gear. Indeed, that was obviously more important to the ship's builders than any great speed or maneuverability. Also, the builder's allowances from their overindulgent parents stretched only so far.  
  
The hodge-podge vessel was, in fact, the equivalent of a "hot rod"-- assembled by two youngsters known as stone techie geeks by their friends--and now piloted by those two towards Earth.  
  
Inside the cockpit, used and discarded bottles of various liquid refreshment and containers formerly containing junk food were scattered about. It was a good thing the mothers of the two owners of the craft had never stepped into that cockpit.  
  
Sitting on their rather worse-for-wear cockpit seats (old, discontinued GP issue), the two pilots shared a high-five. Both wore tight-fitting jumpsuits that had formerly been a cream color...the jumpsuits, once worn by GP cadets, had been relegated to GP surplus and sold to the public. Those jumpsuits, plastered with the emblems of dozens of the grungiest authority-bashing musical groups in the Galactic Union, covered two skinny frames. The youngsters--really, teenaged boys--also had the name of their school embroidered on the sleeves of their jumpsuits. The school was the same one attended by Viatrix Qe'ent and Beah Vetrah.  
  
In one corner, a small silvery module blinked and blinked, issuing crackling bits of communication. The communication sounded official. It was. It comprised the various verbal reports relayed by GP units scattered throughout the galaxy. The module not only picked up the official transmissions, it de-scrambled them as well, even the Ears Only sensitive communications. It was an illegal device, of course, and thus a great prize to all hackers and crackers.  
  
"Man...this is some maximum gig," said Munt Yo'ost. He was the taller of the two, with crew cut violet hair, a long nose, considerable acne, and a scraggy goatee which was also violet hued (a rad hair color, just ask anyone at his school).  
  
"The max of the max. We get to be heroes, Viatrix's old man lays down some heavy bread on us, and those two ziggy chicks get physical for us. Best part is we zing the GP good 'cause Viatrix's old man will back us up when we bring the babes home--he'll have to!" Ginkar Ter'tran was jazzed, and not just from all the junk food and drink, either. He was completely bald (by choice) and his most memorable feature was a lack of memorable features (aside from acne). He did have a receding chin, though.  
  
"I thought I would launch when we picked up that cop yak-session about Viatrix and Beah being held on that hick planet. My plan was just to spread the news through school unless those two gave it up for us. But you're the man! A rescue mission!" Munt was quite appreciative of his buddy. Ginkar was a high-dome zapper, and no argument.  
  
"Thanks, buddy. Appreciate the appreciation."  
  
"And if we rescue 'em now, we may even get 'em back before Daddy Qe'ent sends that pickup ship. He'll save coin and have his baby back. Oh, this is slamming!"  
  
The two boys laughed, as their hot-rod techie-geek ship cruised, not with dyna-thruster power, but fast enough, towards Earth.  
  
The nav buoy, its challenge-recognition module no longer needed, efficiently shut that function down. It continued its navigational mission, sending, receiving, and triangulating with its peers, unaware of and uncaring about what it had just let pass through.  
  
_______________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
1. "Leave It To Beaver" was indeed a very long-running and popular show in Japan. It's amusing to note that the Beaver was dubbed with a little girl's voice, even in the later episodes when Theodore Cleaver is entering his teens. 


	9. CHAPTER 8: No Need For A Rescue

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
No Need For A Rescue  
  
____________________  
  
Tenchi awoke with the smell of freshly brewed tea in his nostrils. It was a wonderful aroma to wake up to.  
  
He blinked his eyes open. Sasami stood there in the tent, holding a tea tray. She smiled down at him.  
  
"Sasami!" Tenchi quickly got his bearings. He and Tris had spent the night in the tent. That accounted for the sun-splashed orange walls and all the outdoor sounds seeping in. And little Sasami was being a sweetheart. That accounted for the tea.  
  
Tenchi sat up. "You really didn't have to do this, Sasami. Tris and I planned to go in the house for breakfast once our visitors have eaten."  
  
"That's okay, Tenchi. I know we decided you should eat inside. But I think you and Tris deserve a morning cup of tea after giving up your room for those awful girls and having to sleep outdoors."  
  
"Well, it's not so bad, Sasami. This is very sweet of you."  
  
Sasami smiled again. "I like doing it, Tenchi."  
  
"Speaking of that wise guy--where's Tris?"  
  
"Ohhh...he's outside the tent. He's puffing real hard and holding his side. I asked him if he was hurt and he said something about death losing its sting."  
  
Tenchi grinned. "He's still running up the temple steps every morning. You'd better serve him his tea outside, Sasami."  
  
"All right, Tenchi."  
  
------  
  
"Come on! It's breakfast time," Kiyone called loudly at the closed door of the visitors' bedroom.  
  
"What's wrong with them now, Kiyone?" Mihoshi, standing beside her partner, asked.  
  
"Who knows?" Kiyone knocked on the door. "Come on! Breakfast!"  
  
"Yes," Mihoshi added. "Don't you girls want to eat?"  
  
It had been a struggle to get the two little dears up out of bed (Viatrix, the dominant one, had taken Tenchi's bed, leaving Beah with Tris's futon) and into the Grand Baths earlier that morning. The girls had been obviously impressed with the massive bath palace, but acted as if it were only their due. Then, after they had bathed, they had gone back to the room to dress and had not reappeared. Breakfast was on the table now and getting cold. Lord Yosho and Nobuyuki had already eaten their breakfasts and departed for their respective areas of responsibility.  
  
"We don't wanna go to that dining table anymore," Viatrix's voice came from behind the door. "Everybody looks at us mean and talks mean-- especially you!"  
  
"I do not! Besides, if you don't come to the table, you won't get breakfast!"  
  
Silence from behind the door.  
  
Kiyone detected motion behind her. She and Mihoshi turned.  
  
Ayeka and Sasami stood there. They were curious as to why so few had showed up for breakfast. They already had a pretty shrewd idea. Ryoko had stayed behind in the dining room, drinking tea and thinking hard thoughts about the new houseguests.  
  
"Why can't you serve breakfast to us in here?" Viatrix's voice asked plaintively through the door. "That little kid could bring it."  
  
Sasami grimaced but kept silent.  
  
Kiyone's cheeks reddened as anger suffused her entire being. Breakfast brought in--for those brats! She beat on the door. "You'll come out of there right now or you won't get any breakfast!"  
  
Mihoshi said, "Kiyone, why don't..."  
  
"Not now, Mihoshi! Those girls are coming out--now!" Kiyone kept beating on the door. "Are you two going to come out, or--"  
  
"No! You and Mop Head are mean to us! We want breakfast served to us in here!" Viatrix's voice replied shrilly.  
  
"Like fun, you will--!" Kiyone's fists began hitting the door again. "I'm warning you--"  
  
Suddenly, Kiyone stopped her tom-tom routine on the door. Ayeka had laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Of course you shall have breakfast served in there, dear," Ayeka called out, so that Viatrix and Beah could hear her.  
  
Kiyone turned and stared at Ayeka, dumbfounded. "But Ayeka--"  
  
Ayeka just shook her head. She turned to her little sister. "Sasami dear, please finish your breakfast and then prepare two trays for our guests. I shall help you bring the trays in to them."  
  
Sasami nodded. After a quick glance at Kiyone's still flushed face, she scooted off.  
  
Mihoshi stood quietly, watching her partner and the Princess, her blue eyes mirroring her relief.  
  
Ayeka moved to the door. "We shall bring breakfast in to you shortly, dear."  
  
"That mean cop isn't gonna bring it in, is she?" Viatrix's voice demanded.  
  
"I and my little sister shall bring in your breakfast, dear."  
  
There was silence. Then:  
  
"Well, all right. We know we can trust you, Princess."  
  
Ayeka turned from the door.  
  
Kiyone began, "Ayeka--"  
  
The Princess briefly held a finger to her lips. Then she murmured, "It is time we had our own breakfast." She led the way to the dining room.  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi followed. Kiyone's expression made it clear she was still smarting a bit from the incident.  
  
------  
  
Ryo-Ohki pranced happily in the tall grass. The cabbit was chasing butterflies; not catching them of course, for the cabbit had a kind heart and no taste for insects. She soon found itself at the great orange thing, where two of the friendly tall beings had reposed the night before. Ryo-Ohki had snuggled between them while they slept and grabbed some sleep, too. The cabbit wondered why all the tall beings didn't sleep in great orange things.  
  
Sitting on the blanket before the tent, Tenchi and Tris watched Ryo-Ohki gambol on the lawn.  
  
"Yep, all the carrots you can eat and pretty women petting you," Tris remarked. "No wonder that Ryo-Ohki's a happy cabbit."  
  
"What a life!" Tenchi agreed.  
  
"Speaking of carrots...when do we eat?"  
  
"Oh, when our visitors finish eating--not enough room at the table, otherwise. Sasami will come and get us."  
  
"We've been forced out in the cold and our bellies are empty," Tris groused. "My love meter for those two little darlings is at minus-two."  
  
"I hear you...especially after that midnight concert. I still can't believe they blew my speakers! I worked a part-time job at one of the grocery stores in the village to buy that stereo." Tenchi was still slightly steamed.  
  
"That's tough. Say, didn't you mention that you brought back a kind of kareoke machine from some planet or something like that?"  
  
"Yeah. Mihoshi finally wore it out. She loves kareoke. She'll get you to take her and Kiyone to a kareoke bar one of these days--count on it."  
  
"Something else to look forward to," Tris muttered.  
  
"Of course," Tenchi glanced at him slyly, "some guys don't need a kareoke machine to do kareoke."  
  
"No," Tris grinned. "Just a nice hot shower!"  
  
"Yeah, well, just don't give up your day job, buddy. The only label you'll ever record on is Capital Punishment Records." Tenchi laughed.  
  
"And that's only if I can swing a duet with Brittany Spears," Tris cracked.  
  
"Yeah? I have just the song for you two, then--"What's Talent Got To Do With It?""  
  
They both laughed. Ryo-Ohki flounced up to them. She collected come nice pets and some dandy ear-ruffling. No food was offered, however. The cabbit bounded away for the house.  
  
"If you find any food in there," Tris called after the cabbit, "bring us some, will ya?"  
  
------  
  
At the breakfast table, the women consumed their breakfast in near silence. Ayeka and Sasami ate very quickly and very sparingly. Then Sasami left for the kitchen to prepare the breakfast trays for the two visitors.  
  
"You seem upset, Kiyone," Ayeka remarked.  
  
"Upset! That's a pretty mild way of putting it." Kiyone's face was flushed with residual anger. "Nursemaiding those two little brats! Now we're serving them breakfast in their room. I'm supposed to be a Galaxy Police officer, not a nanny! It doesn't seem to faze you, Ayeka, but--"  
  
"Not faze me!" Ayeka spoke vehemently. "Kiyone, what I would dearly love to do is take each of those little vixens and spank some good manners into their sassy backsides! That is what I would do if I had my wish."  
  
Ryoko put down her teacup. "Wow...I like that picture!" she said to Ayeka.  
  
Ayeka ignored her. "But if I did that, I would not be helping my good friends, Kiyone and Mihoshi. Would I?"  
  
Kiyone look at the Princess for a long moment. The anger slowly receded from her face. She managed a rueful grin. "No, I suppose you wouldn't be."  
  
Ayeka spoke quietly but meaningfully. "The purpose of this--charade-- is to avoid treating those girls as if they are in jail, until their father can come for them...so he will hopefully not proceed with the High Commissioner to lay charges against you and Mihoshi. That is correct, is it not?"  
  
"Yes, Ayeka," Mihoshi replied. Kiyone nodded.  
  
"Kiyone, you need to understand that at times we must smile at people we would much rather prefer to attack and to break bread with those we consider an enemy. That is playing the political game. I know it well. If you do not learn to play this game, at least a little bit, you will not get far at all. I have seen countless careers crushed at court, the careers of those who could not hold their tempers or keep their thoughts to themselves at a crucial moment."  
  
The dining room was silent now.  
  
Then Mihoshi said softly, "She's right, Kiyone."  
  
"I know she's right, partner." Kiyone now smiled wanly at the Princess. "Thanks Ayeka. You're a real Princess...and a real friend."  
  
"I hope I am your friend...and yours, too, Mihoshi."  
  
"Of course!" Mihoshi said, looking immensely pleased.  
  
"Me, too?" Ryoko grinned.  
  
Ayeka eyed her narrowly. "Actually..." Then she smiled. "I was going to compliment you, Ryoko. No flying, or walking through walls, or verbal attacks, since those girls came. You have done very well."  
  
"Aw, Jeeze, Princess," Ryoko said. "You're not doing so shabby yourself."  
  
"Well...! My cup runneth over."  
  
Sasami walked in from the kitchen. "The trays are ready, Ayeka."  
  
"Thank you, dear. Let us go serve our guests--the little brats!" Ayeka said, rising from the table.  
  
Both she and Sasami left the dining room for the kitchen.  
  
"You know," Ryoko said. "I hate to say this and don't quote me...but the Princess can be a real class act sometimes."  
  
"None classier." Kiyone smiled.  
  
------  
  
After taking in the breakfast trays (and enduring a screed about Detective Split Ends that Ayeka ended by reminding Viatrix and Beah that they could still be taken to jail if they didn't behave), Ayeka started to walk back to the kitchen with Sasami. Then something occurred to her. She stopped. She walked into the living room and continued on to the front picture window. She looked out.  
  
"Sasami," she called. "Lord Tenchi and Tristram are just sitting out there. Are they not going to have breakfast?"  
  
Sasami hustled into the living room. "Oh, gosh! I was supposed to go get them after the two girls had their breakfast!"  
  
"Well, you can call them in now, dear. Of course, you could serve them outdoors...rather like a picnic!"  
  
Sasami laughed.  
  
"But I think not. You had better call them in before they start grazing on the grass, dear."  
  
Sasami laughed again. "Yes, Ayeka." She started for the door.  
  
The Princess looked thoughtful. Hmmmmm...that was an idea.  
  
------  
  
"That's gotta be Earth, man. See...just one dinky moon," Munt Yo'ost said, peering through his viewscreen on the main console.  
  
Ginkar Ter'tran checked the navcom. He was picking up the sector's nav buoy transmissions--he had hacked into those, too, of course. "Has to be. The coordinates are right and tight."  
  
Munt leaned back in his cockpit seat, and stretched. "Just one punk moon...what a podunk planet. Looks nice and blue, so it ain't no arid place, that's something."  
  
"Yeah, that's something," Ginkar agreed.  
  
They piloted their hot-rod techie geek ship past Earth's moon. They were close to that big blue ball...the ball that contained those two high-caste chicks...and fame and fortune, too.  
  
Munt frowned. "Say, Gink..."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"This ain't a big planet, but it's big enough, you know? How're we gonna locate the babes?"  
  
Ginkar grinned. "Hey, puzzle it out, soft-top. The cops brought 'em here to this hole. They gotta stay with 'em. This hick planet ain't in the Union, is it? So the cops gotta tread real careful, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"So, they have to dock their cop ship outside the planet so it can't be seen. Probably in some sort of passive orbit. So we skim this rock for the cop ship."  
  
"I'm in synch so far. But how're we gonna tell just where on this dump the babes are at?"  
  
"Listen...the GP uses control devices to call their ships like everyone else. Those devices also tell 'em about squawks from the bosses and stuff like that. That means the devices gotta maintain a constant uplink with the ship. And that means a transmission beam from the ship to the cop who's got the control cube, or whatever the device is."  
  
"Right and tight! So we just read the beam and it'll give us a fix on the cops."  
  
"You're on it, Munt-man. And where those cops are, the babes are. We'll just teleport down near them and rescue the babes. That's the story and that's the glory."  
  
There was another high-five between the two teen boys.  
  
"But what about the cops?" Munt asked.  
  
"Hey, I told you. They're where they ain't got no pull. They can't arrest nobody or nothing on that planet. If the babes want to come with us--and they will, natch--those cops can't do anything but watch. You heard the cop-squawk yourself. The chicks aren't under arrest."  
  
Munt nodded. "That's one case of the bad news for the cops!"  
  
"And one case of the good news for us."  
  
"There might be some Earth types around 'em. They gotta be pretty savage."  
  
"We can handle any of those apes!" Ginkar Ter'tran said dismissively.  
  
Most of what he said had been correct. Not all of it. There was a smidgen of misconception buried in Ginkar's situational assessment. Just enough of a misconception that would once again prove the wisdom of Robert Burns's contention that the best laid plans of rodents and intelligent bipeds (including techie geeks) tend to go "a-gley."  
  
------  
  
"A picnic?"  
  
Tenchi put down his teacup slowly. He looked at Ayeka. "A picnic-- for those two?"  
  
Tris groaned and lowered his chopsticks, all appetite gone. "Say it ain't so, Princess."  
  
"I do say so," Ayeka said, quietly but firmly.  
  
Seated at the dining room table, Tenchi and Tris were enjoying a belated breakfast...enjoying it, that is, until Ayeka told them of her plans for their afternoon.  
  
She and Sasami had been very solicitous of Tenchi and Tris, ensuring that their food and tea were re-warmed, and chatting about nothing in particular. Then, once Tenchi and Tris had all but finished eating, feeling like whole young men again, she had made her "suggestion."  
  
They should have known. Mihoshi and Kiyone had disappeared upstairs, not even waiting to greet them. Ryoko had lingered only long enough to roll her eyes at them, shake her head, and then head for the living room and one of the couches for a little post-breakfast nap (the ceiling beams, of course, were banned to her for the nonce). The two new houseguests were nowhere to be seen, probably holed up in their bedroom.  
  
"I'd sure like to know why we should," Tenchi said.  
  
"That is easily answered, Lord Tenchi. We want to help Kiyone and Mihoshi, do we not?"  
  
"Well...yeah."  
  
Ayeka looked at Tris. "And I am certain Tristram wants to help them as well."  
  
"Uh-huh. Sure."  
  
"Well, then! It is crucial that these girls have at least one pleasant experience while they are here...and we are not able to persuade them to come to the table for meals. But a picnic lunch would work out splendidly. They will be outside in the fresh air, they can see and experience the lovely grounds here, they will not feel threatened because of the open space--and Kiyone and Mihoshi can keep an eye on them." Ayeka smiled charmingly. "Now, I am open to suggestions."  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked at each other. The Princess had them boxed in. And she had done it so nicely! Jurai was going to get a formidable ruler someday.  
  
Tenchi gave it a try anyway. "My suggestion is--forget about it!"  
  
Ayeka did not lose her smile, but there was steel beneath it now. "Do you propose, Lord Tenchi, that they just sit in that room and we keep serving meals to them there? They really might as well be in prison. What will they say to that father who has all that influence with the High Commissioner?"  
  
"The food was good?" Tris ventured.  
  
Ayeka looked at Tris. That look was eloquent. Tris shut up.  
  
"Aw..." Tenchi knew he was licked, but didn't take any joy in the knowledge.  
  
"Lord Tenchi?"  
  
"Oh...okay."  
  
"That is so very nice of you, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka beamed. "I think it will be a lovely treat for the girls."  
  
Tenchi really wasn't sore about giving in. Besides, it would probably help his two favorite Galaxy Police officers. "So, we'll do it at lunch time?"  
  
"Yes, Lord Tenchi."  
  
"Is there something Tris and I can do to help?" Tenchi glanced at Tris. Tris was pantomiming that he was loading a gun and pointing it at his head. Tenchi looked back at Ayeka.  
  
"Why, yes. I think a spot by the lake would be charming. Perhaps whilst you perform your outdoor chores, you and Tristram could find the best spot and ensure the lawn is nice and even there and that there are no stones, and so on. Then you could spread that blanket you are using at your tent site. We shall have our picnic on that."  
  
Tris pulled the imaginary trigger and then his head dropped as an imaginary bullet entered his non-imaginary skull.  
  
"We can do that Ayeka. Me and the basket case here."  
  
"Thank you, Lord Tenchi...Tristram."  
  
Tenchi and Tris (who had risen from the dead) muttered, "You're welcome," or words to that effect. Ayeka rose majestically.  
  
"We shall be ready with baskets of food and several Thermos bottle of tea in, shall we say...three hours?"  
  
"That's fine Ayeka," Tenchi said.  
  
With a final beatific smile, Ayeka left for the kitchen to plan the menu with Sasami.  
  
Tenchi said, "Tris...don't say it."  
  
"I'm not about to say anything. I love picnics. There's food, sun, leaves in your drink, and ants in your potato salad. This is one picnic where I'm rooting for the ants, though."  
  
Tenchi groaned. "Outside, wise guy! We've got work to do."  
  
------  
  
In their temporary bedroom, which they had labeled "The Slammer," Viatrix and Beah listened to Ayeka's sweetly delivered proposal through the door.  
  
"I don't know..." Viatrix looked at Beah. Beah shrugged.  
  
"It is so nice outdoors today. So very warm and pleasant. It will be quite enjoyable, you shall see," Princess Ayeka's coaxing voice issued through the closed door.  
  
"Will those two mean cops be there?" Viatrix asked.  
  
"Everyone will be there," Ayeka answered.  
  
That was not technically correct. Lord Yosho had amiably passed on the picnic. "I'll leave such a festivity to you young people," he had said. He would have a late lunch after the picnic (it was a day for off-schedule meals). Nobuyuki was, of course, at work. And Washuu had not expressed keen enthusiasm for the picnic, either, having seen all she wanted to see of the two girls.  
  
"Hmmmm...that means those two cute boys will be there, huh?"  
  
On the other side of the bedroom door, Ayeka's face registered annoyance. But she kept her voice cheery. "Of course."  
  
"Well..." Viatrix's voice was hesitant.  
  
In the bedroom, she turned to Beah. "You wanna?"  
  
Beah said, "I know I'm gonna want lunch. The food's really okay here. Better than at school, anyway."  
  
Viatrix turned back to the door. "Okay, Princess. Just keep Split Ends and Mop Head away from us."  
  
"I am glad you have assented, dear." Princess Ayeka's voice sounded pleased. "Both of you will enjoy our little picnic, I am certain."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
Ayeka withdrew from the door. She snorted quietly, and made a quick strangling motion with her hands, allowing herself to vent for a moment. Then she sighed and walked away.  
  
Inside the bedroom, Viatrix said, "A picnic! They must really think we're babies!" She threw herself on the bed, and bounced on it. Then she thought of something. That cute guy, Tenchi, slept on that bed. Viatrix grinned. She could go for him in a big way...yes, she could.  
  
Beah nodded. "But I guess that's all there is to do in this dump. I don't understand why that Princess Ayeka hangs out around here."  
  
Viatrix thought she knew why. She bounced on the bed a bit more, grinning slyly.  
  
------  
  
"Man! For such a backwater planet, they sure have a lot of network infrastructure!" Ginkar exclaimed.  
  
He had decided to hack into Earth communications, just for grins. He had managed to pick up an enormous flow of protocol-dependent message packets sent over wiring (crude, man) and also microwaves (not so crude, man) and even via satellites (getting there, man). This network system seemed to operate all over the planet. The system was unwieldy and pretty inefficient, but it was a bit more advanced than he or Munt would have expected. It was, of course, the Internet.  
  
"Their video programming sucks, though." Munt, who had hacked into a satellite's cable TV channel downlink, was looking at the viewscreen of his own personal module. The viewscreen displayed several species of Earth creatures apparently contesting a water hole with fangs and claws. "Man...weak." He aimlessly fiddled with his input control. Suddenly, the viewscreen was filled with shapely females wearing extremely skimpy apparel, soaking in a tub filled with bubbling water. "Hey, Gink! Earth chicks!"  
  
"How do they look?" Ginkar asked.  
  
"Hot!"  
  
"Man..." On a telex display, Ginkar was reading one of the message packets his cracker app had opened. It was by no means anything sensitive, except perhaps to the participants of the chat room the packet was meant for. The electronic message, from a bored housewife in Queens, New York, to an equally bored farmer in Coralville, Iowa, detailed the former's red-hot lust for the other and the methods she proposed to assuage that lust. "Munt! You oughta read this. This chick is dying for it. Earth girls are easy!"  
  
Both young men were enthralled. Despite their bragging to themselves and other techie geeks, neither had exactly achieved much in the area of romance. To such frustrated males, the notion of "easy" women (usually inhabiting an exotic place) was galvanizing. Of course, such notions were usually without foundation. On the other hand, post- adolescent gonads require very little foundation.  
  
"Maybe we oughta hang around this rock," Munt mused. "Think of how these native women would react to a couple of advanced rad-and-bad zappers! They'll beg us to take them along!"  
  
"Later," Ginkar decided. "First, let's rescue the babes, and get 'em back home. Then we can come back!"  
  
The two again high-fived each other. Things were just getting better and better.  
  
------  
  
Having helped Tenchi pull some weeds and do a bit of trimming (he was the Okayama trimming champ by now, he figured) before setting up the picnic spot, Tris had left him to walk back to the house for a cold drink. He was nearly at the front gate when he noticed Princess Ayeka. She was out on the lawn conversing with those two big old flying and talking wooden lawn ornaments, Azaka II and Kamidake II. She smiled at him as he came up to her. "Hello, Tristram."  
  
"Hi, Princess...Ayeka." He recalled she had asked him to call her by her first name. "What's the haps?"  
  
"Beg pardon?"  
  
"I mean, what's up?"  
  
"I was simply informing my Guardians that we would all be by the lake this afternoon. It is advisable to let them know such things." Ayeka did not elaborate.  
  
Tris did not probe, either. The Guardians were still a big mystery to him, along with all the other lesser mysteries of the Masaki extended family. Looking at Ayeka, he noticed that she appeared a bit drawn in the bright sunlight. He wondered if she got enough sleep. Dumb question! After last night's impromptu rock concert, who had been able to?  
  
The right-hand Guardian's pilot light blinked. "Good morning, Tristram Coffin. It is a fine day, sir."  
  
"We saw you attempting to scale those steps. We trust that you are quite recovered, sir," the other Guardian added politely.  
  
"More or less, thanks." Tris found himself talking to the lawn ornaments. ""Sir?"" he asked Ayeka.  
  
"I instructed my Guardians to regard you as a person of some importance," Ayeka explained.  
  
"Well, thanks. But my father was a "sir." I'm sure not."  
  
"It is best this way, Tristram," Ayeka told him. And it was. For one thing, her Guardians would not instantly attack Tris if he ever forgot himself and touched Ayeka without her first initiating the contact. Ayeka feared the rather impulsive and demonstrative young man might well do that sometime. It was wise to take precautions.  
  
"Right-o. Say, I've wondered...why the "two" after their names? Were their daddies Guardians, too?"  
  
Ayeka laughed. "In a way, Tristram. The original Azaka and Kamidake are actually supreme Juraian warrior-knights who were released from their slumber to help us defeat the renegade Prince Kagato. They both are now back on Jurai, both are married, and they still rather enjoy playing Earth-style video games." Ayeka seemed to find this last bit vastly amusing. "When these two Guardians were revived for me--Miss Washuu and Kiyone and Mihoshi performed that task, by the way--I decided to avoid causing confusion by naming them thusly. Do you understand, Tristram?"  
  
"Sure...yeah."  
  
"You really do not, do you?" Ayeka asked knowingly.  
  
"Well...no."  
  
Ayeka nodded. "I can imagine how strange and alien all of this must seem to you. It was difficult for Lord Tenchi to comprehend, at first. Our worlds are vastly different, Tristram."  
  
"Well, yeah, I suppose. But it must be a very nice world you come from, Ayeka...since you come from it."  
  
The Princess smiled dazzlingly. "That is a lovely thing to say, Tristram. I think I shall tell you something."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I am really quite glad you are Lord Tenchi's friend. It has taken me a while to feel this way about you. I do hope you understand about...what happened before."  
  
"I sure do. Thank you, Ayeka."  
  
She smiled again. Behind her, the two Guardians blinked their pilot lights, seemingly with approbation.  
  
------  
  
"Oh, that's a great plan, Kiyone!" Mihoshi clapped her hands.  
  
The two Galaxy Police officers were upstairs in the communal bedroom. Since the picnic was looming, they had foregone their chores, at least for that day. To pass the time, Kiyone had told Mihoshi about an idea she had been mulling over for a while.  
  
"Yeah, I thought it might appeal to everyone." Kiyone smiled. "I read in the local paper that the beaches were opening early because of the warm weather. Like you said, Tenchi mentioned there is a nice one only a couple of hours away. You said you'd like to go to the beach and I think everyone else would, too. So, let's do it while Tenchi is home for Spring Break."  
  
"When, Kiyone, when?" Mihoshi was thrilled with the idea of a beach trip for all of them. "Tomorrow?"  
  
"Now, hold on, Mihoshi," Kiyone cautioned. "I haven't asked Tenchi yet and if he agrees, he'll need to clear it with his grandfather and his father. You know it's quite a thing to have all of us out in public like that." She smiled inwardly. And there was nothing more "public" than a beach!  
  
"Why is that, Kiyone?"  
  
Kiyone shook her head with fond exasperation. Her partner's enthusiasm sometimes seemed to cloud her thinking. It was so like Mihoshi to ask an obvious question like that!  
  
"We're not exactly like a bunch of local girls going out on an excursion, Mihoshi. We're...you know! Just a little bit different? Right?"  
  
Mihoshi slowly nodded. "Yes, that's right. We're all so much like a family here, I sometimes forget." She raised a hand and touched one of her pointed ears. She looked a bit downcast.  
  
"Don't let it bother you, partner. But Tenchi and his grandfather and father have to be willing to take the chance--that we'll all behave, that Ryoko won't go zooming in the air after a beach ball, that Washuu won't bring that console of hers along and whip up a beach hut out of thin air, that...well, lots of things."  
  
"But Tenchi and his grandfather and father trust us--you and me-- don't they?"  
  
"Of course they do. After all, we lived on our own here on Earth in an apartment we paid for." Kiyone grinned mirthlessly. "And practically starved in! We never raised any suspicions from the locals. Ayeka and Sasami can handle themselves anywhere. Ryoko and Washuu, on the other hand, have almost never left here to go outside the grounds. That's where the concern might be."  
  
Kiyone now sat down on her futon. Mihoshi did likewise on her futon, picking up Trissy as she did. Mihoshi had instructed her plush pooch that morning to guard her futon, a bit of silliness that she loved but generally got under Kiyone's skin.  
  
Mihoshi still looked a bit perturbed. She absently petted Trissy.  
  
"On the plus side, we've all gotten a bit older...a bit wiser...since we first came here," Kiyone added. "I think I wised up a little today myself. But we shouldn't get our hopes up until Tenchi and his father and grandfather give us the green light, Mihoshi."  
  
Mihoshi brightened up. "They will! They're so nice. And look how well we've all behaved with those awful girls here. Ryoko's been very good and patient, for her. And Washuu's kept away from the girls, mostly. Maybe that will help with Tenchi and Lord Yosho and Mr. Masaki. You think?"  
  
"I think. Lord Yosho has said good things sometimes come from bad things," Kiyone reflected. "Maybe that will happen in this case. I sure hope so."  
  
Kiyone sat quietly now, staring at one of the bedroom windows, at the brilliant sunshine that streamed through the blinds.  
  
"Are you thinking of...what will happen to us when the girls go back, Kiyone?"  
  
"Yeah. Bless that Ayeka! If we can squeeze through this without an official reprimand...a second one..." Kiyone bit her lip. "I don't know what I'll do if I get dismissed from the GP, Mihoshi."  
  
"You won't get dismissed! Neither of us will! It'll be a nice picnic, the girls will start acting nice, and they'll say nice things to their folks about us. I'm sure of it!"  
  
Kiyone smiled wistfully at her partner. "I know one thing, Mihoshi. If I had a tenth of your optimism, I'd be a lot happier person."  
  
"I'll give some of mine. I'll give all of to you. There's lots of it!" Mihoshi laughed. Now she held out Trissy. "Do you want to pet her? It makes me feel better."  
  
Kiyone looked at the lop-eared, woebegone plush pooch. It was kind of cute and appealing, in a way. Her dopey looks kind of grew on a person.  
  
"Okay...just this once." She hesitantly gave the stuffed toy a few pats. Well, its plush fur was nice and soft, anyway.  
  
Mihoshi smiled, looking pleased. "I think she'd wag her tail if she could, Kiyone."  
  
"She'd better not or I will crack up." Kiyone looked at the sun- drenched window again. "Maybe I'll go see what that goofball is doing..."  
  
------  
  
"There! See it? That's a cop ship--no bleeking doubt, man," Munt announced.  
  
Ginkar looked up from where he had been reading another rather scorchy chat room message packet he had cracked. These Earthlings sure didn't have any inhibitions...man!...although he didn't really understand what an "afternoon delight" was. He looked at the viewscreen and saw the red spacecraft floating in space not very far off.  
  
"You called it tight and right," he agreed. "It's an old model, man. Avatar class. Just right for cops stuck in this hick place. Let's do a scan on it and locate that uplink beam. Then we'll know where to plant our bad asses."  
  
"Done and done, man." Munt's fingers flew expertly over the scanner's control pod.  
  
"When we have the coords, we'll check out the situation on the ground. That new optic imager will give us a clean scene. We'll need to see where they've got the babes stashed. The place won't be wrapped up tight 'cause they're supposed to treat 'em nice. Probably using some local hut."  
  
"Yeah. Gotta be a real snarky place, being on this podunk planet," Munt agreed. "The coords are coming up now. In a few minutes, we'll be down there with the babes. They'll be so glad that we're taking 'em back to civilization...man...party all the way home."  
  
"That's what I'm thinking, too, man. It won't be long now."  
  
------  
  
By the shimmering lake with its huge, towering tree rising tall and majestic from the silvery water, the picnic blanket lay almost flat on the ground. But not flat enough for Kiyone.  
  
"Look at that bump over there...that's probably a rock. Go check it out," she ordered.  
  
"Slave driver," muttered Tris. He dutifully walked over to where the blanket did seem to rise a bit too high. "Tenchi and I picked up every single solitary rock in this whole area," he told her, lifting up the blanket. "I oughta be back at the house with him now, but no, someone isn't satisfied. Anyway, this is probably just a..." He looked.  
  
"What is it?" Kiyone asked sweetly.  
  
"A rock," Tris muttered.  
  
"My, my."  
  
Tris picked up the rock and lowered the blanket. He rose. He tossed the rock up and down in his hand. He looked speculatively at Kiyone.  
  
"Don't even think about it," she said.  
  
"A guy can dream," he said back. He tossed the rock into the lake.  
  
Kiyone laughed mockingly. She felt wonderfully better now. She walked on the blanket, feeling around with her bare feet. She had kicked her sandals off. "Let's see what other non-rocks you missed," she murmured.  
  
"Let me know if you step on one. Say one "ouch" for a small rock and two "ouches" for a big rock."  
  
"Oh, you'll find out all right." Her smile was sugar sweet now. "I just hope you can swim."  
  
Tris sat down on the blanket. He crossed his arms. "Indian squaw heap big pain. Me find another one, treat Big Chief plenty good, you betcha."  
  
Kiyone walked up to him. She raised her right leg and prodded his chest with a bare foot. "Big Chief, huh?" She pushed harder with her foot. Tris toppled on his back. "Big Chief fall down, you betcha," she said.  
  
Tris just stretched out on the blanket. "Big Chief just lay here. Dream of Hiawatha...and Pocohantas."  
  
Kiyone sat down beside his supine form. "Dreaming of cartoon women. That's lame."  
  
"Pocohantas was a real person, I'll have you know," Tris told her. "Of course, she was a cartoon, too. You know what I say about that?"  
  
"I'll bite. What?"  
  
"The way they drew her...I'd Poke-a-hantas." He chuckled. Then he stopped chuckling, rather suddenly. "Ow!"  
  
"More like I Poke-a-you," Kiyone said, examining her knuckles with satisfaction.  
  
"This never happened to Crazy Horse." Tris rubbed his bruised shoulder, tenderly.  
  
Kiyone stretched out beside him. She leaned over Tris, so that her long, dark teal hair tickled his face.  
  
"It's your own fault, clueless. You're supposed to tell a girl you dream about her."  
  
"Oh, is that it?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Keep dispensing those pearls of wisdom. I'll take notes."  
  
"You'll take another shot...or a kiss. You decide."  
  
Tris decided. They kissed.  
  
Kiyone slipped her arms around Tris's neck and snuggled against him. His arms encircled her. She kissed his nose. "That's some nose you've got there, idiot. Any more like that at home?"  
  
"Just the dog's."  
  
"Idiot..."  
  
They were finishing another kiss, this one slow and languid, when a shadow loomed over them.  
  
"Just can't take you kids anywhere!"  
  
Tris and Kiyone quickly parted and looked up. Ryoko stood over them, grinning.  
  
"Ryoko, your timing is impeccable," Tris told her. "Just about an hour early, though. Come back then."  
  
"Can't. Gotta go get that Kiyone and that Tris. That's what Tenchi said. I've just his obedient servant."  
  
"How come?" asked Kiyone.  
  
"The brats are hungry. They want to eat now," Ryoko said.  
  
"Maybe we ought to see if those brats can swim," Tris suggested.  
  
Ryoko chuckled and shook her platinum head. "Come on, you two...no fair having fun when nobody else is."  
  
"Okay, okay." Kiyone rose. Tris stood up, too, wincing a bit and rubbing his bruised shoulder again.  
  
"You're going to have to teach me that left jab, girl," Ryoko said to Kiyone as the three of them walked back to the house.  
  
------  
  
Fortunately for their peace of mind, Kiyone and Tris had no idea that others had observed them beside Ryoko.  
  
Peering from behind a tree, Munt and Ginkar watched as the two hot babes and the lanky dude walked back toward that wooden structure that must be what Earthlings lived in. The two techie geeks had teleported down into the wooded area of the Masaki grounds, showing surprisingly good sense in that regard.  
  
"I told you Earth girls were easy," Ginkar said.  
  
"No question, Gink, my man," Munt agreed. "They aren't too picky either." That pleased him as it did Ginkar.  
  
"But what was that hitting stuff?" Ginkar wondered. "If she digs that dude, why does she hit him?"  
  
"Must be how they do it on Earth."  
  
Ginkar shook his head. "Man, I don't know if I want to connect with these Earth babes. Looks kinda painful."  
  
Munt nodded.  
  
------  
  
The brats--that is, Viatrix and Beah--were actually out of their room when Kiyone, Ryoko, and Tris walked into the house. They made faces at Kiyone, ignored Ryoko, and smiled fetchingly at Tris.  
  
"It's nice that you boys thought to put on a picnic for us," Viatrix said. She batted patently false eyelashes at Tris.  
  
"So nice..." Beah cooed.  
  
Tris looked a bit nonplussed. "Well, that's fine, girls, but nearly all the work was done by Sasami and the others. Me, I just hunted for rocks."  
  
"And not very well, either," Kiyone murmured.  
  
Viatrix and Beah looked at the Galaxy Police officer with disdain. The lady cop wore just a pair of navy slacks and a cream-colored blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She was barefoot, too. Hardly any makeup. Just plain-looking earrings for jewelry. Both girls felt that Detective Split Ends didn't need just a makeover, but a major reconstruction, before she'd attract any guys. At least that odd woman with the big, spiky platinum hair showed some style-- she wore a tight black body stocking beneath a short gray silk tunic-- and she had interesting shoes, small black bootlets, actually (Ryoko had once again neglected to exchange her street shoes for house slippers). The girls thought she still needed some makeup, though.  
  
Tenchi walked into the living room where they all stood. The girls made the same teenaged moves on him as they had on Tris. He looked at them quizzically. Then he said, "I think we'll all need to carry something outside. Why don't--"  
  
"Not us, surely, Tenchi," Viatrix breathed to him. "After all--we're guests."  
  
"That's right." Beah smiled archly. "Guests."  
  
"Uhhhh...of course." Tenchi nodded. Above all, these rather trying girls really were guests and it was very important that they have a good time. "I'm certain the rest of us can carry it all. Sasami certainly cooked up a storm. You'll see." He smiled at the girls.  
  
"It so important for little kids to have a hobby," Viatrix approved, quite the sophisticate.  
  
"Yes," added Beah. "It keeps them from bothering the adults."  
  
Suddenly they all heard something clatter, loudly and pointedly. The sound came from the kitchen. Sasami had sharp ears.  
  
"It's so hard to grasp large objects with such little hands at that age." Viatrix sighed. She smiled winsomely at both Tenchi and Tris. Beah followed her girlfriend's lead. Ryoko took a step toward the girls, not exactly smiling at them.  
  
"Ahhh...let's go in the kitchen and grab some stuff," Tenchi said, a bit nervously.  
  
"Yes, let's," Tris agreed quickly.  
  
"You'd better," Kiyone muttered. Ryoko nodded her full agreement.  
  
------  
  
Ginkar and Munt, still crouched behind the tree, watched the group depart the house, most of them carrying bowls and cups or covered dishes or Thermos bottles of tea. The only ones not carrying anything were Viatrix and Beah. The two teen girls were each walking beside the heavily laden Tenchi and Tris, talking to them a mile a minute and generally flirting with them. This did not set well at all with the two Souiisian techie geeks.  
  
"Well, there are the babes. But look...they're jawing with those two swabby dudes," Munt muttered.  
  
"Yeah. Looks like that one dude ain't content with that teal-haired chick. He wants Beah, too, the creep." Privately, Ginkar admitted to himself that he would be more than happy having just the teal- haired chick pay attention to him. Some dudes had all the luck.  
  
"And that new dude...looks like a drood with those eyes...he's making time with Viatrix. He needs a fist facial," Munt growled.  
  
"That's tight and right!"  
  
------  
  
Actually, Tenchi and Tris were chatting with Viatrix and Beah on the way to the picnic spot out of politeness and because they had little choice. The two girls clung to their already burdened arms like glue. Neither young man had any idea that they were, in fact, cruising for a bruising--or at least a fist facial.  
  
"So you're the man of the house around here," Viatrix said to Tenchi. "I'm sure that's a big job, keeping all these women in line."  
  
Tenchi laughed nervously, imagining the reaction that comment had drawn from at least a few of the women. "No one keeps anyone in line, Viatrix. We all get along just fine."  
  
"I'm glad. I knew you were in charge the moment I saw you. These women must pester you awfully, but I'll bet you're looking for something different."  
  
Tenchi laughed again, a bit more nervously. It seemed a long walk to the picnic blanket.  
  
Beah said to Tris, "We're so glad we have you big strong men to look  
  
out for us, Handsome."  
  
Tris raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then who's going to look out for the big strong men?"  
  
Beah laughed. "You're funny...cute boys are always funny."  
  
"Funny, all right," Kiyone muttered behind them as she carried Thermos bottles. "Hilarious."  
  
In her wake, Ayeka and Ryoko, similarly burdened, glared at Viatrix. Behind them, Sasami and Mihoshi, carrying their items, brought up the rear. They both looked a bit worried.  
  
------  
  
"Hey, they're gonna eat out here. That's food on that blanket." Nothing much got past Munt.  
  
"Figures the natives on this podunk planet would eat with the bugs and all," Ginkar opined. "Those new chicks look pretty fine...even the little one."  
  
"Wonder if they hit, too?"  
  
"Don't know, Munt my man, but we may find out. They don't look too jazzed about something."  
  
"You see anything like cops around?" Munt asked, still a bit nervous about the impending rescue. He saw that the group had settled on the blanket and were commencing to eat.  
  
"Naw. Just the babes, the chicks, and the two dudes. Nothing that looks like the law. The cops must've zipped for a while. Probably part of the nicey-nice act for Viatrix and Beah."  
  
"That's gotta be right. Those two dudes ain't cops. Besides, the one cop yakin' on the GP line we hacked was a chick. The big chick and the little chick there in the robes ain't cops...look kinda like the royal chicks on Jurai."  
  
"Can't be...royal Jurai chicks on this hick planet?" Ginkar chuckled.  
  
"You read it and said it, Gink!" Munt chuckled, too. "Must be local royals. Now, that crazy-looking chick with that big hair and that tight outfit...she can't be a cop. She's gotta be some wild Earthling chick. And that teal-haired chick ain't no cop...cops don't lay around necking with dudes on duty. That blonde and tanned chick, now...look! She dropped that sauce on her lap. Now she's tipped over her drink trying to wipe it off. She's no cop!"  
  
"See? No cops. No problems," Ginkar said. "Even better than we planned."  
  
"Only problem is those two swabby dudes, going for our chicks."  
  
"Yeah, that's steaming me, too."  
  
From their vantage point behind the tree, the two techie geeks now studied Tenchi and Tris, who (through no fault of their own) were seated on the picnic blanket with Viatrix and Beah. Neither of those two swabby dudes looked particularly muscle-bound. That, along with the fact that Viatrix and Beah were actually trying to feed Tenchi and Tris, prompted Ginkar and Munt to make a fateful decision.  
  
"This is going to be more than a rescue," Ginkar said venomously. "This is going to be a Earth dude teachin' session."  
  
"Yeah," Munt muttered. "We'll teach 'em what fists are used for besides eatin'!"  
  
------  
  
Evidently, Tenchi and Tris's fists were not for eatin' either, since Viatrix and Beah kept attempting to force-feed the two young men themselves. The two girls had read somewhere that men love this. Men don't.  
  
"Here, Tenchi," Viatrix cooed. "Have another dumpling...oops! I'm sorry about your nice shirt. These--what do you call them?--oh, yes, chopsticks--are a bit much for little old me."  
  
"Yes," Ayeka muttered to Ryoko. "They do require some basic motor skills."  
  
"I'll show her how to use chopsticks," Ryoko muttered back, "to pick up her teeth!"  
  
"That's all right, Viatrix." Tenchi's hand held the back of his head while he laughed unconvincingly, a sure sign he was nervous. He glanced at Ayeka and Ryoko, both of whom looked coldly back.  
  
"Wouldn't you like another carrot stick?" Beah asked Tris, aiming one toward his mouth.  
  
"No thanks. Ryo-Ohki has the concession on those."  
  
Ryo-Ohki, who had joined the picnic, meower-ed affirmatively. Too late. Tris was now eating carrot, whether he wanted to or not.  
  
"Don't be upset," Kiyone said to Ryo-Ohki, stroking the cabbit's long, fluffy ears. "The big, strong man can't help it. The big, strong man can't even feed himself."  
  
The last two participants in the picnic were feeding themselves, but not enjoying it particularly.  
  
"I don't like this, much," Sasami whispered to Mihoshi.  
  
"I don't like it at all," Mihoshi whispered back. She was still upset at spilling soy sauce on her nice denims with all the zippers and snaps. She was glad she had decided not to bring Trissy. The plush pooch would have found very little to wag her tail about at this picnic.  
  
"You men are so helpless sometimes," Viatrix laughed softly, as Tenchi tried to swab the dumpling stain off his shirt with a napkin. The picnic was already adding to the laundry chores considerably. "You need a woman to take care of you."  
  
"I can take care of myself, thanks," Tenchi said shortly.  
  
Viatrix seemed unfazed by his manner. "I could wash that for you."  
  
"Yeah...in the lake," Ryoko muttered to Ayeka. "Maybe she'll fall in!"  
  
Beah was being equally adorable to Tris. "You sure look funny with that carrot piece on your cheek," she tittered, wiping it off.  
  
Tris raised an eyebrow at her. "I'll have you know that I did not come here to be tittered at," he said.  
  
"The big, strong man hasn't heard half the tittering he's going to hear," Kiyone cooed to Ryo-Ohki. "Has he?"  
  
------  
  
Just when things couldn't have gotten any worse from Tenchi's and Tris's point of view, they got worse. Ginkar and Munt decided to make their move.  
  
The two teenaged techie geeks broke from the cover of the tree, sprinted to the picnic spot, and fell upon Tenchi and Tris. Tenchi received Ginkar's attention, while Munt paid his respects to Tris.  
  
Tenchi and Tris, rising just as their peripheral vision picked up the two shapes hurtling toward them, were forced off the blanket and onto the grass. Quickly, sensing a fast and easy victory, Ginkar and Munt weighed into them, arms swinging, fists flying, breath chugging (techie geeks don't get a lot of exercise as a rule).  
  
The women and Sasami also rose. So did the two teen girls. The girls recognized their would-be rescuers. "Oh, gack!" The creepiest boys in their school! What were they doing here? "Go away!"  
  
The women watched the sudden dual title card bouts with amazement and consternation. Fistfights are not generally an accepted part of the picnic experience. "Who are those two clowns?" Kiyone asked, perturbed mightily.  
  
Ryoko glanced shrewdly at the two teen girls, who were flushed with anger and wringing their hands. "Don't know. But I bet I know who does."  
  
"Stop it!" Mihoshi wailed at the two scraggly interlopers. "Don't you hit Tenchi or Tris...I'll arrest you!" In her dismay, she had forgotten that she couldn't.  
  
"Calm down, Mihoshi," Kiyone told her. "I think our boys can handle this."  
  
"They knocked over the vegetable salad!" Sasami moaned. "I spent all morning making it!"  
  
"Oh, dear," Ayeka said, nonplussed by the sudden end of the picnic. Then she detected movement behind her. She turned. Azaka II and Kamidake II were hovering a few feet away, ready to blast if anyone made a move toward the Princess.  
  
"Shall we assist Lord Tenchi and Tristram Coffin, Princess?" Azaka II inquired politely.  
  
"It would be our pleasure," Kamidake II added.  
  
"No," Ayeka said, smiling slightly. "I do not think that will be necessary."  
  
Meanwhile, the fight, such as it was, began to heat up.  
  
Ginkar bulled himself at Tenchi. From the way the swabby dude backed up, Ginkar knew he was yellow. The perfect type to beat to a pulp. He got in a lucky punch, grazing Tenchi's jaw, stingingly. It was a mistake.  
  
Although Tenchi Masaki had defeated the most powerful (and the outright nastiest) villain in the galaxy, he had been taught to avoid fighting whenever possible. Tenchi was amiable, quiet, very slow to anger, extraordinarily forgiving, and had a high tolerance level (which explained his friendship with Tris). In short, Tenchi was almost too good for this wicked old world. Except for one thing...he was a flesh-and-blood nineteen-year-old male, and he had not been raised to turn the other cheek just to receive another punch in the jaw.  
  
Tenchi dropped into his combat stance. He cocked his fists. Ginkar laughed at the stupid Earth move and came in swinging. Tenchi's fists shot out like rapid-fire artillery. Four "shuto" punches--two in the stomach, two in the face--hit Ginkar. The sharp, hard, powerful blows poleaxed the techie geek. He tried to recover with a bear hug. All he received for his pains was more pain--a roundhouse (or "yoko geri kekomi") kick that slammed into his left side and sent him reeling. Ginkar plunged down to the grass and lay there to painfully contemplate the fact that Earth girls may be easy, but Earth guys weren't.  
  
"That-a-boy, sweetums!" Ryoko cheered her hero. "Kick him again! He's not bleeding enough yet!"  
  
"Yes, well done, Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka cried. "That is the way to punish him for spoiling our picnic!"  
  
"Tenchi, yay!" Mihoshi cried. "Hey...look at Tris!"  
  
"Go get 'em, Tiger!" Kiyone shouted out adoringly.  
  
"Wow..." said Sasami.  
  
Like Tenchi, Tris had been brought up not to fight unless it was unavoidable. His father had taught him to use his dukes and his mother had reprimanded him when he did. It was a typical American upbringing. Accordingly, he also backed up and tried to avoid Munt's punches. He tried to talk to Munt, but Munt wasn't listening.  
  
Munt was pleased by this apparent cowardly reaction, just as his techie geek buddy had been. Just for fun, he kicked Tris in the shin. Tris hopped, inadvertently imitating Ryo-Ohki. Munt laughed.  
  
Tris stopped hopping. He saw red.  
  
As mentioned previously in this chronicle, Tris had grown up in the mean streets of childhood, where he had been taunted by that accursed nickname "Trissy." He had stopped the taunts with his fists. Now the old anger filled him, and so did his old form. He immediately dropped down and jabbed Munt directly in the solar plexus. Munt stopped laughing, as the air rushed out of him. He doubled over. Tris rose. Munt was in the perfect position. Tris executed a textbook uppercut, his fist whistling in the prescribed arc, so that his up-rocketing fist met Munt's down-drooping chin. Tris's punch lifted Munt fully to his feet, actually raised him in the air a tad, and sent him sprawling to Earth. Seconds later, Munt lay spread-eagle on the turf, dazed, defeated, dizzy, and damning Gink for cooking up this scheme.  
  
"I do not believe it," Ayeka said wonderingly.  
  
"That's the way to teach that guy some manners, Tris!" Ryoko laughed. "What a punch!"  
  
"Did you see that?" Mihoshi asked Sasami. "Tris lifted that guy in the air. It was so neat!"  
  
"Just like on TV!" Sasami agreed. "Cool!"  
  
"Oh, you angel!" Kiyone cried. "That's my Tiger!"  
  
Tris observed the now prone Munt with some amount of interest. Then it was Tris's turn to examine his knuckles with satisfaction. The old Sunday punch. It never failed. A small distance away, Tenchi also contemplated his fallen foe. He did not look triumphant by any means, but he also did not look entirely unpleased, either. A few lingering frustrations had been vented and in a most satisfying manner.  
  
"You know, Princess," Ryoko muttered to Ayeka. "We could have stopped this fight cold with a couple of force beams."  
  
"I am so glad we did not intervene," Ayeka muttered back. "Our dear boys deserve a little victory."  
  
Ryoko nodded. Tenchi had sure made her proud of him...the honey boy. And that Tris! He had really shown her something again.  
  
"Inefficient but effective," Azaka II rendered its judgment on the fighting techniques displayed. The Guardians had returned to their usual posts by the front gate.  
  
"You are correct. The humans seem to take pleasure in observing such combat, however...even the Princess," Kamidake II noted.  
  
Plaudits aside, it had proved to be a rather quick dual bout. Paying customers would have demanded their money back. The late Bruce Lee, who knew something about personal combat, once commented that any street fight that lasted more than five minutes could only happen in the movies.(1) He was right.  
  
Tenchi and Tris each hauled their respective fallen opponent to their feet. Each of the teen techie geeks from Souiis struggled. Each had their arms pinned behind their backs, somewhat painfully. Tenchi and Tris were not overly generous in victory. Ginkar and Munt seemed the type to slip in a sucker punch if so allowed.  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi proceeded to take charge. Clearly, the two interlopers were not from Earth. This was police work now.  
  
"I am Detective Makibi of the Galaxy Police, and this is Detective Kuramitsu," Kiyone said formally. She produced what looked like a pen. The "pen" instantly dropped a hair-thin screen that displayed her Galaxy Police credentials. She retracted the pen-ID and returned it to her jeans pocket. "Who are you two?" she demanded.  
  
Ginkar and Munt glowered but held their tongues.  
  
"Where do you come from? Which planet?"  
  
Eloquent looks of truculence but no spoken answer came from the two.  
  
"Search them, Detective Kuramitsu."  
  
"Must I?" Mihoshi looked dubiously at Ginkar and Munt. Neither looked particularly clean after their trip from Souiis in a makeshift ship that did not have proper bathing facilities factored into the design.  
  
"Yes, Detective Kuramitsu. Do it."  
  
Mihoshi did it, efficiently but not happily. She handed Kiyone a control cube.  
  
"This is a control cube for your ship...isn't it?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"You can't arrest us here!" Munt had finally decided to bless the proceedings with his input, although he didn't exactly answer the question put to him. He saw now that he and Ginkar had figured wrong. The teal-haired chick and the blonde chick were cops, after all. "You can't make us talk, cop!"  
  
"Maybe not...but we can sure break your arms," Tris told him pleasantly. He tightened his grip on Munt's arms. Munt moaned.  
  
"He's bluffin', man," Ginkar said.  
  
"No, I'm not, man," Tris said mildly. "I'm not with these civilized folks. I'm a savage Earthling who just learned to walk upright the day before yesterday, and I like to break arms."  
  
Kiyone's eyes glowed at him. Ginkar's eyes glowered at him. Munt's eyes closed as the pain increased. Tenchi just watched, holding Ginkar tightly. He knew Tris would not go too far...and they needed answers.  
  
"You know, I'm enjoying the hell out of all this." Ryoko smiled. "I really am. But you're arm-twisting the wrong twits."  
  
"Huh?" Tenchi asked. "What do you mean?"  
  
Ryoko walked up to Viatrix and Beah. "I watched these two brats when those bozos first arrived. They recognized them, all right."  
  
"We did not!" Viatrix yelled.  
  
Beah remembered her part. She stuck out her tongue at Ryoko.  
  
But Ryoko, the legendary space pirate, could not be buffaloed...not by Galactic Depository vaults, not by Galaxy Police dragnets, and most certainly not by two rather pitiful teenaged girls. She crossed her arms as she confronted Viatrix and Beah. "If you think that Tris is mean," she said icily, "just wait until I start in on you. Now talk!"  
  
Looking into Ryoko's glittering golden eyes, the two girls knew she was not kidding.  
  
"Listen, you two," Kiyone said to Viatrix and Beah, taking control of the situation again. "If I have to, I'll take these boys into custody and run them through a scan on our ship. We'll find out who they are and what connection they have to you, never fear."  
  
Viatrix and Beah looked at each other. It was hopeless, they knew. Besides, they were in the clear.  
  
"They're just two boys from our school," Viatrix said. "We hardly even know them."  
  
"Yeah, they're awful...from the geek brigade," Beah amplified. "The worst!"  
  
Kiyone now turned to the two pinioned boys. "Do you want to tell us your names now?"  
  
The two techie geeks appeared more cooperative. The less than adoring words from their would-be rescued admirers had knocked some of the stuffing out of them.  
  
"Ginkar Ter'tran."  
  
"Munt Yo'ost."  
  
"That's better," Kiyone said. "And you are both from Souiis?"  
  
"Yeah," Munt answered. Tris had greatly eased up on the pressure, but the young techie geek wasn't going anywhere.  
  
"Say, "Yes, Detective,"" Kiyone instructed him.  
  
Munt grimaced. "You can't arrest us here! We know that!"  
  
Kiyone walked up to him. "I can't arrest you here on Earth for an Earth offense, that's true. But for a Union offense...I assume you have the required authorization to be in a restricted area?"  
  
Munt did not reply. He looked a bit sick.  
  
"Of course you don't. So I'll be obliged to search your ship. Those girls called you geeks. On Souiis, that's short for "techie geeks." I wonder how much illegal scanning and hacking equipment I'll find on your ship?"  
  
"Don't say nothing more, Munt," Ginkar advised, but a bit less brashly now.  
  
"He won't need to," Kiyone said. "The illegal equipment you used to sneak in here and to find out where these girls were being quartered will speak loudly enough."  
  
"That's right," Mihoshi said. "We don't like being hacked and cracked. It's mean. It's also illegal."  
  
Now both boys looked sick.  
  
"If you're going to hurl," Tris advised Munt, "please don't do it facing the wind."  
  
"So these are your boyfriends," Ryoko said to Viatrix and Beah.  
  
"Gack! They are not!" Viatrix was aghast.  
  
"You make us sick saying that!" Beah added, looking a little green, in fact.  
  
Ryoko laughed mockingly. "But I don't believe you." She walked slowly toward the section of the picnic blanket where Princess Ayeka stood. "No, you're lying. Why would even boys this stupid risk years in galactic prison on a wild-goose chase? No, they didn't just up and come here on their own. They're too dim for that. I think you contacted them and asked them to come and take you away from the mean old Galaxy Police."  
  
"That's a lie!" Viatrix shouted.  
  
"A big lie!" Beah amplified.  
  
Ryoko walked past Ayeka. She covertly winked at her.  
  
Ayeka then realized where Ryoko was heading with her tactics. It was Ayeka's turn now. The Princess smiled grimly. This was going to be a distinct pleasure.  
  
"And I do not believe your tawdry lies, either," Ayeka told the two girls. "As First Princess of Jurai, I have a duty to support the efforts of law enforcement. This is clearly a conspiracy to thwart the ends of justice by attempting an escape from lawful authority through illegal means. You girls are now in very deep trouble."  
  
"You have to prove what you say!" Viatrix shouted again. Then she remembered to add, "Princess."  
  
Beah began to blubber, on cue.  
  
"Shut up, Beah. You know it's not true. She can't prove anything!"  
  
Ayeka laughed. "My dear! It is not I who will have to prove it. It is for you to disprove it. I am convinced. I will so report to the Galaxy Police--to the Grand Marshall and the High Commissioner, as well."  
  
Viatrix visibly crumpled. The Jurai royal family held the ultimate influence in the Galactic Union. Princess Ayeka's sentiments would carry enormous weight. Even Viatrix's Daddy couldn't match such pull and wouldn't even try.  
  
Beah sobbed.  
  
"Shut up, Beah!" Viatrix said again. "How could we have contacted them anyway?" she added, suddenly seeing a ray of light. "Our ship was totaled by these two cops. And there's nothing around here to communicate with."  
  
Kiyone stepped forward and squelched that ray. "After you blundered into our warning shot, the force of it shut down your engines and broke the mandatory hold we had on your comm equipment. While Detective Kuramitsu and I were gaining access to your ship, you had plenty of time--and battery power--to contact your boyfriends."  
  
Viatrix visibly gave up. It was enough, she knew. She didn't even contradict the word "boyfriends," although it made her want to gag.  
  
Beah continued to sob quietly.  
  
The two teen boys hung their heads. They didn't bother to contradict the teal-haired cop. They knew they were screwed, royally screwed--so to speak.  
  
Tenchi looked at Beah and Viatrix...and at Ginkar and Munt. "They're really just kids. Stupid kids. But just kids." He released Ginkar. Tris did likewise with Munt.  
  
"That is a point, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said. "It seems a shame to wreck such young lives, and to go through all that red tape..."  
  
Four teenaged heads rose. Beah stopped crying. They all seemed to sense that a chance was going to be offered to them.  
  
"I think," Ayeka continued, "that since these boys came all this way, they should not leave empty-handed."  
  
Tenchi, Tris, Kiyone, and Ryoko grinned covertly as all four pairs of teenage eyes locked on Princess Ayeka now. Then Sasami grinned, too...she caught on now. Mihoshi frowned a bit, but then she saw a glimmering of what was happening. She smiled.  
  
"If you boys will take these girls with you...and go straight back to Souiis...and do it quickly enough to prevent Viatrix's father from going to the expense of having to send a ship," Ayeka speculated aloud. "And if you girls tell the truth now to your parents and the Galaxy Police officers on Souiis...how you tried to escape in your cruiser from the Galaxy Police and simply blundered into the warning shot...and also tell how fairly and well you have been treated since then..." Ayeka pursed her lips. "Yes. I could be persuaded to suggest to the authorities that the matter be dropped."  
  
The expelling of four teenaged breaths was audible, mingling with the twittering of birds, the soft hum of insects, and the muted splash of fish breaking the surface of the silvery lake, then diving deep again with some of those insects in their mouths. Not all picnics had been interrupted.  
  
"Do you find that satisfactory, Detectives?" Ayeka asked.  
  
"We do--if your suggestions are followed to the letter," Kiyone answered. Mihoshi nodded her assent. She really didn't want the poor kids jailed, no matter what they did or tried to do.  
  
Viatrix and Beah looked at each other. They nodded, too. Ginkar and Munt didn't even bother to nod. It was obvious that they would grasp the straw that Princess Ayeka had offered them.  
  
"Of course, we'll first search your ship and confiscate your illegal hacking and cracking equipment," Kiyone told Ginkar and Munt. "And then we'll escort you and your passengers out of the restricted area. Right?"  
  
Now Ginkar and Munt both nodded slowly, defeated. Earth girls weren't easy. Earth guys weren't easy. GP officers weren't easy. Princesses weren't easy. The only thing that was easy was getting caught.  
  
------  
  
"It was great of Ayeka to go with Kiyone and Mihoshi on Yagami to add her report to theirs," Tenchi said a little while later. "She really saved the day."  
  
"Yeah," admitted Ryoko. "This isn't for general publication, but the Princess did real good."  
  
Tenchi, Tris, Ryoko, Sasami, and even Washuu (who had been monitoring interspace communications, had heard part of the report transmitted from the Yagami to GP Headquarters, and had left her lab to investigate) sat at the dining room table. They were having a late lunch to compensate for the aborted picnic.  
  
In the kitchen, the picnic containers were piled up by the sink. Most of the food had been salvaged. And Sasami was brewing some fresh tea. The little girl sang as she measured the tea leaves. She was so proud of her big sister! She heard Tris say to Ryoko:  
  
"The Princess sure did a great job as the clean-up batter. But you put the men on the bases, Ryoko." Tris's voice was admiring.  
  
"Huh?" asked Ryoko. "Oh, yeah, baseball. Well, thanks, slugger!" She smiled at Tris.  
  
"Hey, you're the slugger! You and Ayeka. You ladies carry Louisville Sluggers and you don't have to choke up on the bat, either."  
  
"Really? Well, thanks again!" Ryoko really did not follow baseball, even Japanese baseball, that closely, but she knew a heartfelt compliment when she heard one.  
  
"Enough baseball talk, please," Washuu requested.  
  
Sasami entered the dining room with the freshly brewed tea. She sat the teapot on the table. "Do you think that Kiyone and Mihoshi will be treated okay by the GP? They won't get in trouble now?" she asked, seating herself at the table.  
  
Washuu nodded. "From what I heard, I predict smooth sailing. Maybe even commendations for those two."  
  
"I'll drink to that," Tenchi said, pouring tea.  
  
"Hey--speaking of drinking--let's have a party to celebrate tonight. Sake and everything!" Ryoko's eyes sparkled.  
  
Tenchi grinned. "Why not? Of course, I'll have to ask Dad and Grandfather--"  
  
"Ask Grandfather what, Tenchi?"  
  
Lord Yosho walked into the dining room. It was time for his post- picnic lunch, as pre-arranged that morning. He smiled at the group. "I had not expected company with my repast, but it most welcome." He sat down at the table.  
  
"Well, Grandfather--listen to this." Tenchi detailed the morning's and afternoon's events, including Washuu's preliminary estimate of the probable results.  
  
Yosho smiled broadly. "That is excellent news, indeed. It is the outcome that I had hoped for."  
  
"It is, Grandfather?"  
  
"Yes, Tenchi. These were just children causing the upset. You do not want to heavily punish or incarcerate children. They learn no lessons that way, only resentment. I believe that the girls and boys involved will learn a valuable lesson from this. And, thankfully, our two Detectives will have no stain on their records from this unfortunate episode."  
  
"Well, I'll go along with you there about Kiyone and Mihoshi, Lord Yosho," Ryoko said. "But I doubt if those four dimwits learned anything except that they got away with it. That's the only bad part of how it all turned out."  
  
"Indeed? I really do believe that the lesson will stick with those youngsters, Ryoko," Yosho told her. "It is certainly an uncomfortable time they will have to endure with their parents and the authorities."  
  
"Well, maybe they will learn something from this, Lord Yosho. But I wouldn't make book on it."  
  
"Yet Ryoko, that is what we do all our lives--make book on people, as you express it. Sometimes our wager is wasted. Most of the time, however, it is not." Yosho smiled at her and turned to Tenchi. "Didn't you want to ask me something, grandson?"  
  
"Yes, Grandfather." The hidden meaning of his grandfather's words was not lost on Tenchi. He hoped they were not lost on Ryoko. "We'd like to have a small party tonight, when Ayeka and Kiyone and Mihoshi return. We'd also like to serve sake, if that's all right."  
  
"Quite all right," Lord Yosho agreed. "A party is a splendid idea. It is a time for celebration. I'm certain your father will agree."  
  
"Thanks, Grandfather," Tenchi said. "Of course, you and Dad are invited, too."  
  
"Well, we would certainly make an appearance. But this party is for you young people."  
  
"You're the greatest, sir," Tris told Lord Yosho.  
  
"That's no lie!" Ryoko added.  
  
Washuu said, "I might even attend this party."  
  
"Please do, Washuu," Sasami pleaded, smilingly.  
  
"Of course she will," Tenchi said. "Tonight, we all celebrate!"  
  
------  
  
As it turned out, there was quite a bit to celebrate about.  
  
When Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Ayeka walked into the house some hours later, all three were smiling widely--Kiyone's smile was the widest of all.  
  
"Good new, I guess," Tenchi said, grinning. They all stood in the living room, including Washuu.  
  
"Very good news, indeed, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka confirmed. "After I made my report and the girls finally told the truth, the High Commissioner personally praised Kiyone and Mihoshi. The Grand Marshall was not available when we communicated with his office, but his executive officer also commended our Detectives."  
  
"Wow!" said Washuu. "That doesn't happen every day."  
  
"It was so nice!" Mihoshi's eyes were shining. "The Commissioner said such sweet things and told us we needn't worry about an investigation. He called me by my name, twice!" Mihoshi was obviously thrilled.  
  
"Even better," Kiyone added, her face radiant. "Chief Bodai came on the comm line while the High Commissioner was talking to us and Ayeka. The Chief requested, in front of all of us, that the incident that got us busted down in grade be re-investigated."  
  
"Now, I'll say "wow,"" Tris said. "Wow!"  
  
Kiyone smiled at him. "The High Commissioner said he would ask the Grand Marshall that Chief Bodai be chosen to head up the re- investigation. Chief Bodai vowed to start from scratch! No pre- conceived notions." Kiyone was all but dancing. "It could mean we get our rank back! Reassigned to Headquarters!" She stopped and smiled at Ayeka. "You made it happen, Ayeka. I owe you--I and Mihoshi owe you--so very much."  
  
She walked over and hugged a surprised Ayeka. The Princess had not quite recovered from that when Mihoshi hugged her, too.  
  
"Oh, my." Ayeka smiled and shook her head. "I just did what I could do..."  
  
"But you did a lot, big sister!" Sasami told her fondly.  
  
"Everybody here did a lot. I am just happy it turned out so well," Ayeka said.  
  
"Don't I get a hug, too?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"You sure do!" Kiyone walked up to Ryoko and hugged her. Then Mihoshi hugged the space pirate also, almost knocking her down in the process.  
  
"Steady girl," Ryoko told her. "I'm not that ugly stuffed mutt, you know." Mihoshi just laughed delightedly.  
  
"I thought the High Commissioner was going to have a heart attack at first when he saw Ayeka with us through the viewscreen!" Kiyone grinned.  
  
Mihoshi giggled. "Didn't his face turn red, though!"  
  
"Bet that just made his day, all right," Washuu said.  
  
Ayeka looked demure. "Possibly it did catch him by surprise. But he was quite fair in his dealings with us. I fear that Viatrix's father may have some heavy weather ahead, though, with the High Commissioner. Poor man."  
  
"Hah!" Ryoko said. She was now floating in the air, a few feet above the floor in fact, not because she particularly needed to but because she could now. "That chump raised that brat. He deserves what he gets!"  
  
Ayeka clearly did not agree, but she did not bother to contest Ryoko's assertion.  
  
"And another great thing...those two brats are gone! We're free of them!" Ryoko floated higher, grinning with relief.  
  
This time Ayeka did agree with Ryoko--one hundred percent.  
  
"That's so great," Tenchi said to his grandfather and to Tris. The three of them stood together now a small distance away, observing the women.  
  
"It is a happy outcome, Tenchi, and not before time for our two Detectives," his grandfather agreed.  
  
"Yes, sir. Finally getting a break, those two," Tris said. "It's enough to make me believe in Santa Claus again."  
  
"When did you ever stop believing?" Tenchi jibed.  
  
"When I was sixteen. I checked my Christmas stocking that year and no swimsuit model! The welcher! I'm still waiting for the aircraft carrier I asked for in grade school, too."  
  
Tenchi looked at Lord Yosho. "Why did we ask him to stay on, again, Grandfather?"  
  
Lord Yosho only smiled.  
  
At that point, everyone separated to go about his or her business before dinner. Tris decided to take this opportunity ask Washuu about how she got herself blackballed--twice--from the Royal Science Academy (Tenchi had mentioned it to him). Someone grabbed his arm and stopped him, however. It was Kiyone. "Come with me, you," she said.  
  
"Coming quietly, officer," Tris told her.  
  
She led him down the hallway to Tenchi's and his room. Yes, it was their room again. He and Tenchi had wasted no time after cleaning up the picnic mess and having lunch to take down the tent and store it away and then put their bedroom back in order. Spending one night in a tent had convinced the two young men that they were not boys any more. They valued their comfort now.  
  
Following Kiyone, Tris noted how she filled out her Galaxy Police uniform. The tight uniform pants and form-fitting tunic looked particularly fetching on her. She had doffed the rather silly looking brimless cap and her silken teal hair hung in soft dark waves down her back. Kiyone was a desireable and beautiful woman even in her uniform. He could have done without the hand weapon in the shoulder holster, though.  
  
They reached the bedroom. Kiyone went right in. Tris followed, sliding the door shut behind him.  
  
Tenchi wasn't there, of course. Tris looked at Kiyone inquiringly. Kiyone smiled at him. She walked up to him. She kept smiling at him, her eyes aglow. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Tris could figure out where this was leading.  
  
"What if Tenchi walks in--?" Tris did not finish. Kiyone's lips stopped him.  
  
It was a while, a warm, lazy while, before they broke. "Let him," Kiyone said. They kissed again.  
  
"Well..." Tris caught his breath when their lips parted. "Take a guy to his bedroom and just think you can have your way with him. I like it."  
  
Kiyone looked at him with those wonderful violet blue eyes. She moved her head so her lips found one of his ears. "Everything is working out so great, Tris," she murmured in that ear.  
  
"I know," he said. "Your comeback has begun."  
  
"Yes, I'm very happy about the reprieve and the re-investigation, of course. I'm walking on air, Tris. But it's not just because these wonderful things are happening. It's also because I have a guy I can share them with...the same guy who supported me and made me laugh and feel so good when things seemed so rotten...a hopeless, wonderful idiot who really impressed me today."  
  
"Well, we idiots have our moments."  
  
Kiyone softly kissed his ear. "You know, Tris, I've thought about what you told me about your parents. I kind of wish there was a drive-in movie around here."  
  
"Yeah, drive-ins never caught on here. Something to do with population density and land prices. Too bad. When you want to have a necking party with your favorite girl and Daddy-san gives you the keys to the Toyota...where do you go? In all the time I lived here, I've never figured it out."  
  
They both heard Sasami's voice announcing dinner.  
  
But there was time for one more kiss.  
  
"Let's go have dinner," Kiyone said afterward, taking his hand. "I'm starving!"  
  
------  
  
After a triumphant dinner provided by Sasami to mark the triumphant day, the celebration--in the form of a sake party--began.  
  
The party went well into the wee hours. Midnight had come and gone long ago, but Tenchi, Tris, Kiyone, Ryoko, Ayeka, and Mihoshi still sat on the living room couches, laughing and talking and sipping from their chokos (sake cups). Both Lord Yosho and Nobuyuki had long since retired politely, Washuu had stumbled back to her sub-dimensional lair (she knew her sake limit), and Sasami had been sent to bed...which meant that she sat in her nightgown at the top of the stairs, listening. She petted Ryo-Ohki and fed the cabbit carrot sticks left over from the picnic. Ryo-Ohki was in cabbit heaven.  
  
The seating arrangement was as follows: Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka on one couch, and Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Tris on the other. They had all swapped places several times and each had shared a song or a story with the other. But, as the evening wore down, social gravity took hold and Tenchi found himself wedged between Ayeka and Ryoko. Not that he minded.  
  
Tris had been amazed at the amount of rice wine Ayeka had put away. Ryoko, of course, drank like a stevedore, but the Princess matched her, cup for cup. A line of little white bottles stood like sake solders on the living room table. Any would-be wolf who tried to get Ryoko or Ayeka drunk for immoral purposes would have found himself under the table long before either of them showed the slightest effect. Mihoshi and Kiyone didn't hold their sake so well, which was all right, too, because it was, after all, a party.  
  
Tenchi had only begun imbibing recently (as a college student, he felt entitled to). Accordingly, he and Tris had sipped at their cups judiciously, which meant they were feeling no pain within a short time. In fact, so painless did they become that they started a song competition between themselves. Tenchi sang the original Japanese lyrics and Tris countered with the American lyrics to the old anime both had watched as kids: "Mach Go Go Go" (better known to Americans as "Speed Racer").(2)  
  
They each sang their version faithfully and badly. When they finished, Tenchi and Tris gave themselves a round of applause. The women just looked at them.  
  
"Oh, yay! Sing it again!" Mihoshi bounced on the couch, somewhat erratically, spilling her and Kiyone's sake in the process. She loved both versions of the song immediately.  
  
"Don't you dare!" Ryoko warned Tenchi and Tris both.  
  
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone started to scold as she felt sake splash on her dressy slacks. Then, warmed by alcohol and the day's triumphs, she let it go and poured herself and Mihoshi some more sake. Mihoshi gulped down her cup of rice wine. She was thirsty after her cheering.  
  
"Let me understand this," Ayeka said quite formally to Tenchi and Tris. "You two are singing about a car that does not exist."  
  
"Does too!"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
Ayeka dropped the discussion. It was pointless to argue with drunken children.  
  
"I know a song!" Mihoshi announced.  
  
"Oh, God," Ryoko muttered and swigged more sake.  
  
Mihoshi stared to stand up and swayed a bit. Drinking sake as if it was water was the culprit. She slumped back on the couch and bumped into Kiyone, who involuntarily dumped more sake on her lap. Kiyone looked at her sake-soaked slacks and laughed, helplessly. The sake had really loosened her up. Mihoshi looked at her partner's sake- splashed slacks and began to shed sake-fueled tears.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kiyone! Your nice slacks!"  
  
"Don't worry, Mihoshi...they're just slacks. Don't cry. What is your song?"  
  
Mihoshi immediately brightened. She smiled at Tris. "It's from American TV! It's about a big family--just like us!"  
  
"What? "The Addams Family"?" Tris cracked.  
  
"No, that's not the name of the family! It's such a sweet song!"  
  
Mihoshi sang--the theme to "The Brady Bunch." She only got as far as the story of a man named Brady who was raising three sons solo--(3)  
  
"Not that song again!" Kiyone groaned, clamping her hand over Mihoshi's mouth. "Please, Mihoshi!"  
  
"Thank you, Kiyone. Bless you," said Ayeka. That seemed to be the general sentiment all around. Kiyone then unstopped Mihoshi's mouth. Mihoshi looked disappointed.  
  
Then Ryoko decided to put on an aerial demonstration. "Watch me!" she giggled. She floated up to just below the ceiling beams and then started loop-the-looping, over and over again. It was a beautiful thing to watch; the space pirate did it so effortlessly, just up and down...up and down...up and down...up and...then, holding her mouth, a greenish-faced Ryoko zoomed away to the toilet, quick.  
  
Ayeka laughed so loud (a really brassy laugh that Tris would never have believed came from such a dignified young woman) that she tumbled to the floor. She lay on the floor, still laughing. "Can't hold her sake!" was the gist of Ayeka's comments about Ryoko's sudden departure. The party was clearly on its last legs.  
  
Tris was fully in sympathy with Ryoko. Just watching her looping- the-loop had made him queasy. He decided to sit, very quietly, and lay off the sake. Tenchi looked at him and nodded, understanding. He had already decided: No more sake for him.  
  
"Do you think Ryoko's all right?" a worried little voice spoke from the top of the stairs.  
  
Ayeka stirred herself from the floor. "Sasami! Go to bed! Go to sleep!"  
  
"Can't! You all are making too much noise!"  
  
"Go to bed anyway!"  
  
"Awwww..."  
  
Finally marshaling his groggy reserves, Tenchi stood up from the couch, a bit unsteadily, and helped Ayeka rise from the floor. Ayeka gave him a loving smile. "Thank you, Lord Tenchi."  
  
"You're welcome...Ayeka?"  
  
The Princess sagged into his arms. Tenchi thought it was pretty understandable, considering all the sake she had consumed. "Why don't you go to bed, too, Ayeka?" he suggested, speaking a bit slowly and thickly.  
  
"No...no, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said, snuggling against him. "Do not want...those awful dreams...I would much rather...stay here with you...you are so nice and warm...Lord Tenchi..."  
  
At the other couch, Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Tris stared at the Princess, all three of them taken aback at her forwardness. The sake had done its sneaky work, even to Ayeka's iron constitution.  
  
"I could never...have a bad dream...ever...with you near me, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka added, slurring her words just a smidgen.  
  
Naturally, Ryoko returned from the bathroom at that moment, looking somewhat pale. She eyed Ayeka, who was still leaning against Tenchi and smiling contentedly.  
  
"Who did you say couldn't hold their sake?" Ryoko asked Ayeka. Fortunately, the space pirate chose to be amused.  
  
"What do you mean, Ryoko?" Ayeka took bleary-eyed notice of the space pirate.  
  
"You're all over Tenchi like a cheap shirt. That's not your usual style."  
  
"I am not all over Lord Tenchi! He was simply assisting me."  
  
"It looks to me like you were helping yourself." Ryoko grinned. She walked over to Ayeka, took her from Tenchi, and sat her down on the couch. "We wouldn't want you to fall again, Princess."  
  
"I did not fall!"  
  
Meanwhile, on the other couch, Mihoshi yawned hugely. Then she rose, unsteadily, walked to the other end of the couch, and plopped down beside Tris. Now he was between her and Kiyone. Kiyone didn't notice. She had laid her head on Tris's lap. Her eyes were closed. Mihoshi now also leaned against Tris, her blonde head resting on his shoulder. She closed her eyes. Tris was beginning to feel like a mattress.  
  
"They really can't hold their sake," Ryoko observed, referring to Kiyone and Mihoshi. "Luckily, they have that big lumpy thing to lean against."  
  
"Ryoko..." Tenchi said, but with a grin.  
  
"From over here," Ayeka said, "it looks like a nice lumpy thing." She smiled at Tris. Then she leaned against Tenchi, letting her head loll on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.  
  
"Hey..." said Ryoko. She sat down on the other side of Tenchi. Now her platinum head rested on his other shoulder. She smiled and closed her eyes.  
  
Tenchi looked at Tris. He grinned. "Hey, from one lumpy thing to another...why don't we get these girls to bed?"  
  
Tris nodded, started to rise. But Kiyone and Mihoshi's combined mass held him down. "Fat chance," he told Tenchi.  
  
"Who's fat?" Kiyone murmured from his lap.  
  
"Please don't move, Tris," Mihoshi requested, her eyes still closed. "I'm trying to sleep."  
  
Tris started to shrug and couldn't even do that. "Guess I'm stuck," he told Tenchi.  
  
"Yes, you are," Kiyone sleepily agreed. "Boy, are you. Someday I'll just tell you just how stuck you are."  
  
"Well, I'm not." Tenchi started to rise. Ayeka and Ryoko both held him down.  
  
"Yes you are, Tenchi, sweetums," Ryoko said. "You're stuck with us."  
  
"Indeed you are," Ayeka told him.  
  
Tenchi looked at Ayeka, then at Ryoko. Both still had their eyes closed, their heads resting on his shoulders.  
  
"Now what do we do?" Tenchi asked, glancing at Tris. He groaned. Tris's eyes were closed, too.  
  
"Great...just great..."  
  
But Tenchi smiled as he said it.  
  
------  
  
A few hours later, Sasami woke up. It was early morning, she saw by the pale light that glowed through the blinds. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She turned to check on Ayeka. Her futon was empty. Then Sasami noticed that all the other futons were empty, too.  
  
Could they still be partying? But no...the house was still and quiet.  
  
Sasami rose and slipped on her robe and slippers. She walked from the room, yawning. She descended the stairs, still yawning.  
  
She walked into the living room. She stopped. Everyone was sacked out on the couches. Tenchi had fallen asleep, too.  
  
Sasami smiled sleepily. She walked over to the couch where her big sister sat. Ayeka slept quietly, resting against Tenchi. In fact, she seemed in the deepest of slumbers. She did not stir at all. Sasami was glad. It seemed those horrible dreams had finally played themselves out.  
  
Sasami yawned, again, mightily. Golly...looking at all the slumbering forms made her very sleepy, too. It was way too early to make breakfast...too early to be up, really.  
  
She smiled again. Then she sat down on the couch beside Ayeka, leaned against her big sister, and closed her eyes. In no time at all, she was asleep once more.  
  
____________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES:  
  
(1) Bruce Lee also insisted that the martial art he practiced was not karate. When asked his opinion of those who tried to impress others by breaking boards with their hands, he answered, "Boards don't hit back."  
  
(2) The two versions of the theme song for this venerable anime reveal something interesting about the two cultures that composed them. See for yourself.  
  
The translated lyrics for "Mach Go Go Go":  
  
Mach number five Mach number five Mach five, five, five Step on the accelerator till Earth's end, young power go, go, go Number five Mach machine, everyone watch its power If it starts running, won't get behind Let's go, good people's highway Mach number five Mach number five Mach five, five, five Even wind shivers the hair pin curves, young life go, go, go White body Mach machine, pride and courage Chest is burning with energy Speed towards a victorious finish Mach number five Mach number five Mach five, five, five  
  
The lyrics for "Speed Racer":  
  
Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer He's a demon on wheels He's a demon and he's gonna be chasing after someone He's gaining on you so you better look alive He's busy revving up the powerful Mach Five And when the odds are against him and there's da-angerous work to do You bet your life Speed Racer's gonna see it through Go Speed Racer Go Speed Racer Go Speed Racer, go He's off and flying as he guns the car around the track He's jamming down the pedal like he's never coming back Adventure's waiting just aheeeeeeeeaaaaad (Tris's voice cracked here) Go Speed Racer Go Speed Racer Go Speed Racer, go!  
  
(3) In case anyone doesn't know these lyrics, here they are:  
  
It's the story Of a man named Brady Who was raising three boys on his own (Mihoshi giggled here for some reason) They were four men Living all together And they were all alone--(Kiyone's hand did its work here) 


	10. CHAPTER 9: No Need For Salesmanship

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER NINE  
  
No Need For Salesmanship  
  
________________________  
  
That morning, Lord Yosho, a commendably early riser, found his grandson and most of the other members of his de facto (if not de jure) extended family asleep on the couches in the living room. He smiled at the sight. If a scene ever called for a camera! Truly, a Fuji moment!  
  
But Yosho would, of course, never embarrass them like that, even if a camera had been at hand. Instead, he took a moment to let the scene engrave itself in his memory. Time was moving on; Tenchi was soon to assume his adult role in life, choices would be made, careers and new families would beckon, and such scenes would be no more, the Shinto priest knew. The carnival would finally depart.  
  
Gently, he touched little Sasami's shoulder. Sasami, having attuned herself to detect motions while sleeping because of her nightly vigil over her older sister, awakened immediately. First, she glanced at Ayeka, anxiously. Yosho noted this and mentally filed it away for later consideration.  
  
Then Sasami smiled, a bit blearily, as she took in Lord Yosho.  
  
"Good morning," he whispered to her.  
  
"Good morning, Lord Yosho." She yawned involuntarily. "Oh, gosh, I'm sorry."  
  
"Come...I'll help you back to your bed."  
  
"Please, Lord Yosho...I would like to make breakfast."  
  
"Are you certain? Did you get enough sleep?"  
  
"Oh, yes, Lord Yosho. Plenty!"  
  
Lord Yosho was not too certain of that, but clearly Sasami was. He smiled and nodded. Sasami grinned and slipped from the couch. Yawning and stretching, she walked toward the kitchen.  
  
Yosho gazed upon her retreating figure, fondly. Many adults of his acquaintance did not possess the little Princess's self-discipline and devotion. The man who would be blessed to marry Sasami in the future would be a wealthy man, indeed.  
  
Now Lord Yosho turned to awaken the others, beginning with his grandson.  
  
------  
  
A little while later in the Grand Baths, Kiyone said, "If I could, I'd dedicate a ten-foot-high statue to Washuu, right in the middle of this paradise."  
  
She sighed with pleasure as she twisted her neck and let the hot water and steam work out yet another kink there. Downing sake and sleeping in a cramped position tended to be a bit hard on the body.  
  
"A twenty-foot statue," Mihoshi amplified. She just lay back in the hot bath waters, eyes closed, letting the steamy water work its steamy magic. "After Sasami's yummy breakfast, I could just go to sleep here." She smiled at the little girl sitting in the water not far from her. Sasami smiled back.  
  
"Hah!" Ryoko sat in the deliciously hot water a bit further down, next to Ayeka. "Washuu would be insulted. Better make it fifty feet high with a live band playing "Hail Washuu!" That might do it for her." It was obvious that Ryoko was feeling much better now.  
  
"Well, she would deserve such a tribute," Ayeka said. "Every woman should have a place like this. And a handsome man to give her a good massage afterwards."  
  
"Princess!" Even Ryoko was a bit taken aback.  
  
"Just thinking aloud." Ayeka smiled languidly. Once in a great while it was fun to say something a little naughty.  
  
Little Sasami had to stifle a giggle. Mihoshi didn't stifle hers. "That is such a neat idea, Ayeka," she said. "Who could we get to do that for us?" She giggled again.  
  
"Don't go there, Mihoshi," Kiyone said, glancing at Sasami.  
  
"Oh...yeah..." Mihoshi caught her partner's glance.  
  
Sasami looked disappointed.  
  
Mihoshi splashed around in the water, just a little bit. Comfort and well-being filled her. She was so happy she and Kiyone had returned to Earth and Tenchi, even if the circumstances had been kind of awful. Then the water made her think of something.  
  
"Kiyone, tell everyone about your plan...you know."  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"What plan is this?" Ayeka inquired politely.  
  
"Okay," Kiyone relented. She felt too fabulous to hold anything back. Besides, the women were conveniently all gathered together, except for Washuu. "I was kind of thinking...we all ought to go spend a day at one of the beaches that are open now. While Tenchi is home for Spring Break."  
  
The idea met with instant approval.  
  
"Like I told you before, Kiyone, I like the way you think," Ryoko said, already picturing in her mind Tenchi in his bathing trunks frolicking with her on the beach.  
  
"Yes, it is a lovely idea, Kiyone," Ayeka agreed, guilty of similar thoughts as Ryoko's.  
  
"That is so neat, Kiyone," Sasami said. "Mihoshi and I have watched all those American movies about beach parties. They're so much fun!"  
  
"Yeah!" Mihoshi said. "Surfing and sand and guys playing music right by the water, and dancing, and dating, and guys on motorcycles..." Mihoshi didn't know it, but she had just provided a pretty fair synopsis of every beach movie ever made. She wondered if it would be all right to bring Trissy along. Trissy would love the beach.  
  
"I don't think the beach we're wanting to go to is a surfing beach," Kiyone pointed out with a smile. "And I can't promise a rock band or motorcycles."  
  
"Just as long as there's sun and sand," Ryoko said, eyes closed, laying back so that only her head showed above the steamy water. And Tenchi too, of course.  
  
"I agree," Ayeka seconded. Again, their thought patterns were remarkably similar.  
  
"But how would we get there?" Sasami asked, practical as always.  
  
"Could take a train, I guess," Ryoko said. "Don't like the idea much, though, carrying our gear and lunch and all."  
  
"Actually, I thought at first that we'd all pile in Tris's car. It has a nice-sized storage compartment--I mean, a trunk," Kiyone said. "But, at best--and it'd be a squeeze--we could get four of us girls in the back seat, if one of us was Sasami. Tris has those darn bucket seats in front, so that just means six. So that won't work."  
  
"Hmmmm..." Ayeka was thoughtful. "Yes, there are six of us and then the two boys."  
  
"There's Mr. Masaki's car," Mihoshi pointed out, referring to the venerable old Subaru station wagon used to transport supplies from the village. "That could carry a few of us."  
  
"No, I don't think so, Mihoshi," said Sasami, who had ridden in the car the most, as she did most of the shopping. "It's barely good enough to go to the village and back in. I'd hate to try to get it to go much further than that. Poor old thing." The little Princess felt rather an affection for the old clunker that Tenchi sardonically called the "Mach Five."  
  
"Why can't Tenchi drive Tris's car?" Ryoko said. "Washuu won't want to come. I'll ride in front with Tenchi and you girls cram in the back. Case closed."  
  
"What about Tris, Ryoko?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah...him. Well, we'll bring him back a sea shell."  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka remonstrated. "What are you thinking of? Take Tristram's car to the beach and leave him behind!"  
  
"That would be awful," Sasami said.  
  
"Yeah...awful and mean!" Mihoshi added.  
  
"Well, he could get caught up on all the trimming he still needs to do. That boy's 'way behind. He's also missed some spots, too. I checked. Anyway, Tenchi said it's about the only job he knows how to do. It'll probably be what he does for a living when he stops wasting time going to college. What a breadwinner he'll be!" Ryoko smiled to herself, waiting for the explosion from Kiyone.  
  
It didn't come. Instead, she heard Kiyone say, "Ryoko?"  
  
"Yes, Kiyone?"  
  
"He goes. Or nobody goes. You can ask Tenchi about that."  
  
"Yeah!" Mihoshi added.  
  
"Awww, I was just kidding," Ryoko said. "Believe me, I want to see that goofball on the beach. I can't wait to see what kind of boner he'll pull there." Ryoko chuckled at the thought.  
  
Ayeka shook her head with annoyance. "Well, at any rate, we need to work out the transportation issue. I agree. Carrying our supplies and food on the train does not appeal to me, either."  
  
"I'll just fly there," Ryoko offered. "And I'll carry Tenchi with me."  
  
"No, you will not!" Ayeka assured her.  
  
"That brings up something else," Kiyone said. "We'll need the consent of Tenchi's grandfather and father. I don't know what they'll think about all of us on a public beach on this planet."  
  
"They'll think they'd like to be there," Ryoko said, grinning. "Especially Tenchi's Dad."  
  
"I do not believe that will be a problem, Kiyone." Ayeka looked at Ryoko. "Especially since someone promised to behave herself recently and actually did."  
  
"Thanks, Princess...I guess." Ryoko was gratified by the Princess's comment, although she thought Ayeka could have phrased it better.  
  
"We can ask, at any rate," Ayeka said. "I am certain there will be no objections. So, that just leaves the transportation issue to work out."  
  
"Guess it's the train, then," Ryoko said.  
  
There was silence for a moment, as the women contemplated that less than desirable option. Trains in Japan were usually traveling sardine cans, with special porters assigned to cram in as many people as possible during rush hours.  
  
"Hey!" Mihoshi said. "What will we wear? On the beach, I mean."  
  
"Well, we have our bathing suits from that pleasure planet--oh, no we don't." Kiyone nearly slapped her head with her hand in annoyance with herself. Her mind really was slipping! With all the fighting and fleeing and near disasters in their fight with the Galaxy Police, the Juraian military, and Kagato, their bathing suits (which they had worn in a beauty contest on that pleasure planet, Alayasa) had gone South somewhere along the way. For a moment, Kiyone recalled standing before the crowd on Alayasa in her pretty bikini...and her tan lines! It still galled her.  
  
"Gosh, that's a good point, Mihoshi. We should have bathing suits," Sasami said. "I mean, how can we go to the beach without swim wear?"  
  
Mihoshi nodded. She wished, for once, that she had made a silly point.  
  
"Well?" said Ryoko. "We got the money for the bikinis by working, didn't we?"  
  
"I don't know about the "we," Ryoko," said Ayeka. "But, yes, we earned the money for them."  
  
"We'll just do it again." Ryoko shrugged.  
  
"How, pray tell?" Ayeka wanted to know.  
  
Sasami splashed noisily with sudden excitement. "I know! We'll sell food! Rice cakes! And tea! To all those nice people who visit the shrine!"  
  
"Yay!" Mihoshi said. "That's a great idea, Sasami!"  
  
"Not bad, Junior Princess," Ryoko said. "Not bad at all. Remember the money we made when we all ran booths during that carnival at the temple?"  
  
"Ummm...Ryoko," Kiyone said. "That's not a good example. We all lost money at that carnival. Remember?"  
  
"Oh, yeah...well, I would have made lots of money if Lord Yosho had let me sell that toad sweat."  
  
"Hah!" Ayeka snorted. "You would have made those poor people sick with that awful stuff and Lord Yosho would have had to answer for it." The memory of that fiasco caused the Princess to forget to reprimand Ryoko for using that despised nickname for Sasami yet again.  
  
"Hey, that toad sweat is good for what ails you, Princess. You could use a couple gallons of it yourself."  
  
"Why should I? There is plenty of toad sweat in this bath house right now!" Ayeka riposted. She laughed shrilly at her bon moot. Ryoko glowered but didn't reply.  
  
"Look, we're getting off the subject," Kiyone intervened. "We won't have those problems we had before because we're going to be selling something the visitors will really want. And we won't have Washuu and her inventions to gum up everything."  
  
Everyone fell silent. The explosion of cotton candy that had flooded that carnival thanks to Washuu's over-powered cotton candy machine was still a vivid memory. Gum up was right! The clean-up had taken several days. Then there was Washuu's haunted house that nearly caused a few venerable old folks to have heart attacks. It was the purest luck that the Masakis had not been sued.  
  
Sasami smiled briefly as she recalled how special that carnival had been to her. Tenchi had treated her like a little lady and she had won some pretty goldfish by playing kingyo-sukui (goldfish dipping) and...well, it had been wonderful.  
  
"We could have our food sale tomorrow. It is the start of the Earth weekend, and the temple attracts many, many visitors at that time," Ayeka broke the silence. "The temple would be perfect for our purposes."  
  
"I think the temple sounds perfect, too," Kiyone said. "But will Lord Yosho think so? It's his temple, after all."  
  
Ryoko snorted. "Hey...a group of knockout women like us selling refreshments? All those old duffers who go to that temple will get the thrill of their lives. Lord Yosho could charge admission."  
  
"Oh yes, that is exactly the way to put it to him," Ayeka retorted.  
  
"Well..." Kiyone said thoughtfully. "Now we have two questions for Lord Yosho." She smiled at Sasami. "Make it a particularly wonderful lunch today, please, Sasami."  
  
"Count on me!"  
  
------  
  
The women were not the only ones enjoying the soothing effects of steam on cramped muscles and kinked joints.  
  
"Well, it's not what the women must be luxuriating in," Tris noted. "But it feels darn good."  
  
"Doesn't it, though?" Tenchi agreed.  
  
Their voices issued from the men's--that is, the normal--bathroom, which was suffused with steam. Tenchi had turned the hot water tap in the shower full blast, until steam billowed out from the stall. Now he and Tris sat on the edge of the tub, towels wrapped around themselves, enjoying the steamy atmosphere.  
  
"Wherever I end up," Tris vowed, "I'm going to install a sauna...and a hot tub."  
  
"Be sure to install some women in bikinis while you're at it." Tenchi chuckled.  
  
"Yeah...hot and cold running redheads."  
  
"Oh, they'll be running all right!" Tenchi chuckled again. He was emerging from his stiffness and the sake hangover.  
  
"Wise guy."  
  
"Hey--that's my line."  
  
Tris shook some of the sweat droplets from his face. They tickled. "Man, a little sake can sure mess up your schedule. No run up the temple steps this a.m."  
  
"Like you miss it!" Tenchi said.  
  
"It's a labor of loathing," Tris admitted. "But...I'd kinda like to reach the top before I leave."  
  
"Good for you! I know Grandfather sort of suggested that goal. If that's your goal too, I hope you make it, buddy--and not die trying!"  
  
"Me, too! I thought I was being Iron Man by doing a little jogging each morning. Your grandfather is right. I need to push myself."  
  
"You're not in bad shape, Tris." Tenchi grinned. "I heard from Ryoko how you ran away from Kiyone that time. She said you flat moved!"  
  
"Kiyone moved, too!"  
  
"And you looked pretty good against that geeky guy yesterday."  
  
"You're the one that looked good." Tris shook his head with admiration. "That roundhouse kick was in the Jackie Chan class."  
  
"Thanks. But there's nothing wrong with your fighting style. I used four punches and a kick. You used only two punches. And that uppercut...that was sweet."  
  
"Thanks, yourself! Like I told you, I majored in uppercuts in grade school--along with staying after class, bringing notes home, and standing in the corner. I was voted the boy most likely to repeat fourth grade."  
  
Tenchi contemplated Tris's dim outline in the swirling steam. He'd never known a guy like him. Tris was a nutball, but a pretty good nutball. Tenchi had not really had any close buddies since the women came to stay, and it was nice to have a guy around his own age to talk guy stuff to. Of course, he had Grandfather and Dad, but he'd hardly bring up the subject of girls in bikinis around them. He grinned.  
  
Suddenly he heard a knocking sound. It came from the bathroom wall opposite them.  
  
"Yeah?" Tenchi called. It had to be one of the women in the Grand Baths, he knew.  
  
"Both you guys in there?" It was Ryoko's voice.  
  
"That's right."  
  
"We need to talk to you guys."  
  
"Okay, we can talk at lunch," Tenchi said.  
  
"We need to talk to you before we talk in front of your Grandfather."  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked at each other. Their interest was piqued. The steam had pretty much dissipated, anyway.  
  
"Okay...in the dining room in fifteen minutes. Maybe Sasami will make us some tea."  
  
"I will!" Now they heard Sasami's voice.  
  
Tris shook his head. Someday he would have to get Washuu to explain how the sub-dimensional matrix thing worked. It seemed like the women were in the next room. Only, there was no room, three- dimensionally speaking, of course.  
  
------  
  
Twenty minutes later, ensconced in the dining room, Tenchi took a contemplative sip of tea. The women had just floated their proposals at him, Kiyone being their spokeswoman. Five pairs of beautiful eyes watched him mull over those proposals.  
  
"Well, what do you think, Tenchi?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Let him think, Ryoko," Ayeka told her.  
  
Tenchi set his cup down.  
  
"I think the beach idea is a blast." He grinned.  
  
The women greeted his words with warm approbation. He held up his hand.  
  
"But...we do have to ask Grandfather and Dad. And we'll have to see if Grandfather will consent to your food and drink sale at the temple. That cotton candy flood at the carnival is still talked about in the village."  
  
"Of course, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said. "But you are with us."  
  
"Naturally. The beach sounds great, especially since it's been so warm." Tenchi turned to Tris. "You haven't said anything."  
  
"Is it my turn?" Tris asked.  
  
"Go ahead, wise guy."  
  
"Sounds keen. Can I bring my sea horsie?" Tris asked.  
  
"That's a yes." Tenchi turned back to the women. "It sounds like you--"  
  
"You have a sea horsie?" Mihoshi asked Tris, interested in that subject.  
  
Kiyone snorted. "Ignore the idiot, Mihoshi. Tenchi, please continue."  
  
"Right...anyway, it sounds like you have two projects: The food sale and the beach trip."  
  
"Right," said Kiyone, who enjoyed taking charge. "We'd better handle each project one at a time. I'll act as Project Manager, if there are no objections."  
  
There were none.  
  
"I could make up a Gantt Chart," Tris offered. "All Project Managers in business use one. That's a chart that tells you the project costs too much and can't be done on time anyway, and that the guy who made the chart needs a raise." He hadn't taken business administration classes for nothing.  
  
"Someone is going to need a patient chart," Kiyone said, looking at Tris. "In about five minutes."  
  
Tris subsided.  
  
"They just can't keep their hands off each other," Ryoko leaned back and whispered to Ayeka.  
  
"The first thing to do is get the okay from your grandfather and your father, Tenchi. We plan to ask Lord Yosho over lunch. Sasami is in charge of making a very special lunch for him." Kiyone glanced at Sasami.  
  
Sasami smiled.  
  
"Assuming we get the okay, we'll need some booths. Just tables and chairs set up," Kiyone pressed on.  
  
"We have those in the shed," Tenchi said.  
  
"Good," Kiyone approved. "You and Gantt Chart here can set those up for us."  
  
"Big mouth," Tris muttered to Tenchi.  
  
"And we'll need some people to bring up and carry back the plates of food--we decided on rice cakes--and Thermos bottles of tea. You guys can handle that too."  
  
"Slave driver. Talk to my shop steward," Tris told her.  
  
"I'll talk to your nurse," Kiyone said. "In about--"  
  
"Five minutes, yeah, yeah."  
  
"We'll do it, Kiyone," Tenchi said.  
  
"Thank you, Tenchi," Kiyone said, smiling sweetly at him. She smiled even more sweetly at Tris.  
  
"Workers of the world, unite," Tris muttered.  
  
"Now, as to the beach trip," Tenchi went on. "I know Grandfather and Dad won't object to it. No real problems there, except for transportation."  
  
"No problem there," Tris said.  
  
Everybody stared at him.  
  
"We really do not wish to use the train or the bus, Tristram," Ayeka objected.  
  
"You won't," said Tris.  
  
"Your car won't carry all of us," Ryoko told him. "Even if we put the Princess in the trunk. You think about that."  
  
"I've thought about it."  
  
"And?" Tenchi said.  
  
"We're all going to the beach, in style," Tris said. "No bus, no train, no tube. Our own wheels. Next topic."  
  
Again, everybody stared at him.  
  
"Mind telling us how?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"You'll see." Now Tris smiled slightly.  
  
"Tris..."  
  
"It's my project, my responsibility. Right, Project Manager?"  
  
Kiyone looked at him contemplatively. She had great affection for her idiot, but he had a tendency to...well..."Okay, right," she said. "But you'd better come through, buster."  
  
"I'll come through."  
  
Tenchi looked at his friend. Tris really did not inspire confidence sometimes, and was inclined to crack jokes rather than take things seriously. But when you took that tack with him, he turned around and surprised you. Sometimes. Tenchi hoped Tris was not just shooting off his mouth. This beach trip had become very important to the women, he knew.  
  
"Okay, that's about it, I guess," Tenchi said. "The next move rests with Grandfather."  
  
------  
  
Actually, the next move really rested with Sasami...and she came through with flying colors. Her lunch was a culinary triumph.  
  
"Sasami, you have outdone yourself," Lord Yosho complemented her. "I've never tasted such delectably prepared shrimp. The seasoning is ambrosia. Your talents are greatly prized in our little household."  
  
Sasami beamed, her face pretty in pink at the praise. "Thank you, Lord Yosho."  
  
So far, so good, Tenchi thought.  
  
The food was truly excellent and everyone worked to keep the atmosphere light and friendly. Both Ryoko and Tris had been instructed to watch their comments and both had cooperated, so far. Kiyone had termed the approach "salesmanship," and Tris had called it "bribery," and then Kiyone had looked at him and he had shut up. Tenchi was pleased with the cooperation. When they all worked together, it made a difference.  
  
However, Lord Yosho had yet to reply to the question Tenchi had put to him...actually, two questions.  
  
That worthy didn't seem to be in any hurry. He sipped tea, then dropped another shrimp in his mouth via chopsticks and chewed with evident enjoyment.  
  
"Yes, indeed," he said, finally. "Such wonderful cooking should be shared. I think those who come to the temple deserve to sample it...and Sasami's delicious tea, of course."  
  
Everybody visibly relaxed.  
  
"Thanks, Grandfather," Tenchi said, relieved.  
  
"Why, I should thank all of you. It will prove a treat for my visitors. I know the difficulties that occurred at the carnival will not be repeated."  
  
"Ummm...we are charging for that treat, sir," Tris pointed out. He dropped his chopsticks as Kiyone elbowed him.  
  
"Of course." Yosho nodded. "Expenses must be deferred."  
  
"There's a profit thing too, and--ow!"  
  
"Profits for a good cause. Detective, Tristram should be allowed to enjoy this wonderful meal, don't you agree?"  
  
"Yes, Lord Yosho." Kiyone gave Tris a significant look. Tris gave her one back. If Tris had possessed Beah's unique skills at communication, he would have stuck his tongue out at her, Tenchi was certain. In fact, his friend was becoming distinctly peeved. Tenchi wondered if Kiyone was picking up on that.  
  
"So, the beach trip is all right, too, Grandfather?" he asked.  
  
"Tenchi, it is not for me to say. You are adults and I have nothing but confidence in your decisions. Your father shares my confidence, I know."  
  
"Thanks, Grandfather. We all appreciate that."  
  
"We're going to the beach!" Mihoshi clapped her hands. "Yay!"  
  
That summed up the general feeling. Not everyone shared it completely, however.  
  
Tris, rubbing his left side and contemplating his erstwhile girlfriend, wondered if he shouldn't find a stone pathway to trim a little further out that afternoon...like in Tokyo. At any rate, he knew he needed to get away from Kiyone for a while. She had just jabbed him once too often. It wasn't funny anymore. Tris wasn't sure he liked Kiyone as much as he had.  
  
------  
  
That evening, Nobuyuki made another late arrival home from the office, missing dinner once again.  
  
Tenchi collared his father and more or less marched him to the dining room where Sasami served Nobuyuki food that she had kept hot for him following dinner. Tenchi ensured his father ate a full meal and chatted with him while he did.  
  
During Nobuyuki's meal, Tris stepped in and asked about his work. Nobuyuki was pleased with the attention, especially when the women (aside from Washuu) had also come into the dining room and talked to him excitedly about the beach trip and the temple food sale. He was happy to add his assent. He had a few private thoughts about the women in their bikinis but nothing more than what a normal middle- aged man still somewhat full of vigor would be expected to think.  
  
After his late dinner, Nobuyuki walked upstairs, did a little work on those estimates in his home office (had to sharpen that pencil again, blast those tightwads!), and decided to retire to bed.  
  
He was undressing and feeling a little resentful that he had to go into the office on a weekend day and miss the temple food sale, when someone knocked at his door. He crossed his bedroom and slid open the door. His father-in-law stood on the threshold.  
  
"Getting ready for bed, Nobuyuki?" Yosho asked. He only called his son-in-law by his first name when they were alone together.  
  
"Yes, father-in-law."  
  
"Have you a few minutes?"  
  
"Of course." Nobuyuki smiled. "Come on in."  
  
Lord Yosho entered.  
  
------  
  
"Me? At the beach? What do you think I am--a beach bunny?" Washuu asked.  
  
"It shall be fun, Miss Washuu. We would like to have you with us," Ayeka told her.  
  
Again, Ayeka and Ryoko had braved the broom-closet portal to enter Washuu's sub-dimensional domain. They now sat on the worse-for-wear couches with the great scientist, trying to convince her to go with them on the beach trip.  
  
"Beach bunny?" Ryoko snorted. "Listen, Washuu, we're going to be in bikinis. You don't need to woory about being mistaken for a beach bunny. The eyes will be on us."  
  
"You haven't seen me in a bikini, Ryoko. I can turn heads with the rest of you girls." Washuu didn't add that she didn't get the chance to at that pleasure planet, since she had been busy repairing and refurbishing the Yagami while the other women got to compete in a swimsuit competition. She also didn't mention that they had lost that competition--to a bounty hunter stalking Ryoko, no less!  
  
"You would wear a bikini, Miss Washuu?" Ayeka was surprised.  
  
"Well...no. But I cut quite a figure in a one-piece."  
  
"Is that the one with the booties?" Ryoko snickered.  
  
"Laugh it up, Ryoko. You'll see."  
  
"Then you will go with us, Miss Washuu?" Ayeka asked.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"No way she'll go. She talks a good game. But to actually show herself..." Ryoko's voice was dubious.  
  
"I'll go," said Washuu.  
  
"That is wonderful! Everybody will be so pleased, Miss Washuu." Ayeka smiled.  
  
"Especially the men over eighty," Ryoko added.  
  
"Don't you have some place to go, Ryoko?" Washuu hinted.  
  
"Yes, we had both better depart," Ayeka decided. "We have disturbed Miss Washuu long enough, Ryoko."  
  
"At least one of you has," Washuu observed.  
  
"Hey, wait a minute--we're all going to slave tomorrow to raise money for our bikinis. You ought to help, Washuu," Ryoko said.  
  
Washuu shook her head. "No need. I'll get a swimsuit on my own."  
  
"You can sew, Miss Washuu?" Ayeka stared with surprise at the redheaded super scientist.  
  
"Not a stitch! But I'll have a bathing suit, never fear."  
  
"As you say, Miss Washuu. Come Ryoko."  
  
As they emerged from the broom closet with a clatter of buckets a few minites later, Ryoko said, "Well, that approach worked pretty darned good, Princess."  
  
"Yes, it did. You played your part well, Ryoko. However, I do not like to purposely antagonize someone in order to get them to say yes to something."  
  
"Awww, it's just reverse psychology, Princess. Works every time!"  
  
"That is not what Tristram called it," Ayeka said. "What were the words he used? Oh, yes--"Good Cop and Bad Cop." That is an odd name for it."  
  
"Never thought I'd enjoy playing a cop," Ryoko admitted. "But that was fun. And it worked!"  
  
------  
  
"We don't see you at dinner very often these nights, Nobuyuki," Lord Yosho remarked. He sat on his son-in-law's bed beside him.  
  
"I know. The work load is just unreal these days, and we're chronically shorthanded." Nobuyuki explained.  
  
"I understand. Is there any sign of a letup?"  
  
Nobuyuki shook his head. "To tell you the truth, father-in-law, I think management likes the situation. We're all salaried and as long as they can squeeze out the projects with the people on hand, they won't hire more architects. That's a shame...not only for my workload but also because I see so many resumes of bright young people cross my desk. They need a chance, and they won't get it, not with my firm, anyway."  
  
Yosho also shook his head. "That truly is a shame. To abuse trusted and loyal employees without even a boost in recompense...and then to shut the door to those seeking an opportunity."  
  
"That really sums it up. With the current recession, the bosses just feel they have the upper hand. The attitude is, put up with it or quit. And I don't want to be sending my resume out, not at my age."  
  
"There are some compensations to getting older," Yosho agreed. "But opportunity is rarely one of them."  
  
"That's so true!"  
  
The two men sat a moment in silence.  
  
"Tenchi is really growing up," Yosho remarked.  
  
"He sure is! He's quite a boy...I'm so proud of him."  
  
"As am I. These are the few remaining years that we can regard him as our boy. He will soon be a full-grown man. He really is all but there now. And then it will change for you and I."  
  
Nobuyuki rubbed his face. "I know. I hate missing this time with him. I hate it."  
  
Yosho nodded sympathetically. "The longer I live, the more convinced I am that all of us, not only those of us who were honored with a calling, face great struggles. So many of my temple congregation have big problems to overcome, almost daily. I see it when I speak with them...and I see it in our own home."  
  
"Struggle is the word for it, father-in-law."  
  
"Yes. You have struggled mightily, Nobuyuki. You have never faltered in your desire to raise your son properly, despite a rather crusty old father-in-law and so many unexpected additions to the family. You have succeeded admirably. I have often wished I could have assisted you more."  
  
"With respect, honorable father-in-law, that's nonsense. You've helped Tenchi so much, both as his grandfather and his sensei. I couldn't have helped him in his battles with evil. He has that destiny, as we both know. And I have been lucky to have a father-in- law who has helped me as you have to raise our motherless boy."  
  
"Thank you, Nobuyuki." Lord Yosho's voice was warm. "You speak of battling evil. All men who are men must sometimes stand up against injustice, whether it is occurring on a cosmic scale or in an office. I want you to know that we will get by one way or another, whatever you decide to do about your situation. I can promise you that."  
  
Nobuyuki smiled. "I appreciate that...and...I'll sleep on it."  
  
"Good!" Yosho rose. "Well, I'll tell you all about the sale tomorrow if you get in late. Perhaps even save a rice cake or two for you."  
  
"Thanks, father-in-law," Nobuyuki said.  
  
------  
  
Early the next morning, Tris performed his run-up-the-steps-stop-and- wheeze-like-crazy routine once again. Panting, he wondered if he should take it on the road. It might garner as many laughs as Gallagher hitting watermelons with a sledgehammer.  
  
"Good morning, Tristram."  
  
Tris looked up. Lord Yosho, dressed, as always, impeccably in his robes, stood on the steps above him.  
  
"Morning...sir," Tris managed to utter, still winded.  
  
"You are more than half way up. I am impressed, Tristram. You make good progress."  
  
"Thanks, sir. It's that first step that's a doozy."  
  
Yosho smiled and sat on the steps. Tris naturally did likewise.  
  
"Tristram, I feel I have been remiss in not expressing my sorrow at the loss of your parents. I have come to know you and, I think, to know how important they were to you."  
  
"Yes, sir. They were pretty special."  
  
"As all parents should be. I don't wish to pry, Tristram...but I understand you didn't leave your country under the happiest of circumstance."  
  
Tris laughed ironically. "It was under the lousiest of circumstances, sir."  
  
"Perhaps it's still too painful to discuss the circumstances."  
  
"Oh, no, sir, if you'd really like to hear them. I've already told Tenchi and Kiyone."  
  
"I would indeed like to hear about it."  
  
Obligingly, Tris told Lord Yosho about the debacle at his parent's funeral--how he punched out one of his uncles--his relatives' rancor at the reading of the will, and his pulling up stakes to return to Japan.  
  
When he finished, Tris said, "So that's the whole mess, sir. My un-finest hour. It won't appear on my resume, that's for sure."  
  
Yosho smiled at the tiny jest. "You are too hard on yourself, perhaps. It would appear that your relatives were insensitive, and, possibly too interested in money that was not theirs. I understand your desire to remember your parents as living people, not the empty shells our bodies become when we die."  
  
"That's sort of what Tenchi and Kiyone said," Tris said.  
  
"I pride myself that my grandson has grown to be wise. Kiyone is, in some ways, wise beyond her years. Her regard is a goal well worth the effort to gain...even if it does require a bit of discomfort at times." Yosho smiled again.  
  
Tris chuckled. "Discomfort? Naw."  
  
"Very little is accomplished without discomfort, as you have learned in your quest up these steps."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"How do you feel now about the past, Tristram? About leaving your relatives under those circumstances?"  
  
"Well, I have to admit, it really does feel like running away. It's nothing for me to be proud of." Tris looked bemused.  
  
"Indeed? Perhaps you are correct. As you know, Tristram, having lived here so long, we have a high regard for our ancestors and we feel that family is paramount. I assume you are a Christian and you believe your parents' spirits live on."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I do. I'm not a very good Christian. I never go to church, for example."  
  
"I have read your New Testament, Tristram," Lord Yosho told him. "I do not recall seeing in there any requirements for being a Christian aside from accepting the teachings of Jesus and believing in his divinity."(1)  
  
"I never thought about it that way, sir. I guess you're right."  
  
"How do you feel the spirits of your parents might regard your actions, Tristram?"  
  
"I guess...they'd be pretty disappointed in me," Tris admitted, staring down at his Reeboks. "I dissed my mother's sisters, I slugged one of their husbands, I argued with them, and then I lit out the first chance I got. That about sums it up."  
  
"I rather think not. People who love you, know you. If you made a mistake, it's a human one. Your parents would understand that. But perhaps there is one thing that they would want you to do...one thing that may well bring peace to you as well."  
  
Tris looked at Lord Yosho, wondering how Tenchi's grandfather read him so well.  
  
"I mentioned to you before about fighting demons. This may well be a demon you must fight, within yourself. The demon of avoiding an uncomfortable situation until all hope of rectification and reconciliation is gone."  
  
The young American nodded. "I think I see. I should at least try to reconcile with my relatives. Is that it?"  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. "I believe that would go far toward quelling that demon. It would be a first move toward having a proper relationship with whom you tell me are your only close relatives. And I also believe it would greatly ease your mind, Tristram."  
  
"I think you're right, Lord Yosho." Tris swallowed hard. "It won't be easy, after all that's happened."  
  
"Running up a large expanse of stone steps isn't easy either, as you well know, Tristram. But it is worth the effort if you benefit from it. Fortunately, we have a device that allows communication with people without having to confront them face-to-face."  
  
Now Tris smiled. "The telephone, huh?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Yeah...yes, sir. I will call them. Maybe when I go back to school."  
  
"Why not sooner?"  
  
Tris smiled again. "Why not? I do have a phone card. It has great rates--as long as you don't use it to call anywhere but Sri Lanka between midnight and four a.m."  
  
Lord Yosho chuckled. "Telephone charges are one conundrum I doubt I'll ever understand," he agreed.  
  
"Me neither. I'm glad we had this talk, sir. I just sorry you had to find out what a runaway I am."  
  
"As to being a runaway..." Lord Yosho smiled indulgently. "Tristram, I came here, as I think Tenchi told you, from the planet Jurai. There, I had great responsibilities, with even greater ones in the offing. But when I arrived at this planet, I found kind and generous people who accepted me, a stranger. I then resolved to stay and to turn my back on my former life and position and all of its obligations and responsibilities. Thus, one could say I am a runaway. I might postulate instead that I abandoned old responsibilities for new ones-- and for a chance at real happiness. It all depends on the way you look at it. You may find new responsibilities here, Tristram...and a chance for happiness as well."  
  
Now Lord Yosho rose. "You had best go take your shower, Tristram. I'll see you at breakfast."  
  
"Yes, sir. See you then."  
  
Tris walked down the steps slowly. He had a lot to think about, suddenly.  
  
------  
  
Some hours later, many people were walking up those same temple steps. And when they reached the top of those steps, they found more than they had bargained for.  
  
"Hey, you, Mister! You must want some tea after that climb. You look pretty woofed out."  
  
Despite Ryoko's persuasive words, the middle-aged gentleman declined. He moved on.  
  
"Old skinflint," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"Ryoko," Ayeka said. "I do not think..."  
  
Kiyone now walked over to their tea booth from her rice cake booth where she had been instructing Mihoshi to stop eating rice cakes and start selling them. She was finding out that being Project Manager was a bit more of a project than she had anticipated.  
  
"Ryoko, I heard you just then. That's not salesmanship. That's just hectoring people," Kiyone told the space pirate.  
  
"Just trying to get their attention," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"You are. And they aren't buying are they?"  
  
"Well...no."  
  
"Just be nice and smile and be charming, damn it!" Kiyone spoke in a low voice, but it rang with intensity. Ryoko looked at her with surprise. So did Ayeka.  
  
"Okay, okay. Charming. Nice. Smile. Got it."  
  
"We are sorry, Kiyone," Ayeka said. "We shall do better."  
  
"I'm sorry, too. But please try to use salesmanship."  
  
Kiyone left to return to her own booth. "Mihoshi--not another one! I'm warning you!" Ayeka and Ryoko heard her growl.  
  
Shortly after lunch, Tenchi and Tris had placed two small occasional tables and four chairs (one for each of the women) on the stone walk immediately leading to the entrance of the temple. They had also affixed white cardboard signs to the tables that advertised the goodies for sale and the prices. Hopefully, the same generosity that prompted temple visitors to toss a donation into the temple's wood- and-brass saisen-bako box would also motivate those same visitors to purchase tea and rice cakes.  
  
At the tea table, Ryoko and Ayeka had several large Thermos bottles filled with Sasami's tea and a heaping of plain white paper cups. Both had dressed very discretely, Ayeka in her most somber robed gown and Ryoko in a plain ecru blouse (buttoned up to her neck) and not-too-tight raspberry silk slacks.  
  
The second table held plates of rice cakes. Mihoshi and Kiyone were wearing their best slacks and short-sleeved blouses (Mihoshi had finally gotten the soy sauce spot out of her favorite slacks with Sasami's help).  
  
The weather was lovely and balmy and the soaring Shinto temple gleamed in the warm sunlight. The women were attractive and not overly exotic-looking (the local visitors took them for ordinary gajin), the tea was delicious, and the rice cakes tasty. Sales stunk, however.  
  
"You'd think these people never drank tea," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"I think Kiyone is right. We should be polite and nice and not pressure people," Ayeka said softly. "You are chasing them away, Ryoko..." She stopped as a little old woman, dressed very traditionally in a kimono and clogs, hobbled up to them.  
  
"Good afternoon, madam." Ayeka smiled at the gray-haired venerable matron.  
  
"What's good about it? I had to walk up all those steps myself because my useless son-in-law refuses to help me up to the shrine. He just drops me off, the worm. I have bunions, you know," the elderly woman said, rather breathlessly.  
  
"I am so sorry to hear that," Ayeka said sympathetically. Ryoko eyed the old woman, not surprised at all that her son-in-law took a powder.  
  
"Perhaps a cup of tea would refresh you, madam." Ayeka smiled her friendliest smile.  
  
"Well...perhaps." The old woman peered at the hand-written sign taped to the front of the booth. "What? You charge money for it?"  
  
"Well, we are raising money for a special cause, and..."  
  
"Charging money? You have your nerve young woman!" The old woman shook her fist. "Reminds me of my daughter...who married that worm!" The elderly matron stalked away.  
  
"Why, the crass old biddy," Ayeka whispered angrily, glaring after the hobbling form of the ancient harridan.  
  
"Salesmanship, huh?" Ryoko said. "That's the way to sell, huh?"  
  
"Oh, hush." Ayeka moodily restacked the cups. There was nothing else to do to occupy the time.  
  
Meanwhile, Mihoshi was also trying salesmanship.  
  
"Yes, sir, they are very good...and very good for you!" she said to a thin, elderly man who carried a cane, although he could walk quite well. Kiyone was crouching under the table trying to pick up some loose change that Mihoshi had dropped accidentally. With sales like they were, every yen counted.  
  
Mihoshi smiled the sweetest smile this side of the International Date Line. The elderly man was not impressed.  
  
"How do I know they're good--and worth the price?" he asked.  
  
"Because Sasami made them."  
  
"Who's Sasami? Your sister?"  
  
"No!" Mihoshi giggled. "She's a little girl and she cooks just wonderfully--"  
  
The old gentleman jumped back as if he had been hit.  
  
"A kid? Some rotten kid, I'll bet. Probably spit on them right out of the oven."  
  
"What!" Mihoshi was shocked. "Sasami would never do that!"  
  
"I know the kids today, blondie. They're all the same. Bah!"  
  
The old gentleman walked away, using his cane to punctuate his continuing commentary on the spoiled youth that infested Japan today.  
  
Kiyone rose, having finally corralled the coins. "Mihoshi..."  
  
"Did you hear what he said about Sasami's lovely rice cakes?" Mihoshi was tearfully indignant.  
  
"I heard. Better not mention Sasami's age. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, Kiyone. But he was a mean man!"  
  
"And don't eat any more rice cakes, okay? We need the sales."  
  
"Yes, Kiyone."  
  
Kiyone shook her head irritably. Between Mihoshi's unwise comments and Ryoko's hard-sell technique and the sales resistance of the customers, her plans for a beach party--at least for a bikini beach party--seemed remote. Suddenly, she wondered what Tris was doing. She had not seen him for a long time.  
  
Kiyone had looked for Tris yesterday after their rather contentious lunch, but he had disappeared, and Tenchi had told her he wasn't sure where Tris had gone off to. Even after dinner that evening, Tris had made himself scarce. It had been disappointing to Kiyone and frustrating, too. She wanted to apologize to Tris. On reflection, she had realized that Tris hadn't been trying to crack jokes at the expense of her project--he had just wanted to be upfront about the tea and rice cake sales with Lord Yosho. Tris had a certain stubborn integrity, she had come to realize. It made her even fonder of him. But she had not had an opportunity yet to tell him so and that really bothered her.  
  
Was he avoiding her?  
  
------  
  
Actually, Tris was back at the house, trying to put a positive spin on the lack of any need to replenish the booths after an hour of selling.  
  
"Well, it's early times still. You sure they don't need more rice cakes--or tea?" he asked Tenchi.  
  
"No," said Tenchi, shaking his head. "I just checked ten minutes ago. They're still pretty well stocked."  
  
"Gosh," said Sasami. "That doesn't sound too good."  
  
"It's not the most hopeful sign," Tenchi agreed.  
  
They were in the kitchen. Sasami had piles of rice cakes stacked on the counters and water on a slow boil on the stove. The early afternoon sun streamed in through the windows, unhampered by the blinds that had been drawn up. It was a great day for just about anything...anything but selling rice cakes and tea, it seemed.  
  
Sasami looked down at the floor. "I was so hoping we could have this beach trip," she said in a small voice. "I guess we girls could go without swimsuits but it would look pretty funny, wouldn't it?"  
  
Tenchi nodded. "Yes, it would, Sasami."  
  
"This trip really means a lot to you, doesn't it, Sasami?" Tris asked.  
  
"Yes, it does. Not only to me, but all the girls. You don't know, Tris. You can get in your car and go anywhere and see anything. We can't. We pretty much have to stay at home. It's very nice here, but...I would so like to go someplace new, like the beach."  
  
Tris suddenly understood. He was so used to having the means and the opportunity to travel on a whim that he took it for granted. That wasn't the case with the women. In a very real sense, it wasn't the case with his buddy, Tenchi, either.  
  
Tris looked at Tenchi. Tenchi shook his head. He did not appear optimistic.  
  
"You'll go to the beach, Sasami," Tris said.  
  
She looked up. "Really? Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm sure. In fact, I promise."  
  
Her face lit up. "You do?"  
  
"Cross my heart."  
  
"Gosh, that's great! Thank, you Tris!"  
  
Eagerly, Sasami walked to the counter. "I think I'll make another pan of rice cakes. Maybe we'll need them after all."  
  
Tenchi said, "Tris, let's go outside for a minute."  
  
"Okay."  
  
They left the kitchen for the living room and then walked to the front genkan entryway. Tenchi did not say anything until they had both slipped their street shoes on, slid open the front door, and stepped outside. Tenchi slid the door closed. Then he turned and confronted Tris.  
  
"I feel sorry for Sasami and the girls, too, Tris," Tenchi said. He was as upset as Tris had ever seen him. "But I've lived with them a hell of a lot longer than you have. They tend to be very trusting of people they like, even Ryoko, believe it or not. Now they all like you. And you go and shoot off your mouth and make a promise you can't possibly keep. Maybe you've stayed here a little longer than you should have."  
  
Tris just stared at Tenchi. His friend was genuinely angry at him, for the first time Tris could remember. So angry that Tenchi was plainly telling him to leave. Tris felt numb inside. But he managed to keep his voice even. "I didn't do that, Tenchi. I meant what I said."  
  
"How? You promise to take everybody to the beach, although you don't have room for us all in your car. And you know damn well the girls won't go to the beach without nice swimsuits--they have their pride, you know."  
  
Tris folded his arms across his chest. "Listen. That little doll in there is going to the beach if I have to carry her myself. All the women are. I don't care what logic says. We're going to find a way, damn it!"  
  
Tenchi looked at Tris for a long minute. The sudden silence seemed like an invisible wall between them.  
  
Finally, he spoke.  
  
"What's this "we" business--Kimo Sabe?"(2)  
  
He was using Tris's old Tonto routine.  
  
Then he grinned and stuck out his hand. Tris grinned back with relief and took it. They shook hands.  
  
"Okay, wise guy," Tenchi said. "You're right. We can't let a little thing like logic stop us. The women deserve their beach trip."  
  
"That's the spirit, old buddy."  
  
"But what can we do? How can we help?"  
  
"We can drum up business," Tris told him. There was a devilish look in his eyes. "Ever hear of a shill?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then," Tris said, wrapping an arm around Tenchi's shoulders and leading him back into the house, "old pal, you're about to enroll in Tris Coffin's College of Salesmanship Knowledge."  
  
------  
  
Mihoshi was looking rather sad. She had smiled brightly at people who passed her booth again and again--and they just kept going by. Nobody wanted rice cakes, it seemed. It was very dispiriting. Kiyone sat in her chair, her chin resting on her hand, staring down at the table. She now wished she hadn't mentioned her great plan at all. To get her friends' hopes up like that...just to see them fall...  
  
"These are the rice cakes, honorable American sir." It was Tenchi's voice.  
  
"Thank you, Kato. Just for that, you may wax the Black Beauty tonight."(3) And that was Tris's voice.  
  
"Oh, thank you, honorable sir," Tenchi's voice said.  
  
Kiyone looked up. Her eyes widened.  
  
Tenchi, looking somewhat servile in a black suit, white shirt, striped tie, and eye glasses, all borrowed from his father, bowed to Tris. He could not see very well through the glasses and Tris had to steady him surreptitiously. Tris returned the bow. He was wearing an Oxford gray suit and red power tie he had also borrowed from Nobuyuki (all of this borrowing had been without that worthy's knowledge, of course).  
  
"So these are the prize-winning rice cakes I read about in the Asian Wall Street Journal," Tris proclaimed in his big American voice.  
  
Kiyone's jaw dropped. She stared at him, open-mouthed.  
  
"You should watch that, young lady...flies, you know," Tris told her. He then cleared his throat importantly. His voice boomed. "Yes, Kato, I see their quality even from this distance. When I build my rice cake factory in the US, I will need just the right recipe. It must be a true Japanese rice cake that we manufacture. I understand that a venerable grandmother in the village makes these?"  
  
"Yes, honorable rich American sir. She is raising money for a wonderful cause."  
  
"So I am told. It is to send six very poor and homeless local girls on a nice holiday, I understand." Tris's voice carried all the way to the temple itself. People began gathering around the booth.  
  
"That is right, honorable American tycoon sir."  
  
"I am not surprised, Kato. The generosity of the Japanese people is the talk everywhere."  
  
By this time, the booth was ringed with people. They silently watched the two young men, amused and entertained.  
  
"And these nice young ladies have volunteered to help sell the lovely old grandmother's rice cakes? That is commendable, indeed." Tris continued the ballyhoo. "Young lady," he said to Kiyone, "do please close your mouth. I assure you I have already seen the Grand Canyon."  
  
Tenchi stifled a laugh. "Quite commendable, rich and philanthropic American magnate sir."  
  
"But can these rice cakes possibly be as good as the newspaper said, Kato?"  
  
"There is only one way to find out, sir."  
  
"Ah, yes. Right you are, Kato."  
  
Tris turned to Kiyone, who still goggled at him with disbelief. At least her mouth was closed now.  
  
"Lovely young lady, I would like to purchase a rice cake."  
  
Kiyone did not move. She was still dumbfounded. Mihoshi, who had been watching Tris and Tenchi with undisguised delight, said, "Oh, yes, sir!" She loved to play games. She handed him a rice cake.  
  
"Thank you, young lady. I'm sorry that your friend seems to be suffering from some brain disorder." Tris bit into the rice cake. He chewed contemplatively. The crowd pressed forward for the verdict.  
  
Mihoshi played along and leaned forward, too. Kiyone just kept staring at Tris with wide blue eyes.  
  
"You say a local grandmother makes these, Kato?" Tris asked.  
  
"Yes, honorable magnate sir," Tenchi answered.  
  
"They are...heavenly, Kato. Only a sweet grandmother's hands could make rice cakes so delicious."  
  
The people in the crowd seemed to let out their collective breath. They applauded politely.  
  
"I'll take two more to bring to my board of directors. I know now that this is the rice cake that will sweep America. Kato, pay the lady."  
  
"Yes, honorable tycoon sir." Tenchi paid Mihoshi (who had to guide his hand--his Dad's glasses again) and gathered up the two rice cakes, wrapped in a napkin.  
  
Tris and Tenchi bowed to Mihoshi and Kiyone and left.  
  
Then the crowd surged in. Suddenly Mihoshi and Kiyone were selling rice cakes right and left and sideways. The visitors to the temple did not believe all (not even a tenth) of what they had heard, of course. But the two young men were entertaining and the local folks liked the bit about the grandmother (the Japanese are very regardful of grandparents). Besides, the rice cakes were delicious, and once the first few customers had bit into theirs, praise for the rice cakes rose like hosannas. Soon all the rice cakes were gone and Ayeka (glad to be doing something constructive at last) hurried from her booth to get some more.  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi explained to their customers that more rice cakes were coming right away. The customers nodded politely and waited. The Japanese are very patient people.  
  
Soon Ayeka hurried up, carrying four trays of rice cakes (as mentioned previously, the alien women were exceptionally strong). They sold out immediately, and Ayeka hurried away for still more.  
  
Ryoko, watching all this, suddenly grinned. Tenchi's and Tris's kind of salesmanship was the kind she liked. It was sort of like the way she had tried to sell that toad sweat long ago at the temple carnival. Well, all right. She could show a little salesmanship now, too. Since the crowd was zeroed in at the rice cake stand, no one would notice her. She took several Thermos bottles of tea and covertly dumped their contents behind the walkway, on the grass. She was careful to retain one filled Thermos, however.  
  
Ayeka returned a few minutes later with four more trays, perched precariously one atop the other. She deposited them on Mihoshi and Kiyone's stand. "The boys will bring the rice cakes from now on," she said breathlessly. "I just talked to them at the house." Then she hurried back to her own booth.  
  
"Well, we sold some tea, Princess," Ryoko told her.  
  
"We did?" Ayeka said. "How wonderful!"  
  
"Yeah...got to get these empty Thermos jugs re-filled, though."  
  
"Well, the boys will--"  
  
"No need to wait for them. You stay here, Princess. You've done enough running around. I'll go get more tea."  
  
"You will?" Ayeka was clearly gratified. "That would be very helpful, Ryoko."  
  
"No problem. I'll be right back."  
  
------  
  
Back in the kitchen, Sasami looked at Tris and Tenchi with concern. They were standing before her, laughing like madmen.  
  
"What's so funny?" Sasami asked. "Why are you both wearing Mr. Masaki's suits? And why is Ayeka coming in here all the time for rice cakes?"  
  
Tris looked at her. "Those are some big pigtails you got there, grandma." He hooted with laughter.  
  
Tenchi gasped for breath. "Sasami, don't worry. We haven't cracked up--not yet, anyway."  
  
"That's right...Kato." Tris regained his breath. The two young men then laughed again.  
  
"I don't understand," Sasami said, looking at both of them.  
  
"Kitten, you're going to the beach. Don't worry about the rest," Tris advised, wiping his eyes.  
  
"That's right, Sasami." Tenchi smiled at her.  
  
Suddenly Sasami smiled, too. Tenchi and Tris were acting as if they had played a naughty trick. Whatever they had done, they had done for her, she knew. Her heart filled with warmth. She wanted to hug them both...but now she had more rice cakes to make.  
  
------  
  
A short while later, Tris and Tenchi, now wearing their usual casual shirts and pants, carried trays loaded with rice cakes to the temple. They met a merry Ryoko walking in the opposite direction, toward the Masaki house, carrying Thermos jugs.  
  
"How are the rice cake sales going now?" Tenchi asked her. "Looks like you sold some tea, too."  
  
"Sales are hopping, sweetums," Ryoko replied with a grin.  
  
"Tris and I are supposed to get more tea for you, Ryoko--"  
  
"I don't mind getting it. Hey, you guys killed me with that stunt! I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing."  
  
"Glad you didn't laugh. It ruins the setup," Tris told her.  
  
"The Princess just kept shaking her head." Ryoko grinned again. "She had no clue what was going on at first."  
  
"Well, I guess it was a little unexpected." Tenchi returned the grin.  
  
Ryoko regarded Tris with rare approval. "Well Tris, once again you really showed me something."  
  
"It was Tenchi and me," Tris objected.  
  
"Oh, my sweetums would never come up with a scheme like that. It called for a sneaky, conniving, underhanded type--"  
  
"You rang?" Tris said.  
  
Ryoko laughed. The space pirate seemed full of high spirits. "Well, I guess I'll just have to show you boys something, too."  
  
With that, Ryoko left. They heard her still laughing to herself in the distance as she continued toward the house carrying the Thermos jugs.  
  
"What's got her all tickled?" Tris wondered.  
  
Tenchi shrugged. "No telling. Com'on, let's get these rice cakes delivered."  
  
------  
  
Sasami was pleased to see Ryoko arrive in the kitchen with empty Thermos jugs. "Oh, gosh!" she cried. "So the tea is selling well too, Ryoko?"  
  
"That's the story, Junior Princess," Ryoko replied with a smile.  
  
"That's so great!" Sasami hurried to take the slow-boiling water off the stove and begin making tea. "It'll be just a few minutes."  
  
"No hurry," Ryoko said.  
  
Soon the Thermoses were filling with hot, aromatic tea. Sasami carefully filled them, standing on the stool she used for such chores.  
  
"Don't fill them too high," Ryoko warned.  
  
"Why, Ryoko?"  
  
"Because...well, because the tea tends to really pour out too fast the first time when the jugs are too full." Ryoko explained hastily.  
  
"Oh, okay." Sasami filled each Thermos about three-quarters full. "Is that enough, Ryoko?"  
  
"Just perfect," Ryoko approved.  
  
"I don't know, though...the boys will have to make more trips."  
  
"I'm making the trips. And I don't mind. I need the exercise so I'll look even more terrific in my new bikini."  
  
"Uh-huh." Sasami never thought she'd ever hear Ryoko say she wanted exercise--and to volunteer to make all the trips herself! The little Princess smiled. "You're really getting into the spirit of this, aren't you, Ryoko?"  
  
"Yes, indeed, spirits...I mean, spirit. That's right."  
  
Sasami placed the plastic tops back on the Thermos jugs and twisted them tight. "All set, Ryoko."  
  
"Thanks. I'll see you soon, kiddo."  
  
Ryoko hefted the Thermos jugs, smiled again at Sasami, and left. Sasami sighed happily and then went to the oven to check on her latest batch of rice cakes.  
  
------  
  
Once out of the kitchen, Ryoko, carrying the jugs, rose into the air and glided silently to the little polished lacquer cabinet in the living room where the Masaki men kept the sake. She smiled at the locked cabinet door. Locks never kept Ryoko out. She quietly set the jugs on the floor and just as silently unscrewed the tops off. Then she reached into the cabinet...through the cabinet door...  
  
Yes, she was going to show them something, all right.  
  
------  
  
Some time later, Princess Ayeka found herself somewhat flabbergasted.  
  
The food and drink sales project overall had jumped from a slow limp to a fast trot, almost a gallop. While the rice cake concession's success was understandable to her (two slick operators, she thought fondly, with a lot of brass), the sudden upsurge in business at her and Ryoko's tea stand was not nearly as understandable. Still, Ayeka was not complaining.  
  
The tea sales boom apparently had begun during the time she made her last dash for more rice cakes, before Tris and Tenchi took over the cartage duties. (The original crowd the two boys had attracted had bought their rice cakes and left, fortunately, by the time the boys had begun their delivery runs. The presence of the first crowd had attracted another crowd that bought rice cakes, which had then attracted a third crowd, and so on...a sidewalk vendor's dream scenario.) When Ayeka had returned, a lot of tea had suddenly been sold, and Ryoko had volunteered to get more. Ayeka hadn't found the money for all those sales, but she assumed Ryoko had given it to Kiyone, who was keeping all the revenue in an old rosewood stationery box. Once Ryoko had returned with more tea, the space pirate then displayed some new sales tactics.  
  
Ryoko had waited until she spotted a well-dressed, middle-aged gentleman. "Hi, there, Handsome," she had said, with a most alluring smile. Ayeka had been somewhat taken aback by Ryoko's siren-like tactics, but the man did stop at their stand. "This is very, very special tea. I know you'll like it," Ryoko had told him. "We don't sell it to children." Ayeka had started to contradict her--they'd sell tea to anyone with money, surely--but she hadn't wanted to blow the sale. She had accordingly kept silent. The man had been tickled by Ryoko (most men were, Ayeka had reflected glumly) and had bought a cup. When he had tasted it, his eyes had widened. "This is...some tea," he had said. "Told you so," Ryoko had replied to him, smiling. The man had finished drinking the tea and then--this was amazing to Ayeka--had ordered two more cups. As he drank those, Ryoko had chatted him up winsomely. The man had left with a big smile on his face but he must have drank the tea too quickly for such a warm day, for he was a bit unsteady on his feet as he walked away. It was quite perplexing, but Ryoko had rung up three sales, Ayeka had to admit.  
  
Evidently the man had told some others, since several more men showed up at the tea stand almost immediately afterward. They too had ordered several cups apiece and had obviously enjoyed them. It was a tribute to Sasami's skills, Ayeka knew, and her little sister would be pleased when she heard about it. After the men had left, word of Sasami's excellent tea must have circulated widely, because more and more male customers appeared at the tea stand. Tea sales soon become brisk.  
  
"Another cup, sir?" Ayeka asked her current customer, a gentleman of later years with a distinguished-looking hint of gray at his temples.  
  
"Well...I really shouldn't, young lady. Two is my limit," the man reflected.  
  
Ayeka nodded, although she could not imagine limiting oneself to just two cups of tea. Perhaps it reflected a concern over ingesting too much tannic acid. "I quite understand," she said with a smile.  
  
"Oh, why not? Another cup, young lady, if you please."  
  
Happily, Ayeka poured him another cup of tea. The Thermos jug was quite low now. "Ryoko," she said, "we're running low on tea again. If you can cover the stand, I shall go get some more--"  
  
"No, no. I'll handle that, Ayeka. Let me help this handsome man here and I'll get some more tea right away."  
  
"Well...all right." Ayeka then smiled again at her customer as she handed him his third cup of tea. Ryoko was being so industrious! Perhaps she was turning over a new leaf.  
  
------  
  
Sales continued to be steady at the rice cake stand. Both Mihoshi and Kiyone were fit young women with great endurance, but even for them the sales pace was wearying. Mihoshi, though, did not show a trace of tiredness. She was amazing. She smiled and smiled gaily, taking money (only dropping it occasionally), handing out rice cakes (fortunately never dropping them), and maintaining her good cheer and enthusiasm throughout. Kiyone had plastered a smile on her face and slogged through the drudgery of selling. Oddly enough, she had slowly come to enjoy it.  
  
One amusing thing kept occurring: Whenever Tris made an appearance carrying pans of rice cakes, he always ended up with a little girl or two embracing his pants legs and shouting English words up at him with great affection (the words "Shaggy!" and "Scooby Doo!" were most popular). He was rather like Mihoshi in that regard...little boys fell in love with her on sight and, in fact, she had to gently shoo them away so she could attend to adult customers.  
  
Now Kiyone glanced at the tea stand where Ayeka and Ryoko were doing a sudden land office business. That was very gratifying, since it meant even more money pouring (so to speak) in. It was surprising to see that nearly all the tea customers were men, but Kiyone chalked that up to the way men habitually chugged liquids down like blue whales scooped plankton--she had seen Tris consume two glasses of ice water without taking a breath, hardly--and to Ryoko's undoubted sex appeal. She drew men like flies.  
  
With all the taking in of money and passing out of rice cakes, Kiyone had not had much of a chance to reflect on the impromptu vaudeville act Tris and Tenchi had put on...which Tris doubtlessly had masterminded. Like Ryoko, Kiyone knew only a goofball would have come up with a goofy scheme like that. Tenchi, no doubt, had gone along with it in a desperate attempt to help with the sales. Well, she had certainly been floored by their antics, Kiyone had to give them that. And it had worked!  
  
As she handed two wrapped rice cakes to a young mother and her toddler child, Kiyone smiled tenderly within herself as she thought of how it had been, with sales at a low ebb and everyone discouraged, to have that dog and pony show shake everything up. That big stiff! She experienced a warm, cuddly, contended feeling inside as she thought of her goofball. Just wait until she got her hands on him, boy...just wait...  
  
"Masaki delivery service," Tenchi joked, arriving with two trays of rice cakes. He and Tris were now bringing up the rice cakes separately, alternately taking turns delivering a couple of trays as soon as Sasami removed them from the over to meet the demand. Tenchi slipped behind the stand with his burden and stood patiently as a smiling Mihoshi began to unload the oven-fresh rice cakes on the table.  
  
"You looked so handsome in your suit, Tenchi," Mihoshi told him. "You should wear a suit more often."  
  
"Actually, it's Dad's suit, Mihoshi," Tenchi corrected her, smiling.  
  
"Really? Well, you looked handsome in it all the same...and so did Tris in his suit. He looked like one of those lawyers on American TV, so handsome and smart," Mihoshi said. She had just about unloaded all the rice cakes. She was efficiency-plus today.  
  
"Better not let him hear you say that," Tenchi said. "Tris doesn't care much for lawyers, not after the will..." he stopped. Mihoshi had not been told Tris's tale and it was not Tenchi's business to tell her.  
  
"That's funny. I think he would be a very good lawyer," Mihoshi reflected. She absently took a bite of the rice cake she held in her hand and chewed. "I would marry a lawyer, I think."  
  
"Mihoshi--you're eating our profits again," Kiyone snapped.  
  
The blonde young woman started guiltily. "I'm sorry, Kiyone," she apologized.  
  
Tenchi glanced quickly at the two women. "Well, I'd better be off," he said. "Tris will bring in the next batch soon." He left.  
  
Kiyone eyed Mihoshi narrowly. She wasn't as irritated by her partner eating the rice cake (Mihoshi actually had been pretty good about keeping her hands off the merchandise) as much as by Mihoshi's comments about Tris. Had the ding-dong already forgotten what they had discussed just a few days ago? But Kiyone had to drop any discussion of the topic with Mihoshi in the face of a fresh swarm of hungry customers.  
  
------  
  
At around five o'clock, the crowd had largely petered out. Mihoshi and Kiyone had sold out of rice cakes entirely. Ayeka and Ryoko had only a few half-empty Thermos bottles of tea left. At that point, Tenchi and Tris walked up to the shrine together to ask the women about shutting down operations.  
  
"Sure," Kiyone said, with a wide smile. She was thrilled with the success of the day and felt vindicated as a Project Manager by the results. She had proved she was executive material. It was a nice boost to her ego and she looked fondly on the two young men who had helped make it happen...and at one in particular. Tenchi returned her smile amiably. Tris returned her smile neutrally.  
  
"Well, we have to stop, Kiyone," Mihoshi noted. "We're all out of rice cakes!"  
  
"That's what I like about you, Mihoshi," Tris said. "You cut right to the chase."  
  
Mihoshi smiled at Tris. Kiyone somehow got the impression she had been slighted.  
  
Tenchi, meanwhile, had walked over to Ayeka and Ryoko at their stand.  
  
"Aren't you proud of us, sweetums?" Ryoko asked him. "We sold all that tea and we didn't need any special help to do it."  
  
"Yes, you two did great," Tenchi enthused. "You really turned your sales slump around. I'm proud of you both."  
  
Both Ryoko and Ayeka basked under Tenchi's praise for a moment.  
  
"Well, I am certain that the traffic you and Tristram generated at the rice cake stand helped us as well," Ayeka said, attempting to be fair about the situation. "Doubtless, many of the rice cake customers wanted to drink tea after eating a rice cake."  
  
"Fat lot you know," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"What was that, Ryoko?" Ayeka asked her.  
  
"Guess it's time to go," Ryoko quickly ad-libbed.  
  
"Right," Tenchi said briskly. "Tris and I will get the chairs and tables stored away. You two can grab the cups and Thermos jugs." He turned toward the other stand. "Kiyone and Mihoshi, if you can get the pans and the napkins..."  
  
"Can do, Tenchi." Kiyone smiled at Tenchi. Then she smiled, very warmly, at Tris. Tris smiled back at her politely. He then busied himself with folding up the two chairs behind the rice cake stand. Kiyone frowned. Mihoshi, sensing discord, quickly began gathering up the napkins and placed them on the pans, which she then stacked.  
  
"I'll get these Thermos jugs back down to the house, Princess," Ryoko said. She grabbed at the three jugs.  
  
"I shall help," Ayeka said.  
  
"No need."  
  
"I said, I shall help!" Ayeka took one of the jugs and the few remaining cups. "I just do not understand you today, Ryoko."  
  
She started down the steps toward the house carrying the jug and the cups. Ryoko grabbed the other two jugs and followed her, looking a bit pensive.  
  
Tenchi stared after them. He shook his head. Ryoko was so often unfathomable.  
  
He turned back to the rice cake stand. Mihoshi had everything stacked up. She hefted the burden. "Tenchi, please walk down with me...I may drop all this," she said very quietly.  
  
Tenchi glanced at Tris, who was breaking down the rice cake stand table--and at Kiyone, who stood watching him do it and frowning. "Sure, Mihoshi. Let's go." He picked up the wooden box containing the day's earnings.  
  
They left. As they did, Tenchi took a few pans from Mihoshi to carry himself.  
  
After removing the taped sign, Tris finished breaking down the table. He then walked over to the tea stand table and, after unpeeling the sign, began breaking it down. Kiyone walked up to him.  
  
"Tris, you and Tenchi really knocked me over with that routine," she said. "I thought you two were going to really mess everything up, but your scheme sure worked."  
  
"Amazing, huh?" Tris said shortly. He did not look at her.  
  
"Well, it was unexpected. Sales were pretty much in the toilet until you two showed up."  
  
Tris didn't say anything.  
  
"You mad at me?" she asked.  
  
"Why would I be mad at you?"  
  
"I looked for you all yesterday afternoon. I couldn't find you. You weren't around much last night, either."  
  
"Maybe I didn't want to be found. Did you think of that?"  
  
Anger flared through Kiyone. Her blue eyes snapped and she crossed her arms. "Tris--if you want to end what we started--fine with me! I must have been crazy anyway. Wasting my time with some Earth boy!"  
  
"Well, you won't have to waste any more of your precious time. You can go back to brooding and making yourself miserable. Just don't make everyone else miserable this time, okay?"  
  
"I am not miserable! I feel wonderful! I always feel wonderful!"  
  
"Good," Tris said. "And I'll feel wonderful, not getting socked all the time for speaking my mind."  
  
"Oh, go jump in the lake, Tris!"  
  
"I'll meet you there! Hope you can swim!"  
  
Kiyone angrily turned away from Tris and began to stomp off.  
  
Then...she stopped.  
  
She felt a tremendous yearning inside. An overwhelming sadness filled her. Then she turned and looked at Tris. She saw that his face had a stricken expression. She knew then that although he had been avoiding her, he hadn't really wanted to. "Tris..." she said miserably.  
  
Tris looked at her now. "To quote a pretty policewoman--you sure give up easily."  
  
Kiyone felt her heart swell. She didn't want to fight with him and she didn't want to break up with him. It didn't make sense and yet she didn't care. For once in her life, she would follow her heart and to blue blazes with logic and consequences.  
  
She walked over to Tris and kneeled down next to him.  
  
"I don't want to give up on us," she said softly. "You just make me so damned mad. Why were you avoiding me?"  
  
"Why were you looking for me?" he asked her. "Did you want to jab my other side?"  
  
"No. I wanted to apologize to you, Tris. I still do."  
  
"About what?" He snapped the table's legs back up into the table frame. He lowered it gently to the concrete walk.  
  
"About not realizing that you were seriously trying to make sure that Lord Yosho wasn't deceived, even innocently, about today. You weren't being funny, you were being honest. I guess I got so wrapped up with trying to pull all this off that I didn't really pay attention to what you were saying...I just reacted. I'm sorry, Tris."  
  
Tris contemplated the now legless table a moment. Then he turned around and contemplated the soaring Shinto temple. "You know, just this morning Tenchi's grandfather said that a certain blue-eyed cop was a pretty sharp cookie--and that she'd be worth a few pokes and jabs to be with." He looked at Kiyone. He slowly smiled. "He was right on both counts."  
  
"Tris..."  
  
"Besides, you're the prettiest Project Manager I ever met."  
  
Kiyone wriggled closer to him. Tris and she embraced. They kissed. They took their time about it. They had all the time in the world now.  
  
When they parted, Tris asked, "Do you really think we should be necking right in front of the Masaki shrine?"  
  
Kiyone chuckled. She kissed his silly nose. "Maybe it'll be good advertising. I plan to have us girls open a kissing booth next time."  
  
"You girls will break Tenchi's bankroll if you do...mine, too."  
  
"That's the plan."  
  
They slowly rose, holding hands.  
  
"Walk with me down to the house, you idiot," Kiyone said. "Then I want another kiss. You're getting kinda stingy in your old age."  
  
"Okay. Grab some chairs." Tris hefted the tables.  
  
"Boy," Kiyone said, following him down the temple steps with the chairs. "Who's the slave driver now?"  
  
------  
  
The Princess and the space pirate were nearly at the house when Ayeka heard Ryoko shift direction behind her. She turned and saw Ryoko walk to the back of the house. Puzzled, Ayeka followed her.  
  
When she caught up to Ryoko, the latter was already dumping the liquid contents of one jug onto the grass.  
  
"Ryoko--what are you doing?"  
  
"Um, just dumping this old tea. It's stale by now."  
  
"It cannot be. It was put in the Thermos only about an hour ago. You should know--you brought it up."  
  
Ryoko kept pouring. Ayeka could see steam rising from the neck of the jug and from the grass.  
  
"Ryoko, that tea is obviously still nice and hot...and it cannot be good for the grass. We should take the tea inside and drink it during dinner."  
  
"Uh-uh."  
  
"Why not?" Ayeka was perplexed. "It will save Sasami some work."  
  
"No can do."  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka snapped. "What is going on?"  
  
"Nothing. Just dumping stale tea."  
  
"It is not stale!"  
  
"Says you."  
  
"I shall prove it." Ayeka lowered her Thermos jug. She took a cup and opened the spigot on the jug and poured steaming tea into it. She brought the cup to her lips and sipped the aromatic tea--  
  
"Ayeka! Wait!"  
  
Ayeka's eyes bulged. She dropped the cup. "Sake! There is sake in this tea!"  
  
Ryoko smiled sheepishly. "Right the first time, Princess."  
  
"Ryoko--how could you?" Ayeka demanded.  
  
"Hey, I wanted to sell the stuff. No one was buying just tea."  
  
"But--but--" Ayeka sputtered. "But what about the tea we sold to children?" She gasped, horrified by the thought.  
  
"Oh, I kept a jug of regular tea for them. That's why I always poured when we had a kid or woman customer."  
  
"Thank heavens!" Ayeka nearly swayed with relief.  
  
"So, no worries."  
  
"But Ryoko! Selling spiked tea in front of a shrine--Lord Yosho's shrine!"  
  
"He doesn't have to know."  
  
"That is not the point! It...it is disrespectful!"  
  
"No, it's not," Ryoko insisted. "We sold the good stuff only to men. They got a little buzz on and probably felt more spiritual."  
  
"Oh, my...oh, my heavens!" Ayeka was almost beside herself with chagrin. "You just do not understand what you have done!"  
  
"I understand that we'd better get these jugs emptied," Ryoko said pointedly. "And keep our traps shut about it."  
  
Ayeka glared at Ryoko, incensed. This was the limit! The very limit! She was going to march inside and tell--  
  
Then the Princess forced herself to think rationally. The prospect of confessing all this to Lord Yosho--and Lord Tenchi--held no appeal. That Ryoko! Ayeka realized she was obliged to keep mum, which meant she would become the space pirate's accomplice. In fact, she already was, since she had helped sell the spiked tea. Ohhhhhhhh--!  
  
Ayeka closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. It calmed her a little. She opened her eyes. "Very well. There is no changing it now. But Ryoko, you must promise me--never ever again! Ever!"  
  
"Okay, I promise."  
  
The two women finished dumping out the tea. Then they carried the empty jugs and paper cups to the house.  
  
"Oh, Ryoko," Ayeka said hopelessly. "What am I going to do with you?"  
  
"Help me pick out my bikini, of course," Ryoko replied, grinning.  
  
------  
  
A little while later, Ryoko, Ayeka, Kiyone, Mihoshi, Tenchi, and Tris stood in the living room, tightly grouped around the sideboard table. On it sat the battered rosewood box that formerly held stationery supplies but now was doing duty as the moneybox holding the day's hard-earned cash. Sasami was in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on dinner. Lord Yosho stood a distance away from the young people, observing them observe the box, indulgently.  
  
"We ought to open it now," Ryoko opined, "and count the loot. Before dinner."  
  
"Is that the accepted pirate practice?" Ayeka asked caustically. She was still a little upset with Ryoko over the sake-in-the-tea fiddle.  
  
"I agree with Ryoko," said Mihoshi. "I'm so excited!"  
  
"Perhaps we should open it now," Ayeka relented, contemplating the box. She looked at Kiyone. "What do you think, Kiyone?"  
  
"Well...it's tempting," Kiyone admitted with a grin.  
  
Tenchi, standing beside his buddy, Tris, was happy to see that grin. He had been equally happy when he saw both Tris and Kiyone walk into the house holding hands. Tris and Kiyone had shared the kiss Kiyone wanted--they both wanted--just outside the door.  
  
"You ladies will need to count the money once you open the box," Lord Yosho pointed out. "Perhaps it's best to wait until after dinner. Anticipation may give extra seasoning to the food and it's often as enjoyable as the actual event."  
  
"You're right, sir," Tris said. "I can remember laying in bed on Christmas Eve, anticipating a complete GI Joe outfit, including a rocket launcher perfect for demolishing the Barbie's Dream House of the little girl next door. And then, when I looked under the tree-- new underwear!"  
  
Tenchi groaned. "Maybe you'd better wait, at that, girls," he suggested. "I think dinner is almost--"  
  
"Dinner!" called out Sasami from the dining room.  
  
"A gift of prophecy!" Tris observed. "Tenchi, I don't want to abuse your gift, but I'd like to know how many points Mizzou will lose to Nebraska at the next Homecoming game. I'd like to lay down a bet."  
  
"You went to Mizzou! You'd bet against your own team?"  
  
"Sure! Just like all the alums do."(4)  
  
Tenchi groaned again. "Come on, wise guy, let's eat."  
  
He and Tris and Lord Yosho started toward the dining room. With a last eager look at the box, the women followed.  
  
------  
  
"Sasami, I believe you have eclipsed your splendid achievement at yesterday's luncheon," Yosho told her appreciatively at the dining room table some time later. "It is no wonder that my visitors were so eager to sample your rice cakes today."  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yosho. I wanted this dinner to be extra special for everyone," Sasami said. She smiled happily, enchanted with the knowledge that the beach trip would become a reality.  
  
"It certainly is that." Lord Yosho smiled in return. He lowered his chopsticks. "I heard so many nice comments about your rice cakes today--and about their American debut."  
  
"What was that, Lord Yosho?" Sasami looked confused.  
  
"It seems there was an important American industrialist and his rather negligible assistant who professed interest in your rice cakes. It also seems that many Americans are eagerly awaiting the perfect rice cake to be introduced into their culture."  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked at each other. They both knew the crunch was coming. Tris took the opportunity then to make his move.  
  
"Oooh," he said. One hand quickly covered his left eye.  
  
"Is something wrong, Tris?" asked Kiyone, who was once again sitting very, very close to him.  
  
"Just something in my eye. Probably a cinder. I'll go wash it out." He rose.  
  
"I'll come with you," Kiyone said, concerned.  
  
"No, no, it's just one cinder. I'll be back in a flash."  
  
He was certainly gone in a flash, at least.  
  
"Convenient things, those cinders." Ryoko grinned knowingly.  
  
"I think someone was having someone else on, Lord Yosho." Sasami said. She smiled at Tenchi. The cause of the meteoric rise in the sale of rice cakes that day was all clear to her now.  
  
"Perhaps so, Sasami. It seems that the negligible assistant bore a striking resemblance to my grandson, whom all the people here know very well. But that could have been a coincidence."  
  
Tenchi couldn't help but grin a little ruefully as he busied himself with eating well-cooked and tastily seasoned bites of squid. Trust that Tris to take a powder when the heat was on, he thought.  
  
But Tris was back already, seating himself next to Kiyone.  
  
"That was fast," she told him, laying a hand on his arm. "How's the eye?"  
  
"Gray-green in coloration with, perhaps, a smattering of red veins," Tris answered.  
  
"Have you ever had a fist in your eye?" Kiyone asked him sweetly.  
  
"I'll bet that would hurt more than a cinder," Mihoshi offered helpfully.  
  
Lord Yosho then continued his commentary on the temple food and drink concession sales. "Your tea was also a big hit with my visitors, Sasami," he remarked.  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka both slowly sank a bit.  
  
"I know! I made gallons and gallons!" Sasami said.  
  
"Yes, and my visitors drank gallons and gallons...especially, I noticed, men."  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka sank lower.  
  
"Men?" Sasami asked, surprised.  
  
"Why, yes. Practically all of the customers at the tea stand were men. It was quite noteworthy."  
  
"I wonder why so many men bought tea?" Sasami mused. "Of course, all you men drink tea, but I would've thought a lot of women would have bought tea, also."  
  
"Alas, it seems that the men rather monopolized the tea stand," Lord Yosho explained. "The poor ladies found it rather rough going to get through the lines and most abandoned the effort."  
  
Ayeka and Ryoko were the center of attention now. The Princess and the space pirate looked down at their bowls.  
  
Then Tenchi rose, excused himself, and left.  
  
"Do you have any theories about that interesting development? Ryoko? Princess Ayeka?" Lord Yosho asked mildly.  
  
"The men were thirstier?" Ryoko offered.  
  
Lord Yosho looked at her. "Perhaps they were thirsty for more than just tea. At any rate, we must be more circumspect in our beverage sales. It rather caused some comment. Are we agreed, ladies?"  
  
"Yes, Lord Yosho," Ryoko replied quietly.  
  
"We will indeed be much more circumspect, Lord Yosho," added Ayeka in an equally quiet voice.  
  
Sasami shook her head. It was not clear at all to her what was going on. It was, perhaps, becoming a bit clearer to the others.  
  
Tenchi returned to the table and sat down.  
  
"Hey, let's eat up and go see how much we made!" Mihoshi suggested.  
  
"Good idea, Mihoshi," Ryoko said, grateful almost beyond words for the change in topic. Mihoshi beamed at the rare compliment from Ryoko.  
  
"I hope we made enough," Sasami added. "Things are so expensive here!"  
  
Lord Yosho said, "I must make a quick telephone call. It was a marvelous dinner, Sasami."  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yosho!"  
  
He rose and left. The others hurried through their dinner.  
  
------  
  
"Open it and dump it out!" Ryoko told Kiyone impatiently a little while later. With dinner completed, it was time to count the day's profits.  
  
Kiyone raised the box from the living room's sideboard. She had been given the honor of puuring out the hard-gotten gains since she was, after all, the Project Manager. "Shall I?"  
  
"Yes!" several female voices chorused.  
  
Excitedly, Kiyone topped the box over. A veritable shower of coins clattered on the sideboard, which was to be expected...but there was also a veritable flurry of yen bills, lovely yen bills, negotiable yen bills, joining the coins on the sideboard.  
  
"Wow!" Mihoshi cried. "We raised all this?"  
  
"Gosh..." Sasami's eyes were wide.  
  
"Jeeze!" Even Ryoko was impressed.  
  
"I cannot believe it," Ayeka murmured, staring at all the legal tender.  
  
"Neither can I," Kiyone said. There may have been a smidgen of skepticism in her voice.  
  
"You ladies outdid yourselves today. A heroic effort," Lord Yosho proclaimed. "My congratulations!"  
  
"Yes, yes, well done." Tenchi clapped his hands.  
  
"Author! Author!" Tris added, clapping as well.  
  
"Well...what's all this?"  
  
Everyone turned. It was Nobuyuki, arriving home from work. He set down his briefcase. "Have we struck oil, father-in-law?" he joked.  
  
"Better than oil, son-in-law--success," Yosho told him.  
  
"The girls' sale was a smash, Dad," Tenchi added.  
  
"Wonderful! I'm glad for all of you." Nobuyuki smiled.  
  
"We'd better count it," Ryoko advised. When it came to handling money (almost always someone else's money) the space pirate was all business. Kiyone volunteered and began the count.  
  
When the counting was done, it seemed there was actually a little more than enough to purchase swimsuits for all the women and little Sasami, too. The women whooped it up for a spell.  
  
"Where should we go to buy our bikinis?" Ryoko finally asked Project Manager Kiyone. Ryoko was sticking to practical matters tonight.  
  
"Hmmmm..." Kiyone considered the question. She and the other women had shopped in the village and the nearby towns for clothing, but the selection was quite limited and the prices quite high. Her former Levis jeans, which were Levis short-shorts now, had seemed abominably expensive.  
  
"If I may make a suggestion, ladies...? It was Nobuyuki.  
  
The women turned to him. It was gratifying to Nobuyuki that time had finally erased the expressions of suspicion and distrust (due to his rather immature reations to them in the beginning) from their faces.  
  
"You must do your shopping in the city. The stores there will have much more of a selection and the prices will be considerably lower. I often hear the ladies in the office mention the giant department store, Mitsukoshi. It's one of the largest chain stores and it has several floors of women's clothing. Tenchi's mother used to love to shop there."  
  
All the women's expressions, including Sasami's, softened as Nobuyuki spoke of his long-dead wife and Tenchi's mother, Achika Masaki. They looked at Nobuyuki and at Tenchi. Tenchi smiled sadly. Silence ruled the roost for a long moment.  
  
Then Tenchi said, "That sounds like a great idea, Dad. Tris and I drove by that store a couple of times, and it's huge. You girls will be able to go to one place and do all your shopping. What do you all say?"  
  
"Mihoshi and I know of the Mitsukoshi store, back from when we lived in the city," Kiyone said. "It was just out of our price range budget-wise. We stuck to the discount stores. But it has a great reputation." Mihoshi nodded in eager agreement.  
  
The other women assented, too. Little Sasami was all but jumping for joy. "A big department store! That's so cool!"  
  
"But how will we get there?" Ryoko asked. Unnecessarily, as it turned out.  
  
Kiyone quickly poked Tris in the kidney, which she knew from practice would make him jump. He complied. "Why, Tris...how nice of you to volunteer to drive us!"  
  
"Yeah," Tris said ironically, rubbing his side. "It's so nice to be allowed to volunteer."  
  
"Yay! Tris--you're a sweetie!" Mihoshi cried.  
  
"He sure is. He's a lamby-pie," Sasami added.  
  
Tris felt more like a goaty-pie, but he just smiled. He noticed that Tenchi, his Dad, and his grandfather were all looking at him. Their expressions were eloquent: "Better you than me!"  
  
"Tris is taking us?" Ryoko muttered to Ayeka.  
  
"Yes. Why not?" Ayeka muttered back. "There is room in his car for all of us. Miss Washuu is not going."  
  
"He can hardly walk two steps without falling on his keister! Drive us all the way to the city and back? Him?"  
  
"Very well," Ayeka muttered. "You stay here, then. I shall go with Tristram and the others."  
  
Ayeka then walked up to Tris. "I think it is very nice of you to take us, Tristram. Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome, Ayeka. I'll try to get us there and back in one piece."  
  
"The voice of confidence," Ryoko muttered, now to herself. But she smiled as she did. That show Tris and Tenchi had put on today...she just would never forget it. Tris was a goofball but he sure could surprise her once in a while.  
  
"We're going shopping! We're going to the beach!" Sasami enthused. For her part, Mihoshi summed up her feelings in a short eloquent syllable:  
  
"Yay!"  
  
"Tomorrow okay with you, Tris?" Kiyone now softly stroked his back with her fingernails. She knew he loved it.  
  
"Sure. The stores are open on Sunday, of course."  
  
"Of course," Kiyone agreed, smiling.  
  
------  
  
Everyone made it an early night. Selling had proved to be a wearing business, even with success to brighten the outcome.  
  
Tris lay on his futon, drowsing toward sleep. Then, in the darkness of their bedroom, he heard Tenchi say:  
  
"Tris. You awake?"  
  
"I am now."  
  
"Sorry, buddy. But I just have to ask a question."  
  
Tris didn't mind. It was only a little while after Tenchi had turned off the bedside lamp. Neither of them had been able to quickly fall asleep. There were too many events of the day to review first before succumbing to Morpheus.  
  
"Aw, I was just counting swimsuit models, anyway. Prefer 'em to sheep. What's on your mind, pal?"  
  
"Well...the fact is, the girls don't have an idea of what things really cost around here. Except Sasami, when it comes to foodstuffs-- and Kiyone and Mihoshi, of course, since they rented that apartment for a while in the city and had to hold down those part-time jobs to survive. Even then, it was Kiyone who kept the budget. She told me Mihoshi just wanted to spend money, regardless."  
  
"Yeah, she told me the same thing. So?"  
  
"So, the girls may think that they raised all that money themselves today, but I kind of doubt it. In fact, I doubt it a lot. Now...did you...?"  
  
"Did I feed their little kitty? Sweeten the pot? Add to their poke?"  
  
"Yeah. Did you or did you not put some of your own money in that box when you had that phony eye problem at dinner?"  
  
"Well, yeah. I did," Tris admitted.  
  
"Knew it! I knew it!"  
  
"I told Sasami that she and the girls were going to the beach. I always put my money where my mouth is."  
  
"You sure do," Tenchi admitted. "I'll grant you that."  
  
"And I'm not the only one either...am I?" Tris asked shrewdly.  
  
"No, you aren't the only one. I also put my money here your mouth was," Tenchi said ironically. "I can buy new speakers some other time."  
  
"How about that? Two of us fed that kitty!"  
  
"Three. You forget that Grandfather also left during dinner."  
  
"That's right! And he suggested the girls wait until after dinner to count the loot. Boy...three of us sneaking around sticking cash in the box. No wonder it was full of money!"  
  
"It was worth it, though." Tenchi yawned. "To see their faces."  
  
"And to see them in bikinis..."  
  
"That too." Tenchi grinned in the dark. "I think I'll try counting swimsuit models myself. 'Night, Tris."  
  
"'Night."  
  
The two young men proceeded to sleep the sleep of the just...and the generous. It had been a trying, if successful day. The next day would prove even more trying--for Tris Coffin, particularly.  
  
_________________________________________ CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) It is not unusual that Yosho, a Shinto priest, is able to discuss Tris's religion with him. Scholarship is encouraged in Shinto, just as it is in the more ancient religion that inspired it--Buddhism. It is interesting to note that despite the efforts of evangelical Christian groups, only one percent of the Japanese population is Christian.  
  
(2) "Kimo sabe" was Tonto's nickname for the Lone Ranger--it means "wise friend."  
  
(3) This refers to "The Green Hornet," an old-time radio program and now-cult Sixties television series that featured Bruce Lee as the Hornet's chop-sockey assistant, Kato. Kato, along with the fictional detective, Mr. Moto, was one of the first positive roles for the Japanese in American entertainment history. By the way, in reference to footnote (2) above, the Green Hornet was the Lone Ranger's grandnephew.  
  
(4) Any alum from the University of Missiouri at Columbia knows what I'm referring to. Those who did not matriculate at "Collegetown, USA," should check the historical record of Mizzou versus Nebraska on the gridiron. 


	11. CHAPTER 10: No Need For Shopping

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel. ------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER TEN  
  
No Need For Shopping  
  
____________________  
  
Tris's internal alarm clock got him up, as usual, at 6 a.m. the next morning. Normally he woke up to a largely still house, with Tenchi still sawing wood for another half an hour when the latter's more conventional alarm clock (the sort one needs to wind) jangled him awake. At that early hour, usually only Tenchi's grandfather and father stirred outside their bedrooms.  
  
This was one morning, however, when Nobuyuki would actually be able to sleep in--his architectural firm had actually given him this Sunday off. Such beneficence! Perhaps those generous souls would permit Tenchi's Dad to take Christmas Day off as well...with the proviso, of course, that he be back at work all the earlier the next day.  
  
Tris shook his head as he slowly rose from his futon. Poor Tenchi's Dad. It was a Dickens of a world at times.  
  
Scratching himself in an area that still doesn't merit elaboration, Tris slipped out of his new pajamas: His old, beat-up XXL-sized (they made great tents) American college sweatshirt with the college crest and the Latin motto popularly translated as, "What...we party?" He rather missed his Bullwinkle night shirt, but he figured the Moose was much happier covering Kiyone.  
  
Then he put on his under-support, jogging shorts and top, and tube socks. He picked up his Reeboks and slid open the bedroom door, ready to climb Mount Masaki in quest of new heights of pain. His brain was so befuddled with sleepiness that he had actually gotten as far as the genkan entryway before he became conscious of female voices issuing from the dining room.  
  
Befuddled, indeed. It was the only thing that could explain why Tris would so thoughtlessly walk into the obviously inhabited dining room, unshowered, unshaven, hair uncombed, bleary-eyed, in his running togs, and carrying his running shoes. (At least he had ceased scratching himself.)  
  
"Oooooohhhh! What is it?"  
  
"Is that Tris?"  
  
"Ugh. Tris, we're trying to eat here!"  
  
Those were actually the less-personal comments that greeted Tris as he entered the dining room. But he largely ignored them as he took in the sight of--  
  
Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Kiyone...all sitting down to breakfast...all beautifully groomed and primped, in their nicest clothes...at 6 a.m. in the morning.  
  
Tris goggled at them. What next? Pretty Sammy?  
  
"Look at him, Kiyone," Ryoko advised. "Look real hard. That's what you're going to have to face at the breakfast table every morning."  
  
"Ugh!" Kiyone shuddered. "Don't even joke about it."  
  
"What? Hey..." Tris began his counter-attack.  
  
"That's the brillant conversation you'll have to listen to every morning, too," Ryoko added.  
  
It was, perhaps, a bit harsh. All Tris was trying to ask was why nearly every female in the Masaki house was up with the chickens.  
  
"I don't know," Kiyone said, looking at Tris askance. "Perhaps you're right, Ryoko. We should have Tenchi drive us."  
  
"Tenchi's still in bed," Sasami said, trying not to look at the sandpaper beard on Tris's cheeks...the legacy of his male blood line. "He's still asleep."  
  
"And this guy isn't?" Ryoko snorted.  
  
"He runs up the temple steps every morning," Mihoshi said helpfully. She rather liked Tris with his morning beard, but she felt constrained not to say it.  
  
"He does? That tears it!" Ryoko said. "I want another driver!"  
  
The attentive reader would have long ago guessed why the women were such early risers that particular a.m. The sleep fog was lifting only slowly from Tris's mind, however (on a typical morning, it usually didn't lift until the first stitch on his side formed as he ran up the temple steps). He wanted to say something...perhaps something like "Oh, yeah?" or even "Says you." But he quickly recognized the total impossibility of engaging in verbal repartee with a group of bright- eyed and razor-sharp women and emerging with even a shred of dignity intact. So Tris did what any sane male would do under those circumstances. He retreated.  
  
He turned on his heel. He walked out of the dining room, past the living room, and back into his and Tenchi's bedroom. He dropped his Reeboks and collapsed on his futon. Tenchi was still asleep. It was 6:11 a.m., Tokyo Time.  
  
------  
  
Five minutes later...  
  
"Yow!" Tenchi had been awakened by a noise and it wasn't his alarm clock. He opened his eyes and saw Kiyone standing over Tris's pallet, nudging him with her stockinged foot (she was wearing pantyhose under her Capri pants today). Tris groaned in response.  
  
"Kiyone! What are you doing in here?"  
  
"Trying to get this idiot back up. We're ready to go."  
  
"Go? Go where?"  
  
"Go shopping." Kiyone was impatient with what she considered Tenchi's witless question. Were all the males around here brain-dead today? She decided to try a wake-me-up that worked splendidly with Mihoshi. She kicked Tris.  
  
"Oooffff-!" Tris responded pretty well, although he still didn't get up.  
  
"Don't kick him!" Tenchi said, wincing.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Just don't!"  
  
"He's got to get up and drive us. We want to reach the department store when it opens."  
  
"He hasn't even done his running, Kiyone! He needs to get a shower and shave and eat breakfast--"  
  
"No running. Quick shower and shave and we'll save him a little breakfast. He has fifteen minutes. You get him up, Tenchi."  
  
"But--"  
  
"Either he drives us or you drive us. Make up your mind."  
  
"I'm not driving Tris's car!" Tenchi was aghast at the very thought. That Mustang was a restored high-performance classic, worth (Tenchi did a quick dollar-to-yen conversion in his head based on what Tris had told him about his car) over 2,200,000 yen! No way!  
  
"Okay, get him up, then." Kiyone left the bedroom.  
  
Tenchi's heart went out to Tris. But...  
  
"Tris?"  
  
"What?" Tris replied, his voice muffled by his pillow.  
  
"You know what."  
  
"What I know is...all those beautiful women are monsters...and my girlfriend is Rodan."  
  
Tenchi grinned a little. "Tris, you don't mess with women when they want to go shopping. Rise and shine, buddy."  
  
"Yeah." Tris slowly began to rise but not shine. "No wonder the monasteries have to turn away guys."  
  
Tenchi slipped out of bed. "Go get your shower and shave. I'll run interference and make sure they feed you. I can count on Sasami's help. Best I can do, buddy."  
  
"Okay." Tris rose fully upright and stumbled toward the bedroom door. "Thanks, buddy."  
  
------  
  
It was just a gorgeous Spring day. The sun was yellow gold, splashing brilliance over every tree, bush, road, and telephone pole on the good green Earth. Nature was engaged in her own fashion show, displaying a riot of different-hued flora everywhere. Birds filled the air with song and molting feathers. It was hard, indeed, to imagine anyone driving a car through such a pastoral Eden as the rural Okayama countryside was that morning and feeling anything but euphoric.  
  
Tris, piloting the Mustang, did somehow manage to feel less than euphoric, though. The women helped in that regard.  
  
Ayeka: "Get your elbow out of my ribs, Ryoko!" Ryoko: "Stop leaning against me, Mihoshi!" Mihoshi: I can't help it! It's so cramped back here!" Ryoko: "This car was made for midgets!" Sasami: "Please stop arguing...you're spoiling our trip." Ryoko: "Too late. The driver already did that with this clown car. Mihoshi, get that hand off my leg!" Mihoshi: "I have to put it somewhere!"  
  
Tris was blinking and blinking up front. That was because Kiyone, sitting across from him in the other bucket seat, had appropriated his Ray Bans and would not relinquish them. She thought they were cool and liked the way they looked on her. Tris agreed, but a little more protection against the sun's glare would have been appreciated.  
  
The car's canvas convertible top was firmly up despite the balmy day and the relative slowness of travel (the road, like most Japanese main arteries, was choked already with cars; Sunday was a major shopping day in Japan). Ayeka hated the wind in her hair, so that was that. Even the windows were all closed at Ayeka's request. Fortunately, Tris's late father had restored the Mustang's ancient air conditioning system and cool air wheezed into the interior. It was unable, however, to meet everyone's (nearly everyone's) loudly stated temperature requirements.  
  
Yes, it was a lovely trip so far. Tris was almost praying for a blowout.  
  
"Kiyone," Tris requested. "I'd like my sunglasses back. The police here insist that you actually be able to see where you're going."  
  
"Big baby." Kiyone shook her dark teal hair. "Just pull down the sun visor thing."  
  
"I still need to see through the glare. The police are particular about this."  
  
"Oh, okay." Since she was a police officer herself, Kiyone assented. She handed Tris his Ray Bans. He slipped them on. That was better! He glanced out the side of the car. He spotted, in the distance, the Super Express "Nozomi" bullet train (Shinkansen) zooming by...a lot faster than the car was traveling now with the traffic congestion. The women noticed it, too.  
  
"Should have taken the train," Ryoko grumped.  
  
Tris couldn't have agreed more.  
  
"Tristram...could you speed it up a bit?" Ayeka asked plaintively. "We would like to get there before the store is mobbed. Lord Tenchi's father particularly warned us about that."  
  
"That's right, Tris," Kiyone seconded, her voice impatient.  
  
"Which is why someone should have been ready to go at six a.m.," Ryoko added.  
  
"Right now, we're on the main drag to Okayama City," Tris told them. "The traffic isn't likely to ease up. But I'm looking for an opening in the express lane--we might go a bit faster there." He chuckled to try to lighten the mood. "Now you know why Tenchi's Dad doesn't bother with that old car they own but instead takes the train to the city!"  
  
"Main drag is right," Ryoko said. "This is one big, main drag."  
  
"It does seem to be taking a long time," Ayeka said pensively.  
  
"That's not very fair," Mihoshi objected. "It's not Tris's fault."  
  
"He's the driver," said Ryoko. "And if you put that hand there one more time, Mihoshi--"  
  
"Stop it! Stop it!"  
  
It was Sasami.  
  
"Tris and Tenchi did everything they could so we could go on this trip." Sasami was speaking angrily for the first time Tris could remember. "We didn't tell Tris what time we wanted to leave. You made fun of him and didn't let him have but one cup of tea and almost nothing to eat for breakfast. You've said bad things about his beautiful car and complained all the way, except for Mihoshi! You all make me so mad!"  
  
The words came from a little girl, but they hit hard. Sasami almost never lost her temper. This was highly significant to all of them.  
  
"Sasami..." Ayeka began.  
  
"I mean it, big sister! Tris should take us all home right now!"  
  
Glancing at her in the rearview mirror, Tris marveled again at the little Princess. She sounded much older than her appearance would indicate. What a little scrapper she was! She had stood up to all the women and told them off.  
  
"I know you're right, Sasami," Mihoshi said. "I'm sorry, Tris."  
  
"You have nothing in the world to apologize for, Mihoshi," Tris said.  
  
Sasami began to cry. She was crying out of anger, though.  
  
"Don't cry, Sasami," Mihoshi said. "Here...sit on my lap."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
Mihoshi eased the little girl on her lap. Sasami sat on Mihoshi's lap and laid her head on her shoulder. She sniffled. Mihoshi stroked her hair. "Nobody meant anything, Sasami. Everyone is kind of anxious to get there, I think."  
  
"I know. No reason to say mean things, though."  
  
Ayeka and Ryoko looked at each other. They both seemed a bit abashed.  
  
"I am so sorry, Tristram," Ayeka said. "Sasami is right. We have been awful to you. This is a lovely car. I really appreciate the air conditioning."  
  
"I really appreciate the fact that you haven't turned around," Ryoko said contritely. "I think I would have by now if I had to listen to me."  
  
Tris couldn't help chuckling at Ryoko's words. "Why don't we listen to music, instead?" he proposed.  
  
"Good idea, Tristram," Ayeka said, grateful for the change of topic.  
  
"Yay!" came from Mihoshi. Sasami wiped her eyes and smiled.  
  
"Some tunes sound just right," Ryoko agreed.  
  
"Yes, it is a good idea, Tris." Kiyone's voice was soft. "And I'm sorry, too. I hope I didn't kick you too hard back at the house."  
  
"I'll compare notes with Mihoshi," Tris told her, "and I'll let you know."  
  
"Ha, Ha, Kiyone!" Mihoshi said, delighted.  
  
"Ha, Ha." Kiyone smiled ruefully.  
  
"Look in the tape container, Kiyone," Tris suggested. "See what you can find."  
  
"Okay, Tris." Kiyone picked up the cassette tape container and unzipped it. She pulled out one of the plastic cassette cases. "It says, "Abbey Road." It's by The Beatles. Is it any good, Tris?"  
  
"Nothing better has ever been done," Tris told her.  
  
"Sounds interesting," Ryoko said from the back seat. "I think I've heard of The Beatles."  
  
"Are they a musical group?" Ayeka asked.  
  
"Used to be," Tris said. "A long time ago. The Fab Four, my Mom and Dad called them."  
  
"Let's play it. I'd like to hear it," Sasami said.  
  
"Yes, please," Mihoshi added.  
  
"It's unanimous," Kiyone told Tris. At his instructions, she turned on the car's stereo deck and slipped the cassette into the slot. The car filled with music as they slow-poked their way to the city.  
  
------  
  
Meanwhile, back at the ranch-shrine, the three Masaki men found themselves all alone at the dining table for breakfast. Washuu was the only woman left on the premises, and she was holed up in her lab. The three men were enjoying a low-key conversation and eating a breakfast that dear Sasami had left behind for them (kept warm by low heat in the oven).  
  
It was a unique and rather gratifying experience for Tenchi, his grandfather, and his father. It was the first time the three male Masakis had experienced a meal alone with each other since the women had trickled back to them following the battle with Kagato. It was a rare opportunity for them to talk about home affairs, breach politically incorrect topics (politically incorrect from the women's perspective), and to let their hair down, just a little. Tenchi felt a warm glow from the camaraderie with his father and grandfather. It was something to be savored along with Sasami's gohan (cooked rice) and tsukemono (pickled vegetables) with noodles on the side.  
  
Ryo-Ohki contentedly crunched her carrot breakfast in a corner. The cabbit had come into the dining room looking for her Mistress and had been upset at finding none of the women around. Tenchi had quickly compensated for the absence of Ryoko with a dish full of carrot sticks. Ryo-Ohki had been mollified.  
  
The three men were laughing now because Tenchi had related Tris's comment about the women being monsters in general and Kiyone being a giant flying reptile in particular. Nobuyuki chuckled heartily, while Yosho, in a rare instance of letting himself go, threw his head back and laughed and laughed. Tenchi joined in the laughter. The three men adored the women exceedingly but they could certainly sympathize with Tris Coffin's appraisal of them (given under fire, it must be noted).  
  
"Poor Tristram! I hope the ladies are in a better humor by now," Lord Yosho commented.  
  
"You should have seen it, Grandfather," Tenchi said. "They watched Tris like a hawk while he managed to get down, I think, two bites of food and a gulp of tea. That was it! Then they hustled him out to his car."  
  
"That's what I call a rude awakening." Nobuyuki grinned.  
  
"Yes, there he is, fighting the traffic dragon somewhere out on the highway, while we enjoy this delicious breakfast at our leisure," Yosho commented. "There is a lesson there, somewhere...but I am hanged if I know what it is!" Lord Yosho was really in a fine humor and unwinding consequently.  
  
Tenchi and his Dad laughed appreciatively.  
  
Nobuyuki put down his chopsticks. "You know..." He chuckled. "Oh, I shouldn't say this, even just with us three around..."  
  
"Come on, Dad," Tenchi urged.  
  
"Yes, you must tell us now after that build-up," Yosho added.  
  
"Well...if that Washuu is such a genius...perhaps we should persuade her to invent some device to quick-grow little Sasami into a young woman Tenchi's age. Tenchi could marry her and we would live like kings forever--at least, our stomachs would."  
  
"Dad!" Tenchi looked embarrassed. Lord Yosho just laughed.  
  
"Now that is a plan!" Lord Yosho said. "Of course, her father, a real King, might object."  
  
"Boy, would he!" Tenchi had met King Azusa, who had been called back to Jurai from retirement after Kagato was defeated, and it was an experience he wished not to repeat. The Juraian monarch had not been amused with his two daughters' apparent obsession with an Earthling, even if that Earthling had royal Jurai blood in him. King Asuza also had been unamused by Tenchi's refusal to accept the Jurian throne when it had been offered to him (thereby forcing the King to take the thankless job again). Queen Misaki, on the other hand, had seemed nice and certainly very affectionate--motherly, or even "smotherly," was perhaps the best way to describe her. Ayeka and Sasami had really been on their toes around her, though.  
  
"Yet, Tenchi, that is the prospect you could well end up facing," Yosho reminded him. "Having King Azusa as a father-in-law."  
  
"Yipes!" said Tenchi.  
  
"Yes, fathers-in-law are always part of the deal when you wed, son." Nobuyuki glanced humorously at Lord Yosho. "You'll find that out."  
  
"And what of you, son-in-law?" Yosho asked Nobuyuki. "When will you bring a new wife home? You're not getting any younger, you know."  
  
"Yeah, Dad." Tenchi would always only have one mother in his heart, but he was older now and thought it a shame his Dad was so alone.  
  
"Well...when I can get unchained from my desk at work...when Tenchi makes up his mind and marries one of the women and the others finally leave...when I find a lady who doesn't slap my face..." Nobuyuki was at least half-kidding, but not entirely.  
  
"You don't have to wait for the girls to leave, Dad," Tenchi pointed out. "We can have someone new in. We've proven that with Tris."  
  
"Yes, indeed. And as far as slapping is concerned, our Tristram collects a few blows from his lady fair, does he not?" Lord Yosho added.  
  
"So you both tell me," Nobuyuki said. "I wonder why that is?"  
  
"It's frustration, son-in-law. Frustration at finding something that you didn't seek and perhaps thought you didn't want, at least not for a long while...but there it is and you find you do want it all the same," Yosho replied, and took a sip of tea.  
  
"Yeah, and with a wise guy like Tris." Tenchi shook his head wryly. "Sometimes I could take a poke at him myself. Really! Then that wise guy says or does something and I want to pat him on the back--or buy him a beer."  
  
"Young men...young friendships," Yosho said to his son-in-law. "Can you recall those?"  
  
"I certainly can," Nobuyuki said. "The best friendships of all."  
  
------  
  
In the car, not far from Okayama City (the traffic had eased and Tris had made some time, finally, in the express lane), the atmosphere had warmed considerably, although the old air conditioner chugged valiantly on. Good feelings were back and were infectious to boot.  
  
As it turned out, "Abbey Road" had proved a hit with the women. At popular demand, the tape had been played twice. The classic album seemed to touch everyone in the car in some special way. "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" picked up spirits and celebrated the outstanding spring day. Mihoshi and Sasami just loved the silly but sweet "Octopus's Garden." Then, "Come Together" held special significance for them all, even if it was a little naughty. The stirring orchestral "You Never Give Me Your Money" and "Boy, You're Gonna Carry That Weight" inspired them. Now the second rendition of the Long Melody was reaching its end. All of them, as close together in spirit as they had ever been, listened again to the final four verses:  
  
And in the end  
The love you take  
Is equal to the lo-o-o-o-ove  
You make  
  
The Long Melody finished with an orchestral flourish. Once it faded out, Tris reached down and snapped the stereo off.  
  
"I love that music," Mihoshi said softly.  
  
"It's so sweet and nice," Sasami, still on Mihoshi's lap, said. "It makes me feel good inside."  
  
"There is a lot of truth to the words in that song," Ayeka mused thoughtfully.  
  
"Yeah...I guess there is, Princess." Like Ayeka, Ryoko thought of Tenchi.  
  
Up front, Kiyone looked at Tris, her eyes soft. "Say, don't you need to shift gears?" she asked him.  
  
"No," Tris said. The pony car was in fourth gear, and there was no fifth.  
  
"Idiot...don't you need to shift gears, I said."  
  
"Ohhh...yeah."  
  
Tris placed his hand on the shift knob. Kiyone covered it with her hand. They held hands like that, quietly...  
  
...at least they did until Mihoshi asked, "Kiyone, are you helping Tris drive?"  
  
"I'll say she is!" Ryoko laughed.  
  
"It'll be nice to have some privacy sometime," Kiyone muttered.  
  
"Sorry, Kiyone--the back seat is taken!" Ryoko chortled.  
  
Kiyone leaned toward Tris. Her lips reached his ear. "You want to go out for a walk tonight?" she murmured.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"That's my idiot." She kissed his ear.  
  
In back, the women were quiet...smiling...but quiet.  
  
"Here's the big overpass," Tris said. "Okayama City dead ahead."  
  
------  
  
"Good morning, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho greeted the great scientist who had just appeared in the dining room. "Please sit down and have breakfast with us."  
  
"I'll just do that little thing, gentlemen," Washuu said cheerfully. She sat down beside Nobuyuki and quickly filled a bowl with food and a cup with tea. She proceeded to eat with great enjoyment.  
  
The three men regarded her favorably. All three had a special affection for the spunky super scientist.  
  
"By the way, Tenchi," Washuu remarked between mouthfuls. "Thanks for dropping off that parcel to me in the lab yesterday."  
  
"No problem," Tenchi said.  
  
"Parcel?" Nobuyuki asked.  
  
"Son-in-law," Lord Yosho murmured. He was reminding Nobuyuki that such matters were none of their business.  
  
Washuu picked up on it. "Oh, I don't mind saying what was in it. It's my beach outfit for tomorrow's outing."  
  
"Really?" Nobuyuki asked, showing a great deal of interest.  
  
"That's right, Dad." Washuu grinned at him. "It's a humdinger, too."  
  
Nobuyuki raised his eyebrows but wisely held his tounge. Washuu kept grinning at him.  
  
"Ummm...do you mind saying where it came from, Washuu?" Tenchi asked. "You got it so quickly."  
  
"No, I don't mind. I got it off the Internet, from a women's sportswear Web site. Turns out they have an outlet in Okayama."  
  
"Don't you...need money to buy that sort of thing, Washuu?" Tenchi was venturing slowly. He was not aware that Washuu had any money--in Earth terms, anyway.  
  
"Sure! They gotta get paid or you get squat."  
  
"Well then, how--"  
  
"Tenchi," Lord Yosho now admonished his grandson.  
  
"Oh, Grandpa, I don't mind telling," Washuu said. "I did a little creative bookkeeping in the e-accounts of a Swiss bank. I used that to open an account at a bank in Okayama City by wire transfer. I have an e-draft number now and everything. Piece of cake."  
  
"But...you don't actually have any money?" Tenchi asked, confused.  
  
"You don't need hard cash in electronic commerce," Washuu replied complacently. "I just re-directed all the loose change that Swiss bank rounds off when they do their accounting. It adds up to a nice sum, I can tell you."  
  
"Uh..." Then Tenchi decided to drop it. Some things were better off not knowing more about.  
  
"By the way, Grandpa," Washuu went on, "I've continued doing the scans and probes we discussed. Still come up with zilch."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. "Well, it was to be expected. I still sense the Presence, but the intensity of that sensing had dropped considerably. I'll admit to being perplexed."  
  
"But that's a good sign, isn't it?" Washuu said. "Whatever it is, it's tapering off."  
  
"Perhaps it is," Lord Yosho said. "Its continued existence is not a good sign, however."  
  
"With respect...what are you two talking about?" Nobuyuki asked, clearly confused by the new topic.  
  
"Yes, Grandfather. You left Dad and me way behind," Tenchi added.  
  
"I apologize. It is time both of you knew." Lord Yosho then told Tenchi and Nobuyuki about the ominous but will-of-the-wisp Presence he had been sensing night after night.  
  
"That sure doesn't sound good," Tenchi said worriedly when his grandfather had finished. "There's no reason something like that would be around us...except to do us harm."  
  
"That is my feeling as well, grandson," Lord Yosho agreed.  
  
"Father-in-law, forgive me," Nobuyuki said. "But...are you certain you are sensing something that is truly real? No offense meant."  
  
"None taken. Yes, I am convinced it is real. It exists on a plane that escapes ordinary physical detection. What that plane is, I cannot tell...yet. That's why I have not shared this with anyone besides Professor Washuu. It is so tenuous at present."  
  
"I'll tell you one thing, guys. An entity that can slip through my probes and scans...I haven't dealt with something like that before," Washuu said. She had stopped eating, as had the men.  
  
"It's something I have not dealt with before, either." Yosho shook his head. "Elemental...yet extraordinary. I am certain of that."  
  
"But, then again, Grandfather--it has lessened, you said. Why would it do that if it means to harm us?" Tenchi asked, puzzled by the attenuated nature of what appeared to be a threat.  
  
"Yes, father-in-law. It sounds as if it--whatever it is--is in some sort of remission. Perhaps Washuu's scanning, even if it can't pick it up, has frightened it somehow," Nobuyuki said.  
  
Washuu looked at Nobuyuki with surprise. "Good thinking, Dad! That never occurred to me."  
  
"So, maybe just keep scanning it, Washuu--and it'll give up and go away?" Tenchi guessed.  
  
"Oh, I'll keep the scans and probes going, don't worry about that, Tenchi. If I can get a handle on this thing, I will," the redheaded scientist promised.  
  
"Yes, Professor Washuu, please do that," Lord Yosho said. "And I'll hopefully be able to continue to sense the Presence. Indeed, I may have an inkling to what this is all about...oh, nothing worth talking about yet. Perhaps the thing truly is dissipating. We will hope for that but we will not count on it."  
  
"Right, Grandpa." Washuu's manner was uncharacteristically somber. "Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. That's the best plan."  
  
------  
  
The Mustang was well within the Okayama city limits now. Traffic actually moved somewhat briskly, although the city was already thronged with Sunday shoppers. Very soon, Tris spotted the massive masonry and glass structure of the mighty Mitsukoshi department store. "We're almost there," he announced.  
  
The women, who had been staring with undisguised excitement at the tall buildings and the heart-stirring bustle of the city (except for Kiyone and Mihoshi who had lived in its lower-rent outskirts and were used to it), were silent. Okayama City was home to over 600,000 people and was a major metropolis as well as capital of the Prefecture. It was no small village in the rural "rube" belt.  
  
Tris now pulled onto the street leading to the shopping emporium.  
  
"There's no chance of finding a parking spot on the street near the store," Tris told them. "I'll just drop you off by the store and I'll find a parking garage or parking lot somewhere." The last thing Tris wanted to do was park illegally in Okayama City. Polite lady wardens patrolled those streets. They first marked an offending car's tires with chalk and, if they later found the car still illegally parked, had the car towed. The cost to get one's car out of hock was substantial.  
  
"Look!" cried Mihoshi. "There's a parking spot right there!"  
  
"No chance, Mihoshi," Tris told her. "That's just--"  
  
"Drive up to it," Kiyone told him. "Check it out."  
  
Tris did. It was a nice expanse of open curbside space between a Mitsubishi and a Honda. The curb itself was without paint, indicating a free and open area to park.  
  
"What do you call that?" Kiyone asked him, smiling sweetly.  
  
"A parking spot," Tris muttered.  
  
"Gee, Tris," Ryoko said sarcastically from the back seat. "Maybe you ought to park this heap there, you think?"  
  
"Yeah..." Tris couldn't believe his eyes. It was impossible. But there it was. A street parking space! On a Sunday!  
  
He executed a pretty fair parallel parking maneuver (that ability to parallel park on a dime had earned him his driver's license on the first try). He eased the Mustang into the open space.  
  
"Good eyes, Mihoshi," he said.  
  
"Thank you, Tris," Mihoshi replied from the back seat.  
  
"Yeah, it only sticks out like a sore thumb, Eagle Eye," Kiyone told him.  
  
"You could walk home, you know," he told her back.  
  
Kiyone just wrinkled her nose at him as he killed the engine. Then he applied the parking brake and kept the Mustang in first gear. Nothing would make it roll now.  
  
"Okay, everybody out--" Tris stopped. Everybody was already out. Amazing.  
  
Tris reached over and locked the passenger car door. He opened his door and exited himself, stepping right out onto the sidewalk (one of the few advantages of driving an American car in a country where the cars normally had driver's compartments on the right side and everyone drove to the left, the opposite of the US). He locked the door. A small group of folks were already gathering around the Mustang, admiring it. Tris bowed to them politely and started after the women, who were already well on their way to the glass-and-chrome front doors of the massive Mitsukoshi department store.  
  
"Hey--wait up, will you?" Tris called.  
  
Kiyone turned around, as did the other women. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked.  
  
"Huh? Well..." He didn't understand the question.  
  
"You're not coming with us, Tris." Kiyone was firm. "We don't want you or Tenchi to see our bathing suits until we wear them at the beach. Okay?"  
  
Tris thought about it. A special unveiling, so the speak. It sounded reasonable. "Okay," he said.  
  
"Can't he come with us?" Mihoshi asked. Sasami nodded.  
  
"No," said Kiyone. "This will be more fun. You'll see."  
  
"You just want him to buy you another ugly stuffed toy," Ryoko told Mihoshi.  
  
"I do not!" Mihoshi denied. "I just want him with us." She had loved it when Tris and she had gone shopping in the village.  
  
"Well, forget it. We have a plan and we're sticking to it," Ryoko said.  
  
"It will be all right, Mihoshi," Ayeka said. "I am certain Tristram would not wish to tag along with us whilst we shop."  
  
Kiyone looked at her partner's long face. No doubt about it...she'd have to have another long talk with that ding-dong.  
  
"That's settled," Tris said. "I'll meet you all at the car. How long do you think you'll be?"  
  
"Oh, give us a couple of hours anyway," Kiyone replied.  
  
"None of you wears a watch," Tris reminded them. "You'll need to check the wall clocks in the store."  
  
"We will."  
  
"All right. We'll meet at the car in two hours. Then we'll go have lunch somewhere."  
  
"Yay!" Mihoshi was happy again.  
  
The women turned and continued walking toward the entrance of the big department store.  
  
Tris turned in the opposite direction and started making his way through the knots of people congesting the sidewalk. Downtown Okayama City on Sunday was full of people doing the one thing the Japanese loved to do as much as Americans--shop.  
  
------  
  
The telephone jangling in the hallway delayed Tenchi temporarily from meeting his grandfather at the outbuilding-dojo for a bit of Shintaido Bojutsu practice. He walked to the mahogany-and-bamboo telephone stand and scooped up the receiver.  
  
"Hello," he said.  
  
A female voice at the other end of the line said, "Good morning. May I speak to Tristram Coffin?" The woman had just the slightest bit of difficulty with the Western name.  
  
"I'm sorry, ma'am," Tenchi told her. "He is not here, but he will be back later today. May I take a message?"  
  
"Yes, if you would, and perhaps you might also assist us."  
  
"I'll try," Tenchi responded, feeling somewhat intrigued.  
  
"Thank you. This is Skikata Car Rental. Will you pass on the message to Mr. Coffin that the vehicle he inquired about is available and will be delivered tomorrow morning?"  
  
The reason behind the call dawned on Tenchi. "I will, ma'am."  
  
"Please also inform him that the extra charges we discussed will be added to his credit card."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Tenchi winced inwardly, thinking of what those charges must be.  
  
"You are very helpful. Thank you, sir. Mr. Coffin also provided us with directions to the place we are to deliver the vehicle. The address is that of one Nobuyuki Masaki. Might that be you?"  
  
Tenchi grinned. "No, ma'am, but I am his son."  
  
"I see. May we run through the directions again, sir...just to make certain?"  
  
"Yes, please." Tenchi listened to the directions and clarified several points. Then he and the woman rang off.  
  
Tenchi looked thoughtful as he hung up its receiver. He recalled Tris asseting that he put his money where his mouth was. No doubt of it. The fact was, Tris kept his promises, period. A lot of the other guys Tenchi knew at college might have made the promises Tris made, but likely would have found an alibi not to come through on them. There were too many of those kind around and not enough like Tris, Tenchi knew.  
  
He then continued on his way to where his honorable grandfather no doubt waited for him, stave in hand. He'd tell Grandfather about the phone call. Tenchi was certain Grandfather would not be surprised.  
  
------  
  
Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Kiyone, and Mihoshi stood in the huge main lobby of the Mitsukoshi department store. It seemed like a spacious atrium with lovely plants and flowers and comfortable seats scattered here and there. The building's architecture was artful (Nobuyuki was highly regardful of it) and it allowed for many glass ceiling panels to let the spring sun bathe the marble floors. The women faced the main reception area with its long booths womanned by courteous ladies eager to help and give directions. All these ladies wore the store uniform and, of course, the ubiquitous white gloves. Escalators and elevators (operated by smiling "elevator ladies") led up to other floors.  
  
Delicious aromas wafted in the women's nostrils. As was the case with most Japanese department stores, the basement level hosted a well- stocked food department, rather in the spirit of the world-famous Harrod's department store in Knightsbridge, London, England. Two of the top floors of the department store were, accordingly, restaurant floors featuring various cuisines, such as Chinese and Western specialties.  
  
Of course, none of the women were at the store to eat or were wanting to take time (and money) to do that. Well, almost none of them.  
  
"Gosh, I'm hungry," Mihoshi said.  
  
"You had a big breakfast not that long ago," Kiyone told her.  
  
"I know...but I feel my tummy growling." One could hear it, too.  
  
"Tell that stomach of yours to suck it up," Ryoko told her. "We're here to buy bikinis, girl!"  
  
"Yes, please Mihoshi," Ayeka said. "You heard Tristram. He will take us to luncheon as soon as we are finished shopping."  
  
"Okay...but it smells so yummy!"  
  
"It is heavenly," Ayeka agreed. "This is a wonderful store, I can tell. I do not think there is any better shopping than on Earth."  
  
"Ix-nay the earth-yay," Ryoko reminded her. "We don't want anyone to find out, you know?"  
  
"Yes. You are quite right, Ryoko." Ayeka did not care much for the admonishment from Ryoko but was pleased that the space pirate was remembering to keep a low profile.  
  
The women slowly walked to one of the information counters. Ayeka and Mihoshi each held Sasami's hands. They would make certain little Sasami would not be lost in the huge, heavily mobbed store. Sasami didn't mind.  
  
A slim, pretty, bright-eyed pillar of helpfulness beamed at them from behind the counter.  
  
"We're looking for the bikinis," Ryoko said.  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka reproved her. "We are seeking bathing attire, if you please," she addressed the attendant.  
  
The smiling attendant continued smiling at the odd group of women, but inwardly tried to place them. The attendants were trained to be sensitive to store security as well as to greet and direct customers. Were these women Americans? They spoke very good Japanese. The woman with the wild platinum hair seemed to have a Japanese name. Could they be Europeans? They were quite exotic. Perhaps Canadian?  
  
"Bathing attire?" she queried. "Oh, yes. We have a lovely selection of bathing accessories on our third floor. Many pretty robes and customized towels."  
  
This was not what the women sought. Kiyone tried now. "We're going to the beach tomorrow and we need something to wear." Nothing like the direct approach.  
  
A light showed in the attendant's smiling face. "Oh, yes, I see. Lingerie and beachwear. Second floor."  
  
"Thank you, so much," a relieved Kiyone said. The other women smiled their appreciation.  
  
The attendant bowed. Kiyone and the other women returned the bow and left.  
  
As they walked toward one of the escalators, the attendant watched them go. She had been surprised that they had bowed back. Most foreigners, especially Westerners, did not, as a rule. And such formal bows. Something did not add up. She reached for the phone that rang only in the Security Office.  
  
------  
  
Tris ambled down a street in the downtown district of Okayama City. It was warm and pleasant, of course, and he didn't mind the crowds. In a way, he liked them. A large, crowded city had a hidden, coiled excitement about it that Tris found irresistible. He had been to London, Tokyo, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam, and it was always the same--lots of people, lots to do and see. Okayama City was not in the same league as those other cities, of course, but it was a jumping place in its own quieter manner. He wished Kiyone were with him.  
  
The boulevard he had entered was a minor side street, devoted to stalls and small shops rather than standard retail establishments. It was the sort of street where one might find children peeing in the gutter...just not high-rent. There were many sidewalk stands selling food and small items like motorized pandas. Advertising banners floated in the breeze. Tris slowed down and read a few. One was already flogging the Okayama Summer Festival ("Fireworks display on a cool summer evening"), held at the Asahi River (Naka-Shima) locally, but that was not until July. Another banner advertised a Western music concert in one of the many parks in Okayama City next month. That would be nice to take Kiyone to, he reflected. She liked The Beatles at any rate. Perhaps she would like Berlin and Gershwin as well.  
  
And the vending machines! Like in Tokyo, the street was packed with coin-operated vending machines, selling everything from hot noodles to combs and CDs. One could buy nearly anything from a vending machine in Japan. Tris was amused by one vending machine that sold diapers-- now that had to be a live-saver for a Mom and Dad!  
  
Then Tris saw a small storefront whose picture windows were stuffed with small, colorful periodicals. It was a sort of news shop that specialized in the unique graphic novels and comic-format continuation stories called manga. Tris had read some manga, particularly Video Girl and Steam Detectives. He had found it all pretty far-fetched, but entertaining...little had he known! He grinned. He wondered if anyone would care to read a manga about squabbling space alien girls fighting over some Earth guy. Probably not--no giant robots, no real sex, just real problems. It wouldn't be very entertaining to the average manga reader, he thought.  
  
In the storefront's well-stuffed front window, he spotted several manga devoted to that sailor-suited schoolgirl with the magical powers whom Mihoshi and Sasami loved. He thought about how sweet they both were and how they had stuck up for him time and time again. He made up his mind. He entered the store.  
  
Inside, a young clerk who was rather flabby and overweight for a Japanese male, with horn-rimmed glasses and a scraggly excuse for a mustache, walked up to the American and bowed. Tris had him pegged as a stone otaku, a socially retarded type who lived for manga and anime and had probably read every manga in the shop. Oh, well, at least he must enjoy his work. Tris returned the bow.  
  
"Very nice to meet, yes?" The clerk was trying out his English on Tris as did nearly every young Japanese the American met. In this case, someone had not been paying very close attention during English classes at school. Tris couldn't hold it against the young clerk, of course...how many American students bothered to study a second language, particularly one as difficult as Japanese?  
  
Tris replied in Japanese. The clerk countered in fractured English. It was only when Tris had spoken enough Japanese to indicate he had not simply taken a quickie Berlitz course that the clerk relented and stuck to his native tongue.  
  
"How may I help you, honorable customer?" That was more like it.  
  
"I want to buy these." Tris indicated the "pretty magical soldier" titles he had selected while he and the clerk were engaged in their language wrestling match.  
  
"Oh...honorable customer..." the clerk looked at him knowingly. "Of course you do. But these are for children. I know the pretty magical soldier books the honorable customer wants."  
  
The clerk went over to a shelf and selected three volumes. He brought them over to Tris.  
  
The illustrated books were manga in appearance on the cover and they were, indeed, about the pretty magical soldiers...but when Tris examined the contents, he saw that these pretty magical soldiers must have had a quantity of Spanish Fly dumped into their malted milks. The books were hardcore pornography, popularly known as hentai. Tris had to admit that it was interesting to see the squeaky-clean heroines in such a rough-and-tumble setting. But it seemed rather mean- spirited as well to do that to an innocent series that afforded so many little girls fun and romance and perhaps taught them something about friendship and responsibility.  
  
At first, he was going to tell the clerk to forget the smut. But then he thought of Tenchi's Dad--and of Tenchi. They'd probably get a kick out of it. Why the hell not?  
  
There were several reasons why the hell not, as Tris would learn, but he was being his occasionally impulsive and clueless self. Tenchi, and now Kiyone, would have recognized the symptoms.  
  
"All right, I'll take both versions. Please wrap them separately. They mustn't be intermingled."  
  
The clerk bowed. He wrapped both sets of books. Unfortunately, he used the same wrapping paper for both.  
  
"Better mark the hentai package with a marker," Tris suggested. "I need to be able to tell them apart."  
  
The clerk did so.  
  
The clerk and Tris exchanged bows and Tris paid and left with his packages.  
  
------  
  
The women had reached the second floor of the department store. They had also found the lingerie and swimwear area, right by Better Shoes. That portion of the huge store featured the lingerie section in front of the swimwear section, so the women had to brave the lingerie section first.  
  
"Hey, do you think Tenchi would like me in this?" Ryoko was examining a torso mannequin sporting a Merrie Widow corset.  
  
"Of course not! That is a brazen and wicked outfit, Ryoko," Ayeka told her, shocked. Mihoshi, Kiyone, and Sasami seemed not to be so certain that Tenchi wouldn't like it, but they kept silent.  
  
Ryoko fingered the suspenders attached to the hem of the corset. "What are these for again?"  
  
"Stockings," Kiyone replied. She pointed to a smaller section featuring leg mannequins sheathed in various shades and styles of hosiery. That stuff was quite a bit more...elegant...than the rather utilitarian pantyhose she was wearing, Kiyone reflected. She wondered if Tris would like her legs in nylons like that. Then she dismissed the notion, irritated at herself.  
  
"That's hot! That's a hot combo. I may have to come back to this store," Ryoko said.  
  
"After hours, no doubt?" Ayeka suggested sarcastically.  
  
"Hey, I don't steal anymore, Princess. I know salesmanship now!" Ryoko laughed.  
  
"Do not call me "Princess" here, Ryoko. No one must know that," Ayeka said, her mein quite serious.  
  
"Oops. Right."  
  
Unnoticed by them, a well-dressed lady who was, in reality, a store detective, quietly walked from where she had pretended to browse through a table of brassieres. She picked up a telephone at a checkout counter. She reported that one of the women was an admitted thief and that another of the women seemed to be laboring under the delusion that she was some sort of royalty. She was ordered to continue to keep them both under close observation.  
  
"Can we go to the beachwear section now?" asked Sasami. All the frankly sensual women's underthings seemed to intimidate her, a little.  
  
"Good idea," Kiyone said. She walked over to where Mihoshi was examining a black lace garter belt with great interest. "Come on, Mihoshi...that's for stockings and you don't even wear pantyhose."  
  
"I could start, Kiyone." Mihoshi smiled wistfully. But she put down the garter belt. All the lingerie was so pretty and nice. She wished she could afford to buy some.  
  
Ayeka was shaking her head at a full-figure mannequin wearing a push-up brassier, French knickers, and fishnet stockings when Kiyone touched her arm. "The women here are so shameless," Ayeka marveled. Then she stared down hard at Sasami who turned her gaze up toward the ceiling  
  
"I know," Kiyone said. "Com'on."  
  
She led the way through the last of the lingerie counters. Now they entered a section with bright yellow walls and a central display featuring a sand floor, a beach hut, faux palm trees, and mannequins in bikinis and one-piece swimsuits.  
  
"All right! We're here!" Ryoko said.  
  
"Yay!" said Mihoshi.  
  
------  
  
At about this time, the three Masaki men also found something that they had sought...peace and quiet.  
  
"This is the life," Nobuyuki sighed.  
  
"It sure is, Dad," Tenchi agreed.  
  
"It is very pleasant," Lord Yosho confirmed.  
  
The three of them were sitting on the wooden slat seats of a small boat, or punter, in the middle of the lake, close to the towering Juraian tree. The boat was aluminum and somewhat dented in places. It had been purchased long before the women came to stay and was rarely used now, ever since Mihoshi had once toppled out of it into the lake.  
  
Earlier, Nobuyuki and Tenchi had climbed into the Mach Five, nursed it to the village, and brought back some beer--their favorite brand, Asahi. Now they sipped that beer as they floated on the lake. It was a peaceful, tranquil scene, one that could have played as well anywhere in the world where there were men and boats and beer. The men rarely drank beer around the women, since the latter did not seem to appreciate it, particularly Ayeka. But the men liked the brew, especially Nobuyuki.  
  
Looking out over the lake, Lord Yosho remarked. "You know...I've always wondered how it would be to have a fishing lake. I was quite a fisherman in my youth."  
  
"Were you, Grandfather?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"He was, son," his Dad confirmed. "Your grandfather and I went to Okinawa on a fishing trip once. Your grandfather caught his limit when nearly everyone else did not. Remember, father-in-law?"  
  
"Yes, indeed," Yosho said amiably. "That was a fine trip. Before you were born, Tenchi. Yes, a fine trip..."  
  
"Maybe we three could go fishing sometime together," Tenchi said.  
  
His father and grandfather seemed to welcome the idea. But they also seemed to realize the chances were slim.  
  
"You know..." Nobuyuki took a reflective swig of beer. "We have those wooded areas...many of them are in depressions. Just one earth mover could create a rim and scoop out the earth."  
  
"An artificial lake?" Lord Yosho asked.  
  
"Yes. It's done quite often. It would fill with water very quickly and we could stock it with game fish."  
  
"That's a great idea, Dad!" Tenchi enthused.  
  
"Yes, I certainly like that suggestion," Yosho agreed. "Expensive?"  
  
"Not really. Of course, we would have to wait until we had a bit more in the bank at the end of the month," Nobuyuki said. "After the women leave and Tenchi marries, perhaps...a wedding present?" Nobuyuki smiled.  
  
"You're on, Dad!" Tenchi grinned. Lord Yosho nodded approvingly.  
  
Then Tenchi realized something. All day they had been talking of all the things they would do after the women left. It had not occurred to him so strongly before what not having the women under their roof would mean to his Dad...and Grandfather...and even to himself. With a pang, he realized it was another sign that the carnival was finally, really, going to have to end someday.  
  
------  
  
Meanwhile, the women were in the beachwear section of the department store, doing what they had come to do: Try on bathing suits and critique them. And, hopefully, find one they would want to buy.  
  
"I don't know, Kiyone...does this one make me look fat?" Mihoshi asked, studying herself in the full-length mirror in the beachwear section's large, airy dressing rooms.  
  
Obligingly, Kiyone looked Mihoshi over. Her blonde partner had on a tiger-print bikini, very low cut. It was labeled a "Brazilian" type of bikini. They must show a lot of themselves in Brazil, Kiyone thought. In it, of course, Mihoshi looked anything but fat. She was a knockout, Kiyone had to admit. She shook her head. Mihoshi...with that sweet, childish expression and that drop-dead womanly body. She would need bodyguards on the beach.  
  
"No, it doesn't, Mihoshi. But it's pretty low cut."  
  
"Isn't that the idea?" Mihoshi asked, innocently surprised at Kiyone's comment.  
  
Kiyone dropped the subject. She now studied herself in the mirror. She wore a bikini called a "Pinata." It featured a Polynesian blue tanktini top and a matching blue somewhat high-waisted bottom. It still showed her navel, which Kiyone considered a bit too deep. But that couldn't be helped. The blue of the bikini matched her eyes, which Kiyone liked. She had kept her pantyhose on and it gave her an idea how her legs would look tanned in the bikini (which was why she had worn the hose in the first place). Since the warm weather had just begun, Kiyone was pleased to see there would be no tan lines showing this time. Just wait until that big stiff saw her in this! The thought pleased her.  
  
"That looks very attractive on you, Kiyone." It was Ayeka speaking to her.  
  
"Thanks." Kiyone turned toward the direction of the voice.  
  
The Princess was just stepping out from a dressing room stall. She walked somewhat hesitantly. And she was wearing a bikini.  
  
"Wow, Ayeka...so you're going to wear a bikini after all."  
  
Ayeka smiled hesitantly. "Yes. After all, I wore a rather--um-- revealing one-piece suit for that contest on that pleasure planet. All the women here wear bikinis. I have seen that on the television. Besides..." She didn't finish the sentence.  
  
But Kiyone knew what Ayeka had begun to say. The Princess was not about to wear something less attractive--and less alluring--than Ryoko would. Not with Tenchi around.  
  
Ayeka had a very nice form, just a little fuller than Kiyone's. Now her form looked fabulous in the wildflower print bikini she wore with the sides cut a bit higher than Kiyone's bikini. It still showed a lot of skin, which made Ayeka a bit nervous...but resolute.  
  
After all, Ayeka thought, staring at herself in the mirror, she did have amazingly soft and flawless skin. It was a particular point of pride with her although she, perhaps, spoke too much of it, especially to Lord Tenchi. Now she would not need to speak...just appear before him like this. Yes, by heavens, she would do it! The First Princess of Jurai would wear a bikini!  
  
Mihoshi walked up to her and Kiyone. "I think you look great in your bikini, Kiyone," she told her partner. "And Ayeka...I think you're beautiful in yours."  
  
Ayeka all but blushed. "Why, thank you, Mihoshi. I do hope I look all right in it."  
  
"Tenchi will love seeing you in it." Mihoshi grinned.  
  
"Mihoshi...!" But Ayeka was pleased.  
  
Sasami walked out of her dressing room stall. They had found a lacy one-piece suit for her that featured tiny yellow sea horses on a navy background. She looked absolutely adorable in it.  
  
"Gosh! You all look like those models on TV," Sasami told the three women admiringly.  
  
"Thanks. If there are any little boys on that beach, they're going to flock around you." Kiyone smiled at Sasami. The little Princess colored, but smiled back.  
  
"So those are sea horsies!" Mihoshi observed. "What did Tris mean when he said he had a sea horsie?"  
  
"Who knows what that idiot means?" Kiyone grinned as she surveyed herself in the mirror again. She'd sea-horsie that big stiff!  
  
"Yeah, you all probably look okay--but here's the main attraction." It was Ryoko. She stepped out of her stall. The women stared at her. Their expressions ranged from near disbelief to near shock.  
  
Ryoko had chosen the skimpiest, tiniest, least-covering thong bikini she could find. It was bright lime green, what little there was of it. It would pass legal muster on a Japanese public beach, but just barely...and barely was the word.  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka was scandalized. "You go take that off!"  
  
"But Ayeka, I'll have to wear something on the beach tomorrow--just can't go completely natural." Ryoko grinned. She had remembered to stop calling her rival in romance "Princess" for the nonce.  
  
"You know what I mean! That suit is...is...wanton!"  
  
"Wanton, huh?" Ryoko shrugged. "Well, I'm "wanton" to wear it tomorrow--and I'm going to buy it. Nice bikini on you, Ayeka. Maybe a little padding would help, though..."  
  
"I do not need padding!"  
  
"Suit yourself." Ryoko walked back into her stall.  
  
"That's some bikini Ryoko picked," Sasami said admiringly. "I'd like to wear something like that someday."  
  
"Sasami!" Ayeka cried. Sometimes she thought raising her little sister properly with certain people around was a near-hopeless task.  
  
------  
  
Outside the dressing room, another well-dressed woman joined the store detective--a woman whom the alien women had assumed was just another customer trying on bikinis. It was another store detective, of course.  
  
"What did you hear?" the first asked.  
  
"One of them is definitely delusional," the second answered. "She speaks of some place called a "pleasure planet." I've heard the names "Tenchi" and "Tris" mentioned also."  
  
"Hmmm. We could be on the wrong track. That "pleasure planet" could be actually an establishment called Pleasure Planet--like Planet Hollywood. Only they wouldn't be serving food."  
  
"Oh, I see. You think they may be pros (prostitutes)."  
  
"Yes. Look how exotic-looking they are," the first store detective pointed out. "Part of their routine for the johns. And this Tenchi and this Tris may be their procurers." (That was a polite way of saying "pimps.") "You don't wear bikinis just on the beach, you know. At least, their sort doesn't."  
  
"You know, at least one of them was wearing pantyhose with their bikini--doesn't sound like sun and surf to me, either," her partner agreed.  
  
"Good point."  
  
"One thing, though...I don't understand how that little girl fits in."  
  
"I don't even want to think about it!"  
  
"Well, as long as they aren't selling it here. What should we do now?"  
  
"Keep watching them for now. I'll call in a report." The first store detective left to find a telephone.  
  
------  
  
Tris had left the rather low-class street to return to the more respectable areas of the shopping district of Okayama City. He happened to walk by a jeweler's shop. On impulse, he decided to stop in. He had spotted something in the window.  
  
The short, graying, middle-aged proprietor, who also was the head jeweler, quite happily showed Tris the item. It was a plain gold ID bracelet, small and finely detailed for a woman. Tris examined it and decided it would do. He asked the jeweler if it were at all possible to engrave the bracelet on the spot. The jeweler said it would be quite possible. The jeweler stayed in business by accommodating impulses, both male and female.  
  
Soon the ID bracelet was engraved to Tris's specifications. The jeweler slipped it into a classy black velvet case and wrapped it very nicely. Very little of a consumer nature goes unwrapped in Japan. In this case, the fancy wrapping was quite apropos. It was, after all, a present for someone. Someone special.  
  
Carrying three parcels now, Tris stopped at a street corner and consulted his watch, his Dad's old Omega Speedmaster. Yes, it was about time to meet the women at the car. He wondered how their bikini safari had gone. Swimmingly, he hoped. He smiled to himself over the small (very small) pun.  
  
Whistling the tune to "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," from the Abbey Road album (and catching a few glances from passers-by in the process; whistling was more of an American art form), Tris walked back to his car...and the women.  
  
------  
  
Ryoko was bored, a little. She had kept her vow and had bought the thong bikini, even though even she thought it a little daring. But the look on the Princess's face had decided her. Ryoko was anticipating the look on Tenchi's face very keenly. Hey, it might even be enough to get her sweetums to propose.  
  
And that was important to Ryoko. Former notions of her and Tenchi joy-rocketing throughout the galaxy together like bohemians were a lost cause now, although a very fondly remembered one. Tenchi had made it clear--although he planned to get a Degree in Letters from the University, he still planned to assume his grandfather's priestly duties at the Masaki Shrine. That meant he would marry and stay put. That suited Ryoko. She would have lived on a desert planetoid as long as it was with Tenchi. But marriage was part of the deal now. All she had to do was to get him to propose.  
  
Since Ryoko made a relatively quick buying decision, she had already paid for her bikini before the other women finally settled on the swimwear they wanted to buy. She had waited restlessly as they slowly made their way to the nearest checkout booth. Finding things dull, she decided to wander through the lingerie section again. She really had liked some of the items on display there. Princess Pain- In-The-Patoot had acted all scandalized about it, but Ryoko figured Ayeka wasn't all that shocked. It was more of a show for the Junior Princess, whom Ayeka insisted on shielding from life in general, although the kid was pretty darn sharp and didn't miss much.  
  
Ryoko was examining with curiosity a line of negligees that seemed to be cut awfully short when she spotted a middle-aged matron with middle-aged spread talking to a polite saleslady about the corset Ryoko had noticed earlier. Ryoko at first assumed that the woman was buying it for a younger female relative. But then the matronly woman took one of the frilly foundation garments and walked off toward the dressing rooms.  
  
No way! Ryoko couldn't believe it. That old bag in that sexy corset? She was kidding herself.  
  
Ryoko yielded to impulse (she rather resembled Tris in that respect). She just had to see that old biddy with the wide hips try to get that corset thingy on. Ryoko needed a laugh. She walked toward the dressing rooms just behind the matronly woman.  
  
------  
  
The first store detective quickly scooped up the security phone at the checkout counter. "We may have something going down with that party we're watching," she said. "One of them made a purchase and is back in the dressing rooms where another customer is trying on lingerie. The one who went in there didn't bring anything to try on with her. She's just carrying something she already purchased."  
  
At the other end of the line, the security manager informed his operative to keep close tabs on the dressing room and that reinforcements would soon arrive.  
  
"Understood," said the store detective. She put down the receiver and, squaring her shoulders, she walked toward the dressing room. She was ready for anything...or so she thought...  
  
------  
  
Inside the dressing rooms, the only thing going down was the middle- aged woman's clothing. The corset hung on a hanger affixed to the dressing room stall door.  
  
Yet another one of those trouble-making impulses had spurred the well- groomed middle-aged matron to try on the corset. She was the mother of two sons who were rising executives at Pioneer and one daughter who was married and expecting her first child. The woman was quite respectable. However, she still possessed a rather girlish streak, kept buried for years. Now with her husband away at a business seminar, she had time on her hands...and she had always wondered how she would look in some of that naughty Western lingerie.  
  
She never got the chance to find out. At least, not that day.  
  
The woman had just divested herself of clothing and was trying to force the corset on, panting a bit with the effort, when a voice said, "Hey, give it up, lady. You're just going to hurt yourself."  
  
The woman straightened up, startled by the voice. She looked toward the door but it was closed. Then she looked toward the side wall of the dressing stall--  
  
--and saw a face--just a face, nothing else--emerging from that wall.  
  
The face grinned at her. "Face it. If you want to wear something slinky like that, you'll have to cut down on the rice cakes."  
  
The woman screamed. Not just once, but twice, then a third time. Loud, wailing screams. Then she screamed again.  
  
Ryoko decided that this was a good time to exit, stage left.  
  
------  
  
The store detective stopped dead in her tracks some yards from the dressing rooms. Screams! She had not expected it. What was that wild-haired perp doing to that nice lady?  
  
A second later, the main dressing room door blew open and the wild- haired perp streaked out, carrying her package. The screams continued unabated behind her.  
  
The store detective didn't know what to do--check out the screaming woman in the dressing room or take out after the fugitive. Then she saw two other female store detectives, one of them her partner, enter the lingerie and beachwear section. She waved frantically at them and pointed to the running woman. The two nodded at her and took off in pursuit.  
  
Then the store detective squared her shoulders again (a nervous habit) and continued toward the dressing rooms at a swift pace. The screams had stopped. She did not know if that was a good sign or a bad sign.  
  
------  
  
Fortunately, the last of the women had paid for their swimsuits and were standing around speculating a bit irritably on where Ryoko had wandered off to when the space pirate came running up to them.  
  
"Well, there you are, Ryoko," Ayeka began to admonish her. "Going off like that when we need to leave and meet Tristram. We should have held onto your hand, not Sasami's. Why are you--?"  
  
"Can it, Princess!" Ryoko stopped, panting.  
  
"What? How dare you--!"  
  
"We gotta beat feet outta here! Now!"  
  
"Huh? Why?" Kiyone demanded.  
  
"No time to tell you now. But we gotta scram. Trust me on this!" Ryoko scooted off.  
  
"I refuse to run off--why should we--what did she do?" Ayeka sputtered.  
  
Then Kiyone looked in the direction that Ryoko had come from. She spotted two very well dressed women hurrying towards them. The women in appearance may have looked exactly like the typical upscale Mitsukoshi customer. But Kiyone's years of experience as a cop enabled her to recognize the hard, determined looks on the women's faces. She knew a bust going down when she saw it.  
  
"Ryoko's right!" Kiyone realized instantly that trying to alibi Ryoko in whatever she did would be fruitless and lead to an interrogation none of them could stand. "Run! Run like hell!"  
  
Although the other women might have questioned Ryoko on the need for speed, none of them would question Galaxy Police Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi. Besides, they had also spotted the fast- approaching women who did not look as if they wanted to offer perfume samples. Mihoshi began to wail, but she also began to run. She and Ayeka grabbed Sasami's package and their own packages and then took the little girl's hands. They ran, pulling Sasami with them. Very soon, they no longer needed to pull her along--Sasami could run, too. Kiyone brought up the rear.  
  
They streaked out of the lingerie and beachwear section and headed toward the escalators. They then took a wrong turn in Ladies Handbags and Mihoshi ran pell mell into a display of faux alligator bags that nearly clothes-lined her as neatly as if she'd been carrying the ball down the thirty-yard line and ran into a pair of nasty-minded blockers. But she sprang to her feet immediately, imitation reptile purses flying, and caught up with the others, still clutching her purchase.  
  
Kiyone had passed Ryoko and was now in the lead. She unerringly led the sprinters to the escalators. Crowds of Sunday shoppers swiveled their heads to stare at the running women and little girl. And they also made way for them, both traditional Japanese politeness plus the understandable desire not to step in front of a feminine freight train fueling the shoppers' actions. Kiyone, Mihoshi, Ayeka, Sasami, and Ryoko reached the escalators and pounded down them. They reached the first floor escalators and repeated the procedure, panting and glancing behind themselves to see the Mitsukoshi store security SWAT team, augmented by some male members now, hard on their heels. They ran even faster in response. Ryoko, amazingly, had the presence of mind not to start flying. She didn't need to. She could run like nobody's business.  
  
------  
  
Tris, standing beside the Mustang and politely answering questions about it from the politely curious, glanced at his watch again. It was quarter past the hour...so where were the women? He had unlocked the doors and popped open the trunk where he had deposited his own goodies. He shrugged. The women were most likely still shopping, probably looking at footwear now (women were mad about shoes, Tris knew), and just taking their own sweet time. That's right, just lollygag around, girls, he thought uncharitably, just forget about the driver...  
  
"Tris! Tris!" It was Kiyone's voice.  
  
Tris quickly turned away from the opened trunk of the car. Kiyone's voice had sounded a trifle strained. He looked in the direction of her voice. His jaw dropped.  
  
All the women--and Sasami, too--were sprinting like greyhounds toward him. They were panting and they looked like the very Devil was after them. What the hell, over? Tris looked beyond them for a split second. He then saw that it wasn't Old Scratch chasing them but some very well turned out men and women, the sort who would adorn any corporate boardroom in the land of Nippon. But in the past Tris more than once had been obliged to cheese it when the campus cops raided a dorm beer keg party back at Mizzou. He recognized the faces of rightful authority on the pursuers.  
  
"Tris! We gotta go! Now!" Kiyone informed him breathlessly as she and the other fugitives reached him. He nodded. He held the lid of the trunk open while the women shoveled in their packages. He then slammed the trunk shut as the women piled into the car. He entered his car, fired up the engine, put the transmission into gear. He flipped on the right turn signal to indicate to traffic that he was departing his parking spot and planning to join the flow.  
  
Kiyone glanced out the back window. The store security posse was almost upon them. She lifted a leg over the transmission tunnel as she saw Tris twist the steering wheel. She mashed her foot on Tris's foot on the accelerator just as he let up the clutch.  
  
"Kiyone!"  
  
The galactic police officer had only experienced the Mustang's performance on a leisurely drive and during the largely bumper-to- bumper cruise to the city. She had no idea what flooring the accelerator of a big-block American muscle car would produce. She found out, double quick.  
  
With a growl, the pony car's quad carburetors drank in gasoline and sucked air. The explosive mixture was fed right to the spark plugs. Massive internal combustion resulted. The engine had been designed to prevent its owner from losing his pink slip at stoplight drag races. The Mustang lurched ahead with such speed that it snapped everyone's head back. Tris quickly got it under control and fortunately entered the traffic stream without plowing into another car. Kiyone doggedly kept her foot pressed hard on his accelerator foot. "Lead foot" was a most apt term to describe it. The Mustang roared down the street.  
  
Behind them, the onlookers applauded politely. It was just like one of those Clint Eastwood movies.  
  
Tris know that although the street was temporarily un-choked with cars, that would not be the case in other streets. It was time to use the tactics that had saved him from collecting tickets in St. Louis when he had haplessly challenged other muscle car owners in the full (but covert) view of the constabulary.  
  
He looked for an alley. He found one. "Hang on!" he shouted.  
  
With a hard wrench, Tris turned the wheel, the car fish-tailing a bit at the high speed manuver despite the heavy duty shocks and sway bars in the undercarriage. The women in back were tossed against each other like rag dolls. Kiyone's head banged against his shoulder. He ignored such trifles. He powered down the alley.  
  
A young boy, zipping up his trousers, jumped out of the way. The lad watched the magnificent American car flash by him, reach the end of the alley, and thunder away. The boy thought he had never seen anything so cool. Then he looked down at the front of his trousers and realized he had been more shaken by the incident than he had thought.  
  
Tris entered a busy street. Forget that! He spotted a parking lot. He aimed the Mustang toward it.  
  
"Tris! No!" Kiyone yelled. She had removed her foot from his and now held on to the dashboard with a death grip.  
  
He ignored her. They entered the parking lot at high speed. The attendant, sitting on a lawn chair to collect fees, jumped up. He saw that the red juggernaut was not going to stop. He jumped again, this time out of the way. Tris rocketed down the rows of cars, looking for the exit. He found it. It led to a quiet side street. It soon became un-quiet. The throaty roar of the Mustang filled it. The classic car streaked down the street. Tris turned left. Another relatively deserted street. He was in the city's residential section. Good! He gunned the engine. He powered down three more such inoffensive streets, dodging kids, mothers, and old ladies as he did. Then he found a major artery and slipped into it without fanfare. He merged with the traffic, now driving sedately.  
  
"Bump your head?" he asked Kiyone, who was rubbing her noggin tenderly.  
  
Kiyone just stared at him. In the back, Mihoshi and Sasami, still holding each other tightly, sniffled. With a snort of disgust, Ayeka and Ryoko released each other from their mutual panic-clutch.  
  
"Yes, sir," Tris remarked mildly. "Nothing like a nice Sunday drive."  
  
------  
  
"It's great to have one day to ourselves," Nobuyuki remarked. He was swigging another bottle of Asahi Lager. "Say, how long is this "station break" going to last?"  
  
"Indeed." Lord Yosho nodded. "It seems that there are more and more commercials on television these days. It makes watching a program quite tedious."  
  
Tenchi also nodded agreement.  
  
The three men were now sitting on one of the couches in the living room watching the TV. On the screen, a slew of commercials finally gave way to a tape-delayed broadcast of two Okayama youth soccer teams competing with American teams in San Jose, California. (Okayama was a sister city to San Jose.)  
  
"Has Tristram ever ventured to this San Jose?" Yosho asked Tenchi.  
  
"I don't know, Grandfather. But I wouldn't be surprised," Tenchi replied. "That guy has traveled just about everywhere. He even lived in England and Germany with his parents for a while, you know."  
  
"That's great!" Nobuyuki said. "That's just what I always wished to do, someday--see the world."  
  
"Well, son-in-law...you've seen Jurai at any rate!" Yosho joked.  
  
The men laughed.  
  
"Too bad we don't have popcorn to pop," Tenchi said.  
  
"Do we have any snacks around here?" Nobuyuki asked.  
  
"No Dad, I looked already."  
  
"Oh, well." At least there was beer.  
  
"We should think about luncheon," Yosho said. "I understand Tristram was planning to take our ladies to a restaurant after they finish shopping. They won't be back for a while longer."  
  
"Good point, Grandfather."  
  
"Well, there are plenty of leftovers that Sasami stored in the refrigerator. I will go and start warming them up." Yosho rose from the couch.  
  
"Thanks, Grandfather."  
  
"Yes, thanks, father-in-law."  
  
With a smile at his grandson and son-in-law, Yosho left for the kitchen.  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"Yes, Tenchi?"  
  
"We need more days like this."  
  
Nobuyuki took another swig and killed the bottle. "You're right, son. We do."  
  
------  
  
Tris would not have agreed with that. As far as he was concerned, one day like today was quite enough, thank you.  
  
"Okay...we're almost out of the city now," he said. "Is someone going to tell me why I had to do my Smokey-And-The-Bandit bit back there?"  
  
"Is everyone all right?" Kiyone asked, turning around and surveying the back seat.  
  
"I think so," said Ayeka. "Sasami?"  
  
"Oh, I'm all right, big sister." The little girl had just released Mihoshi. "Just a little shaken up, that's all."  
  
"Me, too." Mihoshi smiled. Her usual high spirits had returned. "Wheeee! That was fun...though a little scary."  
  
"Not bad at all," Ryoko agreed. "Maybe I'll learn to drive a car someday."  
  
"Then heaven help us!" Ayeka closed her eyes and shuddered.  
  
"Okay, then." Kiyone looked at Ryoko. "Spill it."  
  
"Awww...the old dame just overreacted."  
  
"Overreacted--to what?" Kiyone asked.  
  
Ryoko told the tale.  
  
"Arrgh!" Ayeka's face flamed with anger. "Ryoko...so help me...!"  
  
"I just forgot a minute. I didn't think the old biddy would spot me," Ryoko insisted. "When she did...I just couldn't resist. Hey, you should have seen her struggle with that corset. It was classic!"  
  
"Why would the lady put on something that was too tight for her?" Sasami asked.  
  
"Never mind, dear," Ayeka replied, feeling a bit of sympathy for the middle-aged matron. "The point is, Ryoko, you nearly ruined it for us. What were you thinking about?"  
  
"I guess I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry. Okay?"  
  
"You may be sorry, Ryoko," Kiyone told her. "But you may still have ruined it for us." She looked at Tris. "What do you think, Tris?"  
  
"Why ask an idiot?"  
  
"Come on, now. I want your opinion."  
  
"Well..." Tris considered as he piloted the Mustang through traffic. "You all did pay for your purchases. You had a perfect right to leave the store. They hadn't taken you into custody, right?"  
  
"No--because we outran them!" Kiyone said ruefully.  
  
"See? I was right to get us running," Ryoko pointed out.  
  
"Quiet, you!" Ayeka snapped.  
  
"The way I see it is this," Tris continued. "They'll go back and question that woman. Either she'll just clam up--if she's smart--and tell them she had a sudden case of the vapors or something. Or she will tell them what happened and they won't believe her, of course." Tris glanced at Kiyone. "So there's no case against you all. No "corpus delicious," Officer." He grinned.  
  
"That's right." Kiyone looked at Tris with relief and admiration. "I guess I got so flustered by being chased, I forgot about that."  
  
"I told you he should be a lawyer," Mihoshi offered up.  
  
"Over my cold, dead body," Tris said.  
  
"Another "corpus delicious"?" Kiyone smiled at him. Then she sobered. "Here I am, a police officer...sitting here, glad to have beaten the rap!"  
  
"No rap to beat, Blue Eyes."  
  
"So we won't have the police after us?" Sasami asked.  
  
"I doubt it, kitten. Of course, when I go back to college, I'll need to avoid the area of the Mitsukoshi department store," Tris said.  
  
"We all will," Ayeka added, looking narrowly at Ryoko.  
  
"So what? We got what we came for," Ryoko said, smiling.  
  
"And a lot more, too, you--!" Ayeka subsided and shook her head. Ryoko was incorrigible!  
  
Now Sasami asked, "Will we have to tell Lord Yosho, and Mr. Masaki? And Tenchi?"  
  
Good question. The women in the back seat looked at each other. Then they looked at Kiyone. Kiyone, in turn, looked at Tris.  
  
Tris understood. The women were heavily conflicted. They all loved and respected Tenchi, in varying degrees, and they highly respected Lord Yosho and were getting back some respect for Nobuyuki. The notion of keeping something from the three Masaki men, especially Tenchi, was...well, alien to them. On the other hand, although it was not likely, today's incident might cause the Masakis to reconsider their approbation for the beach trip tomorrow. Again, not at all likely, but possible. The women were going to leave the decision to him, apparently. Probably because, as Tenchi had told him, they liked him and they trusted him. It was one hell of a tough call, though.  
  
Well...in for a pence, in for a pound, as his Brit friends would put it.  
  
"I'd say not," Tris decided. "This is one case where they'll be better off not knowing. We'll all need to be especially good little boys and girls at the beach tomorrow, though."  
  
"Yay!" cried Mihoshi. "That's good, Tris!"  
  
"I think I'll second that." Kiyone smiled at him.  
  
"I told you he's real nice," Sasami said. "And he's smart, too."  
  
"Yes he is. I just hope someone is not getting off too easily," Ayeka said, glaring at Ryoko.  
  
But Ryoko did not bother to respond to Ayeka. Tris's suggestion just suited her to the bone. In her bucannering career, she had come to value the few people who didn't betray her far more than any treasure she had ever forcefully appropriated. She felt her last reservations against the goofball dissolve inside her. She leaned forward. "Hey, Kiyone."  
  
"Hey what?"  
  
"If you're not going to kiss him," Ryoko said with a grin, "I will!"  
  
"Whoa," Tris muttered. But he smiled as Kiyone leaned over and kissed his cheek, softly.  
  
"Hey...you need to shave better," Kiyone said.  
  
"Hey...I need more time to shave," he told her.  
  
"Ooops. That's right." Kiyone smiled a little guiltily.  
  
"My tummy's growling again," Mihoshi hinted.  
  
"Oh, Mihoshi," Kiyone said, rolling her eyes roofward. "Your stomach again!"  
  
"Well, it is."  
  
"Is it?" Tris asked, amused. "Well, I have to admit...almost cracking up the car and nearly running down half the population of Okayama City really gave me an appetite." He decided not to mention how he had been hustled out of the dining room that morning after having practically no breakfast. "Before we leave the city, let's go have lunch."  
  
"Yay!"  
  
"A wonderful suggestion," Ayeka said. "All that running...I would not mind having luncheon now."  
  
"I think we all need lunch," Sasami said seriously.  
  
"I know I do," Ryoko admitted.  
  
"It's unanimous again," Kiyone told Tris, smiling.  
  
"Okay. Where would you all like to eat?" Tris asked.  
  
There was silence for we moment as Tris braked to a stop at a traffic light. The traffic warden smiled at his car. Tris hoped the Mitsukoshi store cops hadn't sent out an APB.  
  
"Let's eat American!" Sasami suggested. Mihoshi "yayed" again. She obviously liked that suggestion.  
  
"Really?" Tris asked.  
  
"Sure, Tris," said Kiyone. "Everyone else agree?" she asked, glancing at the back seat of the car. A sea of nods greeted her. "Looks like we're eating Yank, Tris."  
  
"Sheesh...well, I saw one possible place coming in. It's not high dining, believe me. But it's as American as black-eyes peas."  
  
"Oh? Do they serve those there?" Sasami asked.  
  
"No kitten...not exactly."  
  
"Whatever you pick, Tris, is fine with us," Kiyone told him.  
  
"Okay. You asked for it."  
  
In a few minutes, Tris spotted the familiar building. He pulled into the parking lot.  
  
"McDonald's?" Mihoshi read the arched sign. "I've seen commercials for it. Is that an American name?"  
  
"Actually, it's Scottish," Tris said.  
  
"I thought we were going to eat American."  
  
"You are, Mihoshi. Boy, are you ever!"  
  
------  
  
Washuu sat at her translucent console in her lab. She read the bulletins from the weather ministry she had downloaded from a satellite feed: Fair and sunny with unseasonable highs in the 80's. Washuu grinned. She then tapped on the keypad and brought up a local television channel. On her screen were some kids playing soccer. Bor-ing. She made some more adjustments. Then she brought in a local news station. The weather forecast was...bright and sunny. Washuu rose from her console. She sighed. She hoped it didn't rain tomorrow.  
  
Washuu glanced over at the box Tenchi had dropped off to her the day before. She grinned with delight. That Ryoko--she'd show her!  
  
Then Washuu turned as she heard footsteps. She saw that it was Tenchi entering the lab. Washuu continued grinning. She was always glad to see Tenchi. She put away the console and rose.  
  
"Hi, there!" she said brightly, as Tenchi came fully into view from the gloom of the portal through the sub-dimension. "What's up?"  
  
"We've warmed up some leftovers for lunch. Want to join us?"  
  
"Gee, I don't know. Actually eat with only you men again...little old me...?"  
  
Tenchi grinned. "We have beer."  
  
Washuu laughed. "Sold!" She walked up to Tenchi and took his arm. "You boys really know the way to a gal's heart."  
  
------  
  
On the way home, the interior of the Mustang was quite a bit less lively than it had been on the way to the city.  
  
Glancing into his rearview mirror, Tris said to Kiyone, "Look in the back seat." He was smiling.  
  
Kiyone turned to observe the black seat. She smiled, too.  
  
Sasami was back on Mihoshi's lap. The little Princess was fast asleep from all the excitement and the big lunch that followed. Her head rested on Mihoshi's shoulder. She breathed slowly, eyes closed. Mihoshi had fallen asleep, too. Fortunately, sitting up apparently affected her glottis in a positive way, for she did not snore, but just breathed silently. Even Ryoko had conked out. Her head was actually resting on Mihoshi's other shoulder. Next to her, Ayeka was battling sleep. She tried to rest her head against the car window, but the car's motion kept jarring her.  
  
Kiyone gazed at the scene with fondness. It was another Fuji moment. Alas, once again, no camera was available.  
  
"Ayeka," Kiyone whispered. "Just rest your head on Ryoko. She won't bite."  
  
The Princess looked a bit dubious.  
  
"Go on..."  
  
The need to take a quick catnap won out over Ayeka's usual inclination to keep her distance from the space pirate. Tentatively, Ayeka leaned her head on Ryoko's shoulder. Ryoko didn't stir. Ayeka closed her eyes. In a moment, she was asleep.  
  
Kiyone turned to face the front.  
  
Lunch at "Mickey-D's" had actually gone well. Tris had staked out a large enough booth for all of them and then left to get the food. He just ordered a lot of burgers, fries, shakes, and soda pop and brought the fast-food feast back to the booth. The women had seemed to enjoy the simple American junk food fare...it was a change from their usual healthy, well-cooked meals. Actually, he could have ordered curry rice (white rice served with a thick curry-flavored gravy) and even the Japanese staple known as miso soup at this McDonald's, but the women had specified American food.  
  
Mihoshi and Sasami had loved the fries (eaten without ketchup, since the Japanese believe ketchup is too messy to go with finger food; instead the fries were seasoned with nori seaweed salt). Ayeka had thought the strawberry shake quite tasty, and Ryoko declared that meat on bread was what she had gotten used to when she had been on the run from the GP.  
  
Kiyone had only nibbled at a cheeseburger and smiled ironically at Tris. Later, she explained that she and Mihoshi had worked at another fast-food burger joint during their first stay on Earth and the experience of getting fired from there had soured her on burgers and fries forever. At the time, Tris figured she just didn't like greasy food. In fact, he had wondered what the women would have thought if they had known that this sort of junk food was a staple for many Americans. He had decided to keep that factoid to himself.  
  
"Much further?" Kiyone now asked.  
  
"Not too much," Tris said. "The traffic is mostly going in the opposite direction, toward the city. We should be able to maintain this pace all the way home." Inwardly, he chuckled at himself. "Home." Now even he was calling the Masaki Shrine home.  
  
"Say, Tris?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yesterday...the sales we made..." Kiyone seemed to have difficulty with framing her question.  
  
"I'm with you so far."  
  
"We sure made a lot of money," Kiyone stated flatly.  
  
"A tidy sum."  
  
"A very tidy sum...for selling tea and rice cakes."  
  
Kiyone regarded him with those grave blue eyes. Her eyes seemed to prod at him. Her expression was neutral. Tris wondered if this was the countenance she used to interrogate suspects.  
  
"Well..." He turned his gaze away from the road for a second to look at her. "I guess it boils down to this: Some guys will pay a lot for tea and rice cakes--depending on who's selling them."  
  
Kiyone didn't say anything for a moment. Then she spoke:  
  
"Tris?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Maybe some guys will end up thinking...they didn't got their money's worth."  
  
Tris considered that. Then he said:  
  
"Maybe some guys think they already have."  
  
Kiyone slowly smiled.  
  
"Hey...don't you need to shift again?" she asked softly.  
  
"Darned if I don't," Tris replied.  
  
------  
  
One more incident that day--rather, that evening--requires some elaboration, just for the record.  
  
After the women and their driver returned home, they discovered the Masaki men quite welcoming, well fed, and slightly buzzed on beer (Nobuyuki particularly). The fact that the women refused to display themselves in their swimsuits until they hit the beach the next day was a tad disappointing to the Masaki men (Nobuyuki and Tenchi, mainly, but Lord Yosho was in there somewhere, too). But Sasami compensated in her own special way; she cooked a wonderful dinner.  
  
After dinner, Ayeka, Ryoko, and Kiyone gathered together briefly to discuss plans for the following day. Sasami began to finalize with Mihoshi what the picnic lunch for the beach outing would contain. Tenchi talked to Tris about the phone call from the rental company. After he parted from Tenchi, Tris suddenly recalled his own purchases. They were still in the trunk of his car. They were so small that they had no doubt slid to the very back of the trunk and gone unnoticed when the women's parcels had been taken out.  
  
Tris left the house, walked to his car, popped open the trunk, and reached in deeply. He retrieved the three parcels. The long thin one he slipped into a side pocket of his khakis. He carried the other two.  
  
Whistling, he entered the house, traded his Weejuns for house slippers, walked upstairs, and entered Nobuyuki's small home office and bedroom (the door was open). Tenchi's father looked up from his drafting board and smiled at him. "Hello, Tristram."  
  
"Hi, Mr. Masaki." Tris then hesitated, thinking about the present that had seemed a hoot back in Okayama City. It might not be such a hoot after all.  
  
"What's that you have there, Tristram?"  
  
"Ummmm...I was walking around the city and I came across something. It may be in kinda poor taste, but I thought you might get a laugh out of it. I know I did."  
  
"You bought me something?" Nobuyuki was surprised.  
  
"Uh-huh...now that I think about it, though, you might be offended."  
  
"Nonsense! We're both men. I'm sure I'll find it as amusing as you did," Nobuyuki assured him.  
  
"Okay." Tris handed him the paper parcel marked with an "H" (the clerk had been practicing his English again). The American turned to leave. "Again...I hope you aren't offended, sir."  
  
"I'm never offended at presents, Tristram. Thank you!"  
  
"You're welcome, sir." Tris left.  
  
He descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen. He saw Sasami and Mihoshi at the kitchen counter, talking animatedly about melon balls and how to keep them cool for tomorrow. "Hi, kitten, hi, Mihoshi."  
  
They both greeted him happily.  
  
Tris dropped the other paper-wrapped parcel on the counter beside them. "You two have been really great to a homeless boy. I mean that, really, no kidding. I just thought you two might like this. It's from your favorite show."  
  
"A present...for us?" Mihoshi looked thrilled.  
  
"You mean a present...for me, too?" Sasami stared at the parcel.  
  
"Yes, for you. Of course, for you," Tris told her.  
  
Sasami smiled at him, her coral eyes bright. "Thank you, Tris!"  
  
"You're welcome! Now, if you'll excuse me, the Easter Beagle has one more stop." Tris hippity-hopped--no, no, he walked--out of the kitchen.  
  
"The Easter Beagle?" Sasami queried.  
  
"Let's open it up!" Mihoshi had no interest in arcane questions.  
  
------  
  
Tris found Kiyone rooting in one of the supply closets looking for a beach blanket that Tenchi had sworn was there. She hadn't found it yet.  
  
"Let's go for that walk," he said.  
  
"Boy, you're eager all of a sudden." Kiyone smiled quizzically at him.  
  
"I am. Let's go."  
  
Kiyone took his arm. "Okay," she said, softly.  
  
------  
  
Upstairs in his home office-cum-bedroom, Nobuyuki was perplexed.  
  
He had opened up his parcel. Several volumes of that graphic novel format--manga?--lay there. They were all devoted to the rather sappy adventures of some schoolgirls who stood around, talked about boys, flirted with boys, ate ice cream, went to school occasionally...and turned into barely disguised magical soldiers whenever alien men and women, wearing clothes that Calvin Klein might have designed in a fever dream, threatened the Earth.  
  
The manga was funny, in an unintentional way, but certainly not to Nobuyuki's tastes. Certainly after that build-up from Tris, he had expected--well, not bubble-gum manga!  
  
Nobuyuki shook his head. He had worked with Americans, he liked Americans, but there was no doubt about it...sometimes Americans were darned inscrutable.  
  
He returned to his design estimates with a sigh and a slight beer belch.  
  
------  
  
In the kitchen, little Sasami and Mihoshi were more than perplexed-- they were dumfounded.  
  
Eagerly, they had ripped open the parcel to find several brightly colored books.  
  
"Manga!" Mihoshi cried.  
  
"Wow! It's about the pretty magical soldiers!" Sasami said happily. "How did Tris know we wanted the latest adventures?"  
  
"He's a honey boy, that's how," Mihoshi said. "Maybe these have the episode about the Monster Blow Dryer!"  
  
"Let's see..."  
  
Sasami opened one of the books. Mihoshi bent over to look at it with her.  
  
"Ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh..."  
  
On the splash panels, the pretty sailor soldier was indeed dealing with something hot...and a certain amount of blowing was involved.  
  
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."  
  
Dazed, Sasami turned the page. Now the pretty magical soldier was playing cowgirl--that is, she certainly rode as if she had been born to the saddle.  
  
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."  
  
Wide-eyed. Mihoshi and Sasami looked at each other.  
  
"What happened to our magical soldier?" Sasami asked, stunned.  
  
"She's sure discovered guys in a big way," Mihoshi noted.  
  
Then she and Sasami turned as they heard footsteps. Ayeka had just entered the kitchen. "Hello, you two," she greeted them with a smile. "Oh. What do you have there?"  
  
"Uh..." Sasami tried to answer her big sister. "Uh..."  
  
"Let me see, dear." Ayeka walked up to the counter and looked--at the wide-open (literally) second page of the hottest hentai sold in the back streets of Okayama City.  
  
------  
  
Outside the house, Tris had given Kiyone the ID bracelet. She had read the inscriptions on it. On the front was:  
  
KIYONE  
  
On back was engraved:  
  
THE COMEBACK KID  
  
Kiyone had smiled dazzlingly at him. She had allowed him to slip it on her left wrist. It would be the only jewelry she wore, aside from earrings. The GP alert bracelet on her right wrist didn't count, of course. Then she and Tris had kissed, deeply, dreamily.  
  
When they came up for air, Kiyone murmured, "Alone at last. Now I'm going to kiss you until I get tired...which may not be until next Thursday, idiot boy."  
  
"Who's stopping you?" Tris murmured back.  
  
"Tristram! Tristram Coffin! Where are you?" The voice shook the house and reverberated outside.  
  
"Huh?" Kiyone asked, her lips millimeters from Tris's lips. "That sounds like Ayeka."  
  
"Yeah, it does...huh."  
  
"You had better show your face, Tristram Coffin! Right now! I mean it!" the voice boomed. It was Ayeka's voice, all right. The Princess certainly had a pair of lungs. Even outside the house, her voice filled the air.  
  
"What the--?" Kiyone said.  
  
Tris shook his head uncomprehendingly.  
  
"Hey, Tris!"  
  
Kiyone and Tris looked up in the direction of the voice. They saw a form floating toward them. It was Ryoko.  
  
"Tris! Get outta here! Don't let the Princess catch you! She's hopping mad!" Ryoko told him anxiously.  
  
"What did you do now, clown?" Kiyone asked warily.  
  
Suddenly, Tris knew. He groaned miserably.  
  
"That damned otaku clerk! He marked the wrong parcel! Aw, hell!"  
  
"What parcel? What are you talking about?" Kiyone was getting that feeling...the feeling that Tris had gone and done it again.  
  
"Stop talking, Tris! Scoot!" Ryoko urged.  
  
"Not until he tells me. Now, you--talk!" Kiyone demanded.  
  
"Well, I bought Sasami and Mihoshi some manga and the clerk brought out some hentai. And..."  
  
Tris had barely told the tale--and both Ryoko and Kiyone were laughing madly--when the front door slid open with a crash. Ayeka stood there, quivering with fury.  
  
"Outside, are you? Well prepare yourself, Tristram Coffin--" she began.  
  
"Grab him, Ryoko!" Kiyone cried.  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
Ryoko swooped down, picked up Tris by his shoulders, and began to climb, rapidly.  
  
"I hope you don't get airsick, Tris," Ryoko said to him.  
  
"Ummmmppp--"  
  
"Oh, Jeeze...I guess I'd better fly you over the lake." Ryoko swiftly changed direction.  
  
"You bring him back, Ryoko! Do you hear me? Bring him back!"  
  
Outside the house now, Ayeka shook her fist at the rapidly dwindling figures of Ryoko and Tris as they faded away in the night sky. Azaka II and Kamidake II blinked with interest, but having received no instructions, stayed put.  
  
Beside the furious Princess, Kiyone held her sides and kept laughing helplessly.  
  
At the front door, Tenchi, Lord Yosho, Sasami, and Mihoshi watched. Then Nobuyuki joined them.  
  
"What's all the commotion about?" Nobuyuki asked.  
  
"Tris and Ryoko have gone on a little trip, Dad," Tenchi explained. "At least until Ayeka calms down." 


	12. CHAPTER 11: No Need For Sand Castles

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
No Need For Sand Castles  
  
________________________  
  
The next morning, Tenchi and Tris took no chances.  
  
Tenchi set his alarm for 5 a.m. When it jangled both of them awake, Tris heaved himself from his pallet and stumbled for the shower. Tenchi slipped out of bed and started packing his swim trunks, sandals, towels, and waterproof sun block into a nylon bag. He also added an old compact stereo radio with extra batteries. When Tris returned, showered and shaved, Tenchi took his shower while Tris dressed in polo shirt and khaki shorts and Top-siders and packed a similar nylon bag full of beach clothing and accessories. Tenchi returned from his ablutions and donned a tank top, cargo shorts, and leather strap sandals.  
  
"Did you hear voices in the dining room?" Tris asked.  
  
"Yeah. They're there already." Tenchi grinned.  
  
"Actually, that's good, this time around. It's a long drive to Katsurahama Beach, you know."  
  
"I know. Okay, here we go."  
  
Carrying their small nylon gym bags, Tenchi and Tris deposited them on one of the couches in the living room. Then they walked into the dining room.  
  
This time neither of them was surprised to see all the women-- including Washuu--sitting to breakfast, all dressed in loose, casual clothing.  
  
"The sleepyheads are finally up," Ryoko told Ayeka.  
  
Ayeka smiled at the two young men. Tris looked at her, a little sheepishly. Ayeka smiled especially at him.  
  
Fortunately, the Princess had gotten over her anger quickly last night. Kiyone had helped. After she had controlled her laughter, she told Ayeka what Tris had told her and Ryoko. Nobuyuki had quickly confirmed that Tris had given him the G-rated version of the magical soldiers' manga advertures. Ayeka had come to like Tris, very much, and she had also come to know him. She realized that the incident had been another of his patented bonehead plays. In addition, she had confiscated the hentai from Sasami and Mihoshi before they had seen more than a few pages (and both of them had pleaded for her not to be mad at Tris). She wanted to shield Sasami, most particularly, from the vulgarities of life, but she knew that her little sister was bound to be exposed to them, bit by bit-- including the naughty bits. She bore Tris no grudge. In fact, privately, she had laughed a little herself at the incident.  
  
Ryoko had carried Tris back to the house once Ayeka had stopped yelling and Tenchi had called the all-clear. The space pirate had then taken Tris straight to the bathroom, where he cleaned himself up (the flight had experienced nauseating turbulence). While he had done so, she talked to him about some of her adventures as a space pirate. Her actions had been meant to settle Tris down and to prevent him from embarrassing himself in front of the others, and she had succeeded. It was true, Tris had come to realize. Ryoko was a big softie inside if she liked you.  
  
"Come and eat, you two. We're burning sunlight," Ryoko said now. Tenchi smiled at the space pirate's impatience and walked over to his accustomed place between her and Ayeka. Kiyone patted the mat beside her. "Come here, you," she said to Tris. Tris sat down next to her. She then pressed against him, warmly...her accustomed position.  
  
Both Mihoshi and Sasami smiled at Tris, glad that last night's storm had blown over. Besides, they had finally gotten the proper mangas and were quite happy with them. They planned to read them during the drive to the beach. Kiyone had persuaded Mihoshi not to bring her plush stuffed pooch, Trissy, to the beach with her. She had convinced Mihoshi that her plush puppy dog would be stolen, which Kiyone privately rather doubted...who'd want that mutt?  
  
"Gee," Tris said. "Maybe a whole cup of tea for breakfast this time. You think?"  
  
"I think," Kiyone told him, "you'd better hush up and eat."  
  
Tris took her advice. So did Tenchi. The women talked about their plans for the beach, but kept glancing at the two young men. Their impatience to get going was palpable.  
  
Then they all heard the front door open and close. Lord Yosho walked into the dining room.  
  
"Tristram," he said. "You have two gentlemen looking for you outside."  
  
"The cops finally caught up to you, huh?" Ryoko laughed...and then realized what she had accidentally alluded to and fell silent. The other women, aside from Washuu, also fell strangely silent. Tenchi and Washuu looked at them, uncomprehendingly. Lord Yosho also looked at them, perhaps not so uncomprehendingly.  
  
Tris set down his teacup. He'd only gotten a few sips out of it and his steaming bowls of miso soup and noodles lay untouched. He should have known! He rose.  
  
Kiyone touched his arm. "Tris?"  
  
He grinned down at her. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, send Trissy after me with a flask of brandy."  
  
Mihoshi giggled, although she really didn't understand the comment.  
  
"Huh?" Kiyone said. Tris winked at her and left the dining room with Lord Yosho.  
  
Nearly everyone seemed puzzled and/or concerned over Tris's sudden departure. Except Tenchi. He said, "I'm pretty sure I know what Tris has up his sleeve, everybody. I think you'll like it."  
  
"Phew! As long as it's not..." Ryoko quickly returned to her noodles.  
  
"Not what?" Washuu asked.  
  
"Now, Miss Washuu, you had better hurry up and eat," Ayeka told her. "We shall leave very shortly."  
  
Washuu shrugged and did as she was bidden.  
  
Ayeka exchanged a quick but significant glance with Ryoko, and then looked at Tenchi...who was looking at her. She smiled at him. He smiled back, quizzically.  
  
Mihoshi, as worried about Tris as her partner was, started to lean toward Kiyone, who was looking after the departed American. "Think we ought to go see--?"  
  
Kiyone held up her hand, shook her head. She had spotted some movement outside the dining room and heard footsteps. Then Tris walked in with Lord Yosho. The idiot was grinning. Oh, thank heavens!  
  
"So they delivered it, huh?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"They sure did! Right on time. That's what I call service," Tris said.  
  
Behind him, Lord Yosho smiled. "And that is what I call thoughtfulness and regard for your friends, Tristram."  
  
"Thank you, sir," Tris said.  
  
"Say, what's this all about?" Washuu asked. "Somebody going to let me in on this?"  
  
"Well, if Tris is behind it--duck!" Ryoko said, but with a grin.  
  
Tenchi rose from the table. He walked up to Tris. "Ready to tell them?"  
  
Lord Yosho said, "I suggest that it would be better to show them, grandson."  
  
"Good idea, Grandfather. Tris?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Tenchi turned to the table. "Come on outside, everyone." He followed his grandfather and Tris out of the dining room.  
  
Kiyone shook her head. Then she rose. "Well, com'on...we'd better go see what the big stiff has done now."  
  
------  
  
When they had all trooped outside, they saw what Tris had done.  
  
Parked beside Tris's car was a minivan. Only, the appellation "mini" hardly applied. It was a slightly stretched-out version of a people- carrier, designed to take ten or more people where they wanted to go in style and comfort. It gleamed dully in the heightening glow of incipient daylight. It also made a curious contrast with Tris's Mustang...the past and the present, both with their own appeal.  
  
It was a Daihatsu Atrai Seven. But with the custom extended undercarriage and panels, it could rightly be called an Atrai Ten, one of the Kei class of Japanese minivans and a perennial favorite of day trippers.  
  
Nobuyuki, in his suit and carrying his briefcase, walked out the front door on his way to the bus. He stopped and stared at the minivan. "A Daihatsu! Tristram, you have chosen well."  
  
"Thanks, Mr. Masaki."  
  
"Remember the Daihatsu Hijet van we drove on that fishing trip, son-in-law?" Yosho asked.  
  
"I sure do! Rugged little thing. I remember the sliding rear doors. Useful."  
  
Tris smiled at them both. "This one holds ten...how about it?"  
  
"Yeah, Dad! Grandfather!" Tenchi urged.  
  
Nobuyuki shook his head. "I dearly wish I could. And I will someday, Tenchi."  
  
Lord Yosho also shook his head. "This day is for you young people. You have worked hard for it and you deserve it. Please enjoy it! Besides," he added, "I must prevent Ryo-Ohki from becoming too lonely."  
  
"Meow-er." Ryo-Ohki rubbed at Lord Yosho's ankles. The cabbit had been instructed by her mistress to stay home. Ryo-Ohki would be a bit hard to explain away on the public beach.  
  
"I understand, Dad...Grandfather," Tenchi said.  
  
"Next time, though," Tris said.  
  
"I will take you up on that, Tristram." Nobuyuki picked up his briefcase, said his goodbyes, and walked off to the bus stop.  
  
"Come, Ryo-Ohki. We will see about your breakfast," Lord Yosho said to the cabbit. Ryo-Ohki gave her approval. They both went into the house.  
  
Tris was walking to the back of the Daihatsu to open the cargo doors in order to start loading in gear when he was grabbed--by Kiyone.  
  
"You!" she said. "Letting me get all worried--!"  
  
"Worried about what, Blue Eyes?" Tris grinned.  
  
"You know what." Kiyone looked at the maxi-minivan. "You big goofball. This is perfect. Now I'm glad I bought that extra-skimpy bikini. My goofball deserves a treat."  
  
"Ummm...extra skimpy?"  
  
Kiyone laughed at him. "Get those eyeballs back in your head, idiot! You have to drive us, you know."  
  
"Gosh," said Mihoshi, running her fingers along the side of the van. "Do we really get to go in this?"  
  
"Sure," said Sasami. "Help me go get the food baskets, Mihoshi."  
  
"Okay." The two returned to the house.  
  
Tenchi walked to where Tris and Kiyone stood by the rear of the van. "Better get loaded up, Tris."  
  
"Right-o." Tris opened the rear cargo door. Ayeka and Ryoko walked up carrying their bags and Mihoshi's, Kiyone's, and Sasami's as well. Ayeka had spent a moment telling her two Guardians, Azaka II and Kamidake II, where she was going and ordering them to remain at the house. They had blinked with protest, but obeyed their Princess, of course. Both were rather interested in seeing an Earth beach...but never mind.  
  
Ayeka and Ryoko loaded the bags in the van. Washuu walked up behind them with her bag.  
  
"I sure hope you haven't brought one of those crazy gadgets along," Ryoko told her.  
  
"Nope." Washuu grinned. "Just my crazy swimsuit."  
  
"Hah! Wait until you see mine. You'll go bury yourself in the sand and stay there."  
  
"That bad, huh, Ryoko?" Washuu asked in mock commiseration.  
  
Tris and Tenchi left to collect their gear. As they walked back to the house, Tenchi said, "Tris, I know this is setting you back a little--no, a lot. I just can't sit back and let you..."  
  
"Tenchi," Tris interjected. "If you hadn't bucked the forces of alien female fury and let me stay, I would have spent a heck of a lot more bread just be-bopping around the Ginza and Akihabara in Tokyo.(1) And I wouldn't have had a tenth as much fun. And I wouldn't have gotten to know Kiyone and found out just how hard a woman can hit. So let's not waste daylight on the distasteful subject of money. Okay?"  
  
"Okay." Tenchi smiled at his friend.  
  
They entered the house--and nearly collided with Mihoshi and Sasami, who were carrying food baskets and Thermos bottles. Fortunately, no food was lost, although Mihoshi did drop a basket on Tris's foot. Tenchi and Tris (who was now limping a bit) went to the couch to collect their nylon bags and Sasami and Mihoshi continued on to the van. Minutes later, the two young men returned to the van as well. They were all just about ready to leave--and to hit the beach.  
  
Of course, no one could leave until the seating arrangements were worked out. Tenchi started to climb into the passenger-side front seat beside Tris, but Ryoko and Ayeka thwarted him. They held him as Kiyone, smiling her thanks, slipped into the front seat herself.  
  
Then Ryoko and Ayeka directed Tenchi to the first passenger bench seat. They all three sat down, with Tenchi in the middle.  
  
Surveying the situation with a jaundiced eye, Washuu said to Mihoshi and Sasami, "Guess we're next, girls." The three piled into the second passenger bench seat. That left a third bench seat unoccupied. Behind that seat, secured in a handy cargo net, were everyone's beach gear and food and drink.  
  
Tris started the engine. The motor, located just beneath his feet, rumbled agreeably. He popped the automatic transmission into drive, just remembering not to bother to depress the nonexistent clutch. Old habits die hard.  
  
"This driver's compartment is opposite to the one in your car," Kiyone observed. "Sure you can handle it?"  
  
"Yup. That's why I specified an automatic."  
  
The van moved forward. They were off.  
  
"Yay!" shouted Mihoshi. "Oh, yay!"  
  
"I second that "yay"!" Kiyone said.  
  
------  
  
After feeding himself and Ryo-Ohki, Lord Yosho walked to the shrine. He walked slowly, hands clasped behind his back. He was in no hurry. And he was thinking.  
  
He had been perhaps too noncommittal to his grandson and son-in-law and Professor Washuu yesterday about the Presence that he had sensed, the evil that invaded their home like a foul vapor, seemingly without substance, but full of menace all the same. He had agreed with them that perhaps the Presence was ebbing and would eventually vanish. But he doubted it...he doubted it very strongly.  
  
It was good that Tenchi had come home for an extended stay. Yosho had been able to train his grandson back to razor-sharpness. The Shinto priest and Prince of Jurai felt his grandson might soon require that supreme martial skill--and that he might also need to unsheathe Sword Tenchi again. Perhaps for the final time this time around. Lord Yosho reverently hoped so.  
  
Yosho felt something worrying at his ankles. He looked down. It was Ryo-Ohki.  
  
"Meow-er!" The cabbit seemed pensive.  
  
Yosho knelt down and gently stroked Ryo-Ohki. "Yes, we are both quite alone right now, aren't we?"  
  
"Meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki rogered that.  
  
Yosho gathered the cabbit in his arms and rose. He continued on toward the temple. Ryo-Ohki snuggled in his arms.  
  
The princely priest was glad the young people would have this day for themselves. Darker days threatened on the horizon.  
  
------  
  
"So you've been to this beach before, Tris...Katsurahama Beach?" Kiyone asked him. They were on the main thoroughfare and traffic was actually moving at a quick snail's pace. The rush hour would soon end and, hopefully, that pace would pick up. It would be a two-and- a-half hour drive from Okayama City to reach Kochi City (crossing, by bridge, the Seto Inland Sea) where the beach (a famous spot for viewing the moon) was a major attraction.  
  
"Sure. You see, I had a roommate who beat feet out of Dodge every weekend and holiday, so I had to do something," Tris said, with a quick glance back at Tenchi. "I did a lot of sightseeing in this part of Japan."  
  
Tenchi leaned forward. "Well, at least you know why, now." He grinned. "It's not like I had a choice in the matter."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean, sweetums?" Ryoko looked at Tenchi narrowly.  
  
"Yes, Lord Tenchi, what do you mean by that?" Ayeka asked pointedly.  
  
Tenchi grasped the back of his head with a hand and laughed somewhat nervously. "Oh, nothing..."  
  
Kiyone quickly asked Tris, "But aren't there other Americans at that college of yours, Tris?"  
  
"Sure. Okayama U. has a full international student program. There's a number of other Americans there."  
  
"So why didn't you just hang with them?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"Yes, Tristram, why?" Ayeka was clearly curious as well.  
  
"Well...about half of the other American students go around like the big-shot Yanks. The folks around here got enough of that guff during the Occupation. And the other half try to "go Japanese" so much, it's kind of embarrassing."  
  
"Yeah," Tenchi agreed. "We laugh at those types of foreign students. They aren't Japanese and never will be...so why bother? They should be what they are."  
  
"But..." Ryoko seemed confused, a mite. "You speak and even read Japanese, Tris, and you have a lot of the manners and customs down pat. I'd have thought you'd want to "go Japanese," too."  
  
"Not me. I came back here to enjoy the people and the culture again and to maybe learn something. But..." Here Tris took a shot at a James Cagney impression. "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy...Yankee Doodle do-or-die...a real live nephew of my Uncle Sam...born on the Fourth of July. Well, actually, September 18th."(1)  
  
"If you plan to start singing again," Kiyone told him, displaying a balled fist, "I have five good reasons here for you to think about it real hard first."  
  
"Yes, Officer," Tris said.  
  
"I think that is admirable, Tristram," Ayeka said, adroitly moving the conversation along. "You should be loyal to your own people but that does not mean you cannot appreciate the customs and lifestyles of other people." The First Princess of Jurai obviously felt very strongly about this.  
  
"That's right, Ayeka," Tris said. "You've got to be true to your school. But you don't have to go dissing other folk's schools."  
  
"Well, it still sounds kinda weird," Ryoko muttered.  
  
Ayeka looked across Tenchi at her. "That is because you have no country or planet to call your own, Ryoko."  
  
Ryoko grinned and leaned against Tenchi. "Oh, yes I have, Princess. I owe my allegiance to Planet Tenchi. Right, sweetums?"  
  
"Uh..." Tenchi laughed again, still a trifle nervously.  
  
Sitting somewhat boredly on the bench seat behind Tenchi and Ryoko and Ayeka, Washuu asked, "What are they talking about up there?"  
  
Mihoshi, who, along with Sasami, was reading one of the mangas Tris had bought them, just shrugged. "Something about Planet Tenchi." Unlike men, women can read and carry on a conversation at the same time.  
  
"Sounds like a rocking place." Washuu looked around the van. It was a crude conveyance, though not as crude as that motorized cart Tris drove. But the seats were comfortable and since these people foolishly insisted on sticking to conventional travel, it was probably the best they could do. Besides, Washuu liked the idea of the beach. She actually enjoyed fresh air and sunshine, sometimes. And she looked forward to showing off in her swimsuit. It had been a long time since she had garnered some male attention. Too long, really. Today, she would make up for it.  
  
Washuu sighed with satisfaction and opened her translucent console. She could at least check the readings on the sentinel scans she had set up around the Masaki shrine. Lord Yosho had been too blasé yesterday about the seeming dissipation of whatever was intruding on them. Washuu knew he was far more worried than he let on.  
  
"Washuu...you're not supposed to use that outside, are you?" Sasami asked her.  
  
"Oh, I won't use it on the beach, Sasami. Just a little work inside this van thing. The people in the other cars will think I'm working with one of those primitive laptop computers."  
  
"But, " Mihoshi spoke up, "can those people see through their laptop computers?"  
  
Washuu sighed again, but not with satisfaction. She closed down the console. "You have a point there, Mihoshi. Got another one of those comic books?"  
  
"Sure!" Mihoshi handed her one of the mangas.  
  
"Pretty magical soldiers," Washuu muttered, flipping the pages. "Jeeze. These Earthlings have no clue."  
  
------  
  
Some time later, they had sun and sand and sea. But the music wasn't quite right.  
  
The radio blared out a song that seemed intent on describing just how many times the singer could use a rather commonplace obscenity. It was a "progressive" station playing "progressive" rock.  
  
"Forget that!" Tris said, twisting the dial on Tenchi's stereo radio. "We've got to find some beach tunes, man."  
  
"Try that oldies station again," Tenchi suggested. "I think you can pick it up out here."  
  
"Good idea," Tris said. He found it on the dial. As it happened, he and the gang were fortunate in that regard. Due to the warm weather, the disc jockey at the station had decided to play a long list of Beach Boys tunes. At the moment, he was spinning "Surfin' U.S.A."  
  
"All right, all right, on Saturday night!" Tris exclaimed. "Them's the tunes!" He turned up the volume.  
  
"Great!" Tenchi enthused. "Just right. Of course we have no surfing here."  
  
"Just a detail, my man."  
  
"A bushy, bushy blond hairdo? Mihoshi?" Tenchi laughed, listening to the song.(2)  
  
"Naw." Tris grinned. "Long before her time."  
  
He put the radio down on the expansive red and white striped beach blanket that the Masakis had not used for many moons. He and Tenchi had already visited the men's dressing hut and changed into their beach togs. Tenchi wore black Speedo swim trunks, perfect for power- swimming and looking good. Tris wore a pair of ugly jams...red, white, and blue, spotted with tiny lithographs of native girls in grass skirts doing the hula-hula.  
  
They sat on the blanket, staring out at the gently rolling surf as it washed up on the sandy shore. Beyond it loomed the wide Pacific Ocean.  
  
Katsurahama Beach, Kochi City, lay at the foot of a hill where one could spot the remains of Urado Castle, where the feudal lords had once held sway. Standing on the bluff above the beach and facing the Pacific Ocean was the statue of Ryoma Sakamoto. Tenchi had told Tris that Sakamoto had helped bring Japan out of its self-imposed isolation and into the modern world--he was considered one of the founding fathers of modern Japan. Tris had given the statue a respectful bow before he sat down on the blanket.  
  
Tenchi had even been able to recite a famous poem about the beach: "Miyoya Miyo/Minatsukinomino/Katsurahama/Umino omoyori/izuru tsukikage." This translated to: "Look everyone! Katsurahama and the moon. From the waves the moon is rising."  
  
The two young men had rented several large beach umbrellas and placed them in the sand, so positioned that the area covered by the beach blanket was bathed in shadow. They had kept the food in the van, parked not too far away, ready to be brought out at lunchtime. Right now though, neither Tenchi nor Tris were thinking about food.  
  
"When are those girls going to come out with their swimsuits?" Tris groused. "The tide's gonna come in before they come out!"  
  
"Well, you know women," Tenchi said. He was getting a bit piqued himself. "When it comes to stuff like this, they take their time."  
  
"Well, you at least saw them once in bikinis at that pleasure planet you all talk about. This is a big premier for me."  
  
"Yeah, you really missed something. I still can't believe none of our girls won that contest," Tenchi reminisced. "That Nagi! I mean, she's not bad. But, still...and that swimsuit she wore!" He grinned. "Ryoko stole all the prize money, anyway!"  
  
"Good for her!" Tris chuckled. "Nagi? That bounty hunter? The one that's still after Ryoko? That one that kidnapped you that time?"  
  
"Yeah." Tenchi smiled, remembering. "Not my favorite person! But, like I said--she's not bad in a swimsuit."  
  
"Who's not bad in a swimsuit?"  
  
The voice was Ryoko's. Tenchi and Tris's heads turned--in more ways than one.  
  
All the women and Sasami stood before their gaze now...all in their swimsuits...mostly barely-there bikinis. Had the sand been not so soft, the sound of Tenchi's and Tris's jaws hitting the blanket would have been audible.  
  
The sight of just one of the women in a brief bikini would have gently scorched any red-blooded male's eyeballs (a few green-blooded males may have sat up and taken notice, too), but the sight of five of the exotic alien women in their skimpy swimwear was nothing short of electrifying. The two young men had, after all, been stirred simply by Mihoshi and Kiyone in their short-shorts. Thus, Tris and Tenchi just sat there, eyes wide, mouths agape, pulses racing--the works. It was a near religious experience for them; a scene they would always remember, especially on cold winter nights.  
  
As it turned out, the women who had gone shopping yesterday ended up buying the first suits they had selected to first try on, even though they had tried on others afterward (a common enough shopping occurrence). Thus, Mihoshi wore the tiger-print bikini, Kiyone wore the blue Piñata bikini, Ayeka wore the flower-print bikini, and Ryoko wore--if that is not too liberal a usage of the word--the bright, lime green bikini-thong. Little Sasami was again awfully cute in her frilly sea horse-print swimsuit. And Washuu! She wore a one-piece black swimsuit--with some of the pieces missing. Her back, her sides, much of her midriff was bared. With her diminutive size and big red hair, she might have passed as an adult arcade Kewpie doll.  
  
Watching Tenchi and Tris, Sasami giggled. The boys were so cute in their reaction...the way they slowly melted into puddles at the sight of the women. She couldn't wait to grow up.  
  
"Well?" Ryoko said impatiently. "Don't just sit there with your mouths hanging open like frogs. Tell us what you think!"  
  
Tris tried. "Sha..." he faltered.  
  
"...Zam!" Tenchi finished for him.  
  
Mihoshi giggled. "I think they like our bikinis!"  
  
"What was your first clue?" Kiyone asked her. "The drool or the eyeballs rolling in the sand?"  
  
Mihoshi giggled again. She especially liked Tris's reaction. He looked like someone had hit him with a brick or something.  
  
"Do you really like my bikini...Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka asked hesitantly.  
  
"It's wonderful," Tenchi said reverently.  
  
"And mine, sweetums?" Ryoko asked, with a wink.  
  
"It's...unbelievable, Ryoko," Tenchi gulped.  
  
Kiyone stood in front of Tris, hands on her very nicely curved hips. "Well, buster? Was it worth waiting for?"  
  
"I'd take a number at Hell's customer service center and wait--just to see you in that, Blue Eyes," Tris said, his voice just a little husky.  
  
Kiyone grinned. "Good enough, I guess." She sat down beside him. Very close beside him.  
  
Mihoshi looked disappointed. "Isn't anyone going to say anything about my bikini?" she asked.  
  
Tenchi, with Ayeka and Ryoko sitting on either side of him now, knew better than to say anything. Tris, noting the tiger print on Mihoshi's bikini, performed a pretty lame tiger growl. Still, it pleased Mihoshi. She sat down on the other side of Tris. Kiyone did a sort of growl then, and she wasn't imitating anything. Mihoshi heard it and scooted a few inches away from them.  
  
"Isn't Sasami just a darling in her swimsuit?" Ayeka asked. There was general agreement. Sasami colored, very pleased. She sat down, close to Tenchi and Ryoko and her big sister.  
  
"Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?" It was Washuu, feeling neglected.  
  
Ryoko eyed her cut-down, one-piece swimsuit. "Where did you buy that thing--the kiddie's store?"  
  
"No kiddie ever wore anything like that," Tris said. Then he added, "Ooof," as Kiyone's elbow found its mark.  
  
"Thanks, Tris." Washuu smiled. "Well, I know the rest of you are speechless over this smashing swimsuit I found on the Net, so I won't press you for any more compliments." She walked over and sat down in the back of the blanket, deep into the shade.  
  
"Speechless? I'm practically breakfast-less," Ryoko cracked.  
  
"Keep it up, Ryoko...you're going to be less something else," Washuu promised.  
  
------  
  
The controller was constantly on his back. It was a good position from which to dream...and to make others dream.  
  
He lay perfectly still. No expression moved the lips. No movement at all animated the facial muscles. That face was shaved by others once a week.  
  
Looking at him, one would think the controller was dead, laying on the stark white sheets of the utilitarian bed, in the cold, antiseptic chamber. But his chest moved, slowly, rythmatically.  
  
The door to the chamber opened. Footsteps. The controller noted them from where he resided in the depthless, hidden darkness, a Stygian darkness so deep, it would not register on sensitive instruments. The darkness that was his realm.  
  
He heard voices.  
  
"Let's get it done, then."  
  
"Okay. It's like feeding a corpse, though."  
  
"It is. Can't wait for my transfer."  
  
"Lucky stiff."  
  
"You're talking to the wrong one." Laughter, muted. The attendants knew the chamber was monitored constantly.  
  
Hands, ungentle hands, rolled up a sleeve. At the joining of elbow and forearm on the thin, emaciated limb was a small tube with a slightly larger metallic collar. A hand holding another tube reached down. The end of that tube was fitted into the collar. There was the slightest of hissing sounds.  
  
"Turn it on."  
  
Now the hum of machinery could be heard. The controller noted it. He had heard it so many times before. He felt the nourishment enter his body. His body accepted the nourishment because he willed it to. The vessel of his corporeal body, as weak as it was, must be maintained. The great brain, the everything that the controller was, must live. No revenge, no triumph, could be wrested without the living brain.  
  
The forced-feeding concluded. The machinery was turned off. The tube was removed. The controller's sleeve was rolled down.  
  
"I wish the Union would change its laws. This is useless, keeping him alive."  
  
"It pays our salary. Besides, he may still wake up someday and finally get what's coming to him."  
  
"After all this time? Useless, I say."  
  
The voices faded away. The door to the chamber closed.  
  
The body absorbed the nourishment. The brain rested...until it could reach out again.  
  
------  
  
"Look out, Ayeka!" Tenchi yelled.  
  
The Princess looked. Too late. The colorfully striped beach ball smacked her head. It was a soft blow, though.  
  
"Ryoko!" she shouted.  
  
"Hey, I said, "think fast," Princess. Guess that was a waste of breath." Ryoko laughed.  
  
Tenchi, Ayeka, and Ryoko were at the water's edge on the beach, tossing a beach ball around. Ayeka had looked down at a shell by her bare feet when the ball made personal contact with her head.  
  
"You did that on purpose," Ayeka charged.  
  
"You snooze, you lose, Princess."  
  
"Why don't you throw the ball back, Ayeka?" Tenchi said. "I'm sorry you were hit."  
  
"It is not your fault, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka took a deep breath and smelled the sea. It was a lovely scent. The sun was wonderfully warm on her skin, the spring breeze was gentle, and Tenchi looked so manly in his swim trunks. The Princess refused to let Ryoko spoil this lovely, rare outing for her. She bent over and picked up the beach ball. She tossed it at Tenchi, who caught it and tossed it, in turn, to Ryoko.  
  
Ryoko smiled at the Princess--and then tossed the ball back to Tenchi. Ayeka just crossed her arms. Tenchi gently threw it to Ayeka. She caught it and smiled at Tenchi.  
  
------  
  
"What's the score on the ball game?" Kiyone asked Tris, dryly. They had been walking hand-in-hand by the water's edge, alternately stepping on wet sand and on the foam of rolling surf. It was highly pleasant, Kiyone thought, although the water was chilly. She had just chewed Tris out over the hula girls on those awful swim trunks he called jams. But it was so like him, she secretly was amused. Now they were observing Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka toss the beach ball.  
  
"Looks like Ryoko: One, Ayeka: Zip. But I think the umpire just may call the game on account of aggravation," Tris observed.  
  
Sure enough. When Ryoko again didn't toss Ayeka the beach ball, Tenchi talked to the women briefly, took the ball, and walked to their home blanket. Ryoko and Ayeka followed him, darting significant glances at each other. Kiyone and Tris watched Tenchi then toss the beach ball toward Mihoshi, who laughed with delight, laid down her manga, and picked the ball up. She and Sasami raced out from the shaded blanket area and into the sun. They began to toss the beach ball to each other, laughing happily, with Mihoshi dropping the ball half the time and chasing it when her foot accidentally hit it.  
  
"That's my partner," Kiyone said sardonically.  
  
"You wouldn't have it any other way...would you?"  
  
"Hell, yes!" Kiyone said shortly. Then she watched Mihoshi laugh even though she had fallen down again. The sweet, hopeless ding-dong! Kiyone started to shake her head...then she sighed and laid her head against Tris's shoulder. "No, I guess not."  
  
"That's my pretty protector of the galaxy," Tris said.  
  
"Looks like I'm stuck with a ding-dong partner and an idiot boyfriend. And all I ever wanted was to be a good police officer and make rank fast and have no complications to slow me down. Where did I go wrong?"  
  
"You ran up against life, Blue Eyes."  
  
"Yeah. I guess I did."  
  
"Don't worry about it. It's better to live life than to try to tiptoe around it. It's more fun, and you end up with grandchildren who don't believe any of your boring old stories anyway."  
  
Kiyone nuzzled her head against his shoulder. She said, "Keep it up...and I'm going to kiss you, right here, right now."  
  
"Whoa! This is a family beach, you know--ow!"  
  
"Sometimes," Kiyone observed sweetly, "a punch is as good as a kiss!"  
  
------  
  
They were being observed.  
  
"Well," Washuu told Tenchi, "she hit him again." She was laying outside the shaded main blanket area on her own blanket, catching some rays. Tenchi had just squatted down beside her.  
  
"Right on the shoulder, too," Tenchi noted. "I'm surprised he can still lift that arm after all those punches."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's the single life for me," Washuu told him.  
  
"Is it, Washuu? Seems a shame."  
  
"Hey," she said, raising her head and looking at him. "Is that a proposition?"  
  
"Washuu...!"  
  
"I just knew that wearing this hot swimsuit would raise a few male temperatures." Washuu smiled. "I'm glad it raised yours, Tenchi."  
  
Tenchi grinned and shook his head.  
  
"It raised his gorge, you mean," Ryoko told Washuu, walking up to them.  
  
"Oh, hi, Ryoko," Washuu said. "Lost your beach ball, I see. Can't you two girls play nice?"  
  
"Aw, the Princess couldn't catch a cold in a bucket."  
  
"Not when the bucket is thrown at my head--Ryoko!" Ayeka joined them now, too. It was getting awfully crowded in this nice quiet spot she had picked out for herself, Washuu thought.  
  
"Look, everyone, I was trying to get a little sun here," Washuu said.  
  
"And to flirt with Tenchi," Ryoko charged.  
  
"Miss Washuu flirted with Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka asked, startled.  
  
"She did not," Tenchi said.  
  
"Yes, I did." Washuu smiled at him devilishly.  
  
"Washuu!"  
  
"Don't fight it, Tenchi." Washuu was beginning to enjoy herself, seeing the expressions on Ryoko and Ayeka. "It's stronger than both of us. It's fate. It's undeniable. It's kismet. In fact...it's kiss-me."  
  
Tenchi jumped to his feet. "Come on, now!"  
  
"It's not kismet--it's kiss-off," Ryoko growled. "Kiss off, Washuu!"  
  
Washuu blew a kiss at Tenchi and then lay back on her blanket. Her petite form in the black peek-a-boo swimsuit quivered with silent laughter.  
  
"Hey," said Tenchi, looking for an escape. "You girls race with me to the water!" He took off. After a moment, Ryoko and Ayeka followed. They passed Mihoshi and Sasami who were still tossing the beach ball to each other. All three of them reached the water's edge, not far from Tris and Kiyone. They splashed into the roiling surf.  
  
"Yow!" said Ryoko. "This water's cold!" She was standing in the surf with Tenchi and Ayeka. "It's freezing!"  
  
"Of course," Tenchi said. "It's only spring, you know. The air is warm, but the water hasn't had a chance to heat up yet."  
  
"I...I wish you would have mentioned that a bit sooner, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said, holding herself, her teeth chattering.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ayeka." Tenchi splashed over to her. He put his arms around her and led her back to the sand. "Are you warming up now?"  
  
"Oh, yes, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka smiled. She snuggled against him.  
  
"Grrrrrrrr..." said Ryoko. She followed Tenchi and Ayeka out of the ice-cold water and back onto the beach.  
  
------  
  
"Now I think the ball game's even...Ryoko: One and Ayeka: One," Tris said. He and Kiyone had watched the three of them splash into the surf and then splash right out again.  
  
"I thought that game was called," Kiyone said.  
  
"That game may never be called!"  
  
------  
  
Tenchi, despite the coldness of his quick splash, was studying the sea. It was a heck of a note to come all this way and not get wet. The water hadn't seemed that cold.  
  
Tenchi walked up to Tris and Kiyone. "Hey, Tris, you want to swim?"  
  
"Sure!" said Tris.  
  
Tenchi had learned to swim quite well as a boy in the Masaki Lake, a skill few of the women had bothered to acquire...especially after Ryoko pointed out that the fish relieved themselves in the water. Kiyone and Mihoshi, who were naturally game for anything, hadn't learned swimming beyond the basics because it seemed to them a useless skill. They were rarely near large bodies of water and swimming had not been in the regimen at the Galaxy Police Academy. But Tris had been taught by his parents to swim and he had even earned his Mile Swim Badge as a Boy Scout. Tris may have been a stumbler on land but he swam like a fish.  
  
Racing each other, Tenchi and Tris splashed into the surf. They again experienced the coldness of the seawater.  
  
"Man, it's cold. Wow!" Tris said.  
  
"I didn't know you were so dainty," Tenchi taunted between chattering teeth.  
  
"I'm not!" Tris was beginning to shiver in the icy water.  
  
"You are, too!"  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Okay...then swim out with me to that buoy out there." Tenchi pointed to a bobbing buoy, around a quarter mile out.  
  
"You're on!"  
  
"Let's go!"  
  
They went. Both dove in the water and almost immediately surfaced. If either of them could have walked on water, they would have done so--back to the beach. Too late now...they were committed, there was the buoy out there, and there was also one of them ready to rag the other if either wavered. Besides, they told themselves, hard exercise in the water would warm them up. Eyes bulging with the shock of being immersed in the frigid seawater, they nevertheless began to stroke and stroke toward the buoy. Tenchi used an Australian crawl, while Tris displayed a fluid sidestroke. It was a useful demonstration of how one male challenging another male can lead to noteworthy acts of stupidity.  
  
The demonstration was not lost on the women watching them.  
  
"What the hell are they doing?" Kiyone cried. "Tris!"  
  
"Tenchi! Lord Tenchi!" both Ayeka and Ryoko called.  
  
"They're both idiots," Kiyone marveled.  
  
"Lord Tenchi is not an idiot, Kiyone," Ayeka corrected her. "He is simply acting like an idiot at this moment."  
  
"Well, idiots or not, they're going to freeze like ice cubes before they get to that buoy," Ryoko said.  
  
"No...they're going to freeze like ice cubes after they get out of that water."  
  
That pronouncement came from Washuu, who had watched Tenchi and Tris dive into the water and decided to leave her blanket to investigate. Kiyone, Ayeka, and Ryoko turned to look at her. "The thermal shock will be pretty severe," she added.  
  
"I can imagine." It made Kiyone shiver just to think of it.  
  
"Actually, they're both pretty good swimmers," Washuu observed. "That's one sweet stroke Tris has, nice and efficient. That can eat up miles if you're fit. Now, Tenchi is a bit faster, but it costs a little in breath to use that forward stroke. If you compare--"  
  
"Miss Washuu," Ayeka interrupted.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"We are not interested in hearing about swimming styles."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No. We are interested in what we can do for those foolish boys when they return."  
  
"Oh, that." Washuu shrugged. "Just get some towels ready to cover them with. They'll shiver for a while, but they'll be okay. Massage might help."  
  
"How about a real stiff massage?" Kiyone asked the great scientist, smacking one fist in her other palm.  
  
"Oh, I'd suggest you postpone hitting Tris until he warms up-- otherwise, he'll be so numb with cold, he'll hardly feel it," Washuu advised, smiling at Kiyone.  
  
"Thanks for the info, Washuu."  
  
"Don't mention it. See ya." Washuu walked back to the blanket.  
  
------  
  
Tenchi, due to the faster momentum generated by his Australian crawl, reached the buoy first. Tris reached it a moment later.  
  
"This is great, huh?" Tenchi said, teeth chattering.  
  
"Great!" Tris teeth-chattered back.  
  
"Kinda cold, though."  
  
"Yeah, kinda."  
  
"In fact...I'm kinda frozen."  
  
"Me, too."  
  
"I've had better ideas," Tenchi admitted, shivering so hard he could barely hold on to the buoy.  
  
"You have." Tris gave up trying to hold onto the buoy and treaded water, jerkily. "Oh well."  
  
"Game to go back?" Tenchi asked his friend.  
  
"Sure. It beats the alternative."  
  
They began to stroke back. They were already a nice shade of blue.  
  
------  
  
Fortunately, just as Tenchi and Tris emerged from the surf and proceeded to become pop sickles (as Washuu had predicted), blue pop sickles to be precise, Ryoko, Ayeka, and Kiyone met them with towels. Tossing the towels over the badly shivering young aquanauts, the women hustled them over to the big beach blanket. Tenchi and Tris sat down on the blanket and did rather fair imitations of paint mixers. Ayeka and Ryoko rubbed Tenchi with towels, while Kiyone and Mihoshi did the same for Tris. Sasami watched with concern and Washuu watched with amusement. Presently, a young man in a striped tank top, black trunks, and a safari helmet walked up to them. He bowed politely.  
  
"Good work, ladies. That's just the thing to do," the polite young man said approvingly. He was, obviously, a lifeguard.  
  
"Thanks, cutie," Washuu replied from her prone position on her beach blanket.  
  
The lifeguard spared a glance for Washuu and didn't seem to quite believe what he saw. He carried on, regardless: "You two shouldn't have tried to swim." He addressed Tenchi and Tris with polite remonstrance. "Far too cold this time of year. We've posted advisories on the beach. Haven't you read them?"  
  
Shivering, Tenchi and Tris just managed to shake their heads, no.  
  
"You have to understand, sir...these poor boys have trouble reading," Kiyone told the lifeguard, smiling. "We only let them out of the home once a year. We should have watched them better. We're sorry."  
  
The lifeguard raised his eyebrows. The young American had just yelped. Did that pretty woman pinch him? The lifeguard decided not to pursue the matter.  
  
"Yes, well, please be more careful. Good morning...or, I should say, good afternoon." The lifegaurd bowed and left.  
  
"Lord Tenchi, that was so foolish of you," Ayeka scolded him.  
  
"Yeah, you had a real brain dump there, sweetums," Ryoko added.  
  
"Well, idiot boy here didn't help," Kiyone said. She toweled Tris's head with real vigor. He would have protested, but he felt too miserable and cold.  
  
"I almost flew out to you guys, and to heck with the gawkers," Ryoko said. "If you two hadn't kept swimming so strongly, I would have. And then where would we have been?"  
  
"That is right, Lord Tenchi...Tristram. You boys must not be so foolhardy." For once, Ayeka agreed with Ryoko one hundred percent.  
  
"Please don't do that again, Tris," Mihoshi requested. She toweled Tris's feet far more gently than her partner's technique called for. "We were awfully scared for you and Tenchi."  
  
"We really were," Sasami agreed, watching the toweling and the shivering with concern. Why did boys do such silly things? Kiyone was right...they had to be watched carefully. Then a thought occurred to her. "Didn't that nice lifeguard say afternoon?"  
  
"Let me see your watch, Moby Dick," Kiyone said. She grabbed Tris's wrist with the Omega strapped on it. She glanced at the watch's face. "Hey, it's half past noon. Lunchtime."  
  
"Yay!" Mihoshi stopped toweling Tris's feet and, instead, wrapped them nicely in the towel. "Let's go get the food, Sasami!"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
Mihoshi and Sasami both scampered to the van. Tris had already entrusted Sasami with the keys.  
  
"That is fortunate timing," Ayeka noted gratefully. "Now we can get some hot tea down these boys."  
  
"Sounds great," Tenchi said. His skin was turning a nice shade of pink again, as was Tris's towel-scrubbed skin.  
  
"Maybe we should just dump the tea on them." Kiyone smiled and kissed the top of Tris's towel-scrubbed head. "Would you like that, Boy Toy?"  
  
"Actually," Tris admitted, "the way I feel, that doesn't sound half bad."  
  
Kiyone chuckled and ruffled his hair. She then bent down and quickly whispered in his ear, "Please stop scaring me like that! I didn't have any idea you could swim so well. You need to tell me these things."  
  
"Roger that," Tris muttered. He caught Tenchi's eye. Tenchi, still being towel-rubbed and lectured by Ryoko and Ayeka, grinned at him. Tris grinned back. It sure wasn't the first dumb stunt they had pulled together...and it was unlikely to be the last. And it was certainly one way to have pretty women pay lots of attention to you! Even if a few pinches and pokes and scolding did go along with the TLC.  
  
------  
  
Sasami's lunch was superb. Somehow, she had managed to keep fresh fruit cool (little plastic bags of ice in the fruit containers), tea nice and steamy (Thermos jugs), and everything as fresh as if she had just cooked it and placed in on the chabudai table back home. It added to the gaiety of the group immensely (good food always has that effect) and went a long way toward restoring Tenchi and Tris back to their former fine fettle.  
  
In fact, right after lunch was happily consumed (everyone had two helpings and Mihoshi had three...she couldn't get enough melon balls), Tenchi and Tris decided to have a little stroll around the beach together to "walk off the food." They talked vaguely of possibly taking a closer look at the ruins of Urado Castle or even venturing into the Katsurahama Park aquarium. They casually stood up and wandered off.  
  
"Aquarium, huh?" Ryoko muttered. "Wonder if that aquarium has mermaids--wearing bikinis?"  
  
"Yeah, I can just picture those two archeologists poking around the castle remains," Kiyone said sarcastically.  
  
"I'll bet those mermaids all have real nice tans," Ryoko continued with her speculation.  
  
"Yes, it all does sound rather fishy," Ayeka admitted.  
  
"Fishy! That's funny, Ayeka!" Mihoshi laughed.  
  
"Really? It was not meant to be."  
  
Washuu sat up from the blanket where she had been trying to take a snooze after lunch. "Why don't you cut those boys some slack? They just want to look around."  
  
"You bet they want to look around!" Ryoko said.  
  
"We didn't buy these bikinis so those two could go gallivanting about ogling other women," Kiyone said flatly.  
  
"Well said, Kiyone!" Ayeka approved.  
  
"But they'll be back...won't they?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"Of course they will," Sasami asserted.  
  
"Well, who wants to sit around and wait for them to get tired of eyeballing beach bunnies?" Kiyone said. "Why don't we have a nice little stroll ourselves and check out the hunks around here?"  
  
"That's a plan, Kiyone!" Ryoko enthused. "Especially if those two just happen to spot us being admired by the local talent."  
  
"You know," Ayeka admitted, "that idea has quite a bit of appeal. I could do with another walk on the beach."  
  
"Of course you could. We need to walk off the food, too," Ryoko said.  
  
Kiyone stood up. "Let's go."  
  
Now Washuu sat up again. "Are you girls sure you want to do that?" she asked.  
  
"Of course, Miss Washuu. We are merely getting some exercise," Ayeka answered.  
  
"You may get more exercise than you counted on," Washuu warned.  
  
"Just walking around the beach, keeping our eyes open? Come on, Washuu!" Ryoko scoffed.  
  
"Okay, it's your call." Washuu lay back down.  
  
"Coming, girls?" Kiyone said to Ryoko and Ayeka.  
  
They rose and followed Kiyone.  
  
Mihoshi and Sasami watched them leave.  
  
"I don't understand," Sasami said. "Why don't they just go get the boys and bring them back? Or find them and walk with them?"  
  
"I don't know," Mihoshi admitted.  
  
"Because they don't want the boys to know they want them back," Washuu said, stretching a little as she lay on her towel.  
  
"Oh. Then how will the boys know to come back if the girls don't want them to know they want...?" Mihoshi appeared confused.  
  
"See? It doesn't make sense," Sasami said.  
  
"You two have a lot to learn," Washuu told them. "None of it makes sense!" She turned over on her side. "About all it does make is babies, eventually." She yawned. "Sure is a lot of trouble...but kinda fun sometimes, though." She drifted off to sleep.  
  
Mihoshi and Sasami looked at each other.  
  
"Let's build a sand castle, Mihoshi."  
  
"Okay."  
  
------  
  
Actually, Tenchi and Tris were not walking around enjoying the bikini- clad eye candy scattered all about the beach. Not that they hadn't checked out a few of the women in their swimming apparel--and not that some of those women hadn't indicated they were available for chatting up. But since the two of them had gorgeous girlfriends, they really hadn't felt the need or desire to engage in a flirtation walk. There is some fidelity in the male species and it tends to show up at unexpected times.  
  
No, what they really had a need and a desire to do was...play beach volleyball.  
  
The two young men had stumbled across a pick-up game organized by a group of beachcombers just over the last rise. A volleyball net, somewhat more Swiss-cheesy in appearance than regulations usually called for, hung limply between two aluminum poles sunk in the sand. Add a group of tanned, fit young men and women and a volleyball and all the makings for sweat, sand, and spikes were complete. Tenchi and Tris, both of whom liked volleyball (especially the spiking part) immediately joined in.  
  
Those sort of pick-up games were casual in spirit...no formal teams, one could switch sides without condemnation, and keeping score was a hit-or-miss affair that nobody took too seriously. The important thing was to serve the ball over the net and then leap for it when it returned--hopefully knocking the ball back over said net--and, if one were in the front row, the chance to slam the ball down on one's opponents--the dreaded "spike"--always presented itself. As a formal competitive game, beach volleyball had its shortcomings. As fun in the sun, it had no equal.  
  
Tenchi, a natural athlete who had endured long hours of training, was a strong player. He delivered good, straight serves that never went awry and that almost always just skimmed the top of the net, so that a too-quick move from an opposing player sent the volleyball pinging out of bounds. He knew how to return volley if he was in the right position to do so, and how to set up a return volley for a teammate. Tenchi's cheerfulness and natural fairness made him an instant favorite. His father and grandfather would have been proud to see him at play behind the net, and not been a bit surprised, either.  
  
Tris was rather another story. He did smack out nice, sharp serves that were very hard to deal with, and his joking and equanimity made him quite welcome with his teammates, mostly local youth from Kochi City. Of course, the fact that he spoke decent Japanese helped considerably in his acceptance. But when it came to his turn in the front row, Tris had a tendency to address the ball with, perhaps, an excess of enthusiasm. Sometimes he managed to spike the ball terrifically, so that his opponents just ran out of its way. However, sometimes he missed completely and piled up more than once in the sand. But that was equally acceptable to his teammates...and more than acceptable to the other team. They were all there to have fun, and watching the lanky American either spike the ball or spike the sand (unintentionally) was equally amusing, if not particularly instructive.  
  
The game continued for a while without incident. Both Tris and Tenchi worked up a good sweat and also worked off the heaviness of the noon meal. Their muscles were nicely warmed up, they were playing in close harmony with their teammates, and there was even a small crowd to cheer them on. In other words, the situation was ripe for a mishap.  
  
Tenchi served the ball. It sizzled across the net. A pretty local girl in an itsy-bitsy, teensy-weensy, yellow polka dot bikini who had been eyeing Tenchi most of the time took note of the volleyball and deftly deflected it into the air. The volleyball described a high arc and hurtled down right before the net. It was a perfect setup for a spike. A tallish young man wearing jams almost as ugly as Tris's rose to the challenge. He leaped, right arm extended, hand cupped, ready to ram-slam that volleyball onto the opposing team.  
  
Tris faced him across the net on the opposing side. He also leaped high, both arms extended, hands cupped, to deflect the ball. His long legs carried him higher than his opponent, up to just below his opponent's hand that now cupped the ball. The other young man rammed the ball downwards. It streaked about half a foot--and then it clobbered Tris's head. The two colliding spheres made a sound rather like a ripe melon being thumped. Both Tris and the ball plowed onto the sand. The ball rolled away. Tris lay still.  
  
Tenchi groaned. He should have known...whenever there was a ball and Tris's head in the same general vicinity, the two inevitably made contact.  
  
That stopped the game temporarily, until Tenchi could help Tris to his feet and shuffle him away.  
  
"Did that guy spike the ball or just my head?" Tris asked, slowly touching the now-tender top of his cranium.  
  
"The ball...but your head was so close to it, it kind of amounts to the same thing," Tenchi replied.  
  
"Tell me about it," Tris groaned.  
  
"Hey, just be glad it wasn't an atom-destroying volleyball." Tenchi chuckled.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Never mind. Before your time with us. Just be glad--trust me!"  
  
"Okay, if you say so. Want to go see the aquarium now?" Tris asked, still rubbing his head. "I hear they have hammerhead sharks there."  
  
"Let's postpone seeing your relatives," Tenchi said with a grin, "and go see what the girls are up to."  
  
------  
  
Kiyone, Ryoko, and Ayeka were not having much luck in their debut performance as beach bunnies on the prowl...or, rather, they were having too much luck.  
  
They had strolled about, collecting comments, winks, and whistles (non-Japanese) from assorted male beach-goers. There were some nice hard male bodies around, for sure; if Ryoko, Ayeka, and Kiyone had been so inclined, some social interaction would no doubt have taken place. Even the guys with girlfriends had (understandably) paid at least eye tribute to the stunning alien women...especially to Ryoko in her thong bikini. The three women had been amused to see one very nice-looking guy, whose girlfriend had been oiling his back, shoot them a look that had inspired said girlfriend to dump the contents of the sunscreen bottle on his head. All very satisfying. They were certainly getting some good mileage out of their bikinis.  
  
But they hadn't found Tenchi or Tris. If they had walked a little further toward the rise where shouts and laughter were issuing, they would have discovered the two boys innocently enjoying themselves in (non-contact and non-compromising) sport. But they didn't. They did not think to do so, and besides, they were being followed.  
  
The three stalkers were young male college students from Hiroshima who had decided to favor Kochi City and its famous beach with their presence. The three had seen the three gorgeous exotic women just walking around aimlessly, and felt this was a sure sign they needed male companionship. Certainly, they could count...three manly men for three lovely ladies. The women didn't look Japanese, which raised the interest of the three college students immeasurably. The notion that foreign women were especially accommodating was as strong with the three boys as it had been with Ginkar and Munt. Such notions, it seemed, were truly universal...or, at least, galactic.  
  
The three students--Ichiro "Chiro" Kono, Ito Izumi, and Toti Naka, were all from wealthy families and had busted their behinds to get into the best college in Hiroshima (the shiken jigoku, or "examination hell," was an apt term for those entrance exams). Now, more or less, they were taking life's ease once in college. Chiro was thin and gawky, with a prominent Adam's apple and a "buzz" haircut, Ito had a bit of a weight problem (uncommon in Japan but not unheard of) and wore glasses of a particular fearsome prescription, and Toti, who actually was a reasonable looking young man, seemed convinced he was the Japanese Tom Cruise. They all wore cut-off jeans and loud Hawaiian-style shirts. They (at least Toti and Chiro) thought they were irresistible, although their lack of female companionship at the moment would seem to indicate otherwise.  
  
"I think those three awful boys are still following us," Ayeka murmured.  
  
"How can you tell, Princess?" Ryoko grunted. "Every time I look in their direction, those shirts they're wearing blind me."  
  
"Forget them," Kiyone advised. "Well, I'm getting tired of wandering around. I'm for a return to our spot and getting some rays the right way...laying down. You girls with me?"  
  
They were with her. They started back. The three college students followed.  
  
The boys were not really shy. There is a widely held belief among males that one needs an "opening"--some sort of excuse--to go to a woman and chat her up. Try it without a good "opening", and failure was certain. Why some happenstance would suddenly make a woman receptive to a male advance is a question rarely asked. Men have faith in the power of the "opening," and that is that.  
  
"Those are some fine, foxy ladies," Chiro remarked.  
  
"Yeah. But I kind of think maybe they're a bit...out of our league." Ito may have been somewhat too generous in second and third helpings at the dinner table, but he had more of a clue about things in general than his buddies. This, of course, made him the subject of ridicule.  
  
"Speak for yourself, Chubby," Toti snapped. "I'm just what those foxes are looking for...especially that wild-haired looker in that thong. That's my date tonight. Chiro, that sweet little thing in the flowered bikini--she's probably your speed."  
  
"I think you're right, Toti," Chiro agreed. He deferred to Toti on all matters amorous, mainly because Toti was better looking and bragged more convincingly about imaginary past conquests.  
  
"What about me?" Ito noticed he was left out.  
  
"That brunette. She's kind of tough-looking...maybe you can get her sympathy, though," Toti proclaimed, having performed a quick analysis.  
  
"Yeah, maybe." Ito did not sound too convinced. Usually all he got from girls was derision.  
  
"Hey, it's a package deal, Ito," said Toti confidently. "They want us two stud muffins, they got to take the third muffin." Both he and Chrio laughed. Ito joined in, half-heartedly.  
  
"So, when are we going to make our move?" Chiro asked. He was impatient. That sweet-faced little fox in the flower bikini looked particularly hot. Those quiet, demur-looking ones usually were (or so he'd been told).  
  
"Well, they're still walking right now." Toti was considering all the angles. "When they stop, we'll make our move. Invite them to a quick tour of the city and then a quick bite to eat and then--a get- acquainted session in the Love Machine." Toti meant his van, which they had traveled from Hiroshima in. The back of it was fitted with comfortable bench seats that folded down...enough said.  
  
"Do you think they'll go for that?" Ito queried. The women just didn't seem that sort, somehow.  
  
"Figure it out, Chubby," Toti said impatiently. "They probably came  
  
on some package tour, been in a tour bus all the time, finally got some free time--and they now get wheels and they get us. It's a natural."  
  
"All right, if you say so, Toti." But Ito still sounded unconvinced.  
  
------  
  
Finally, Ryoko, Ayeka, and Kiyone stopped walking. For they had spotted their umbrella-shaded blanket...and they spotted Tenchi and Tris squatting down beside that blanket.  
  
Normally, one would have expected the three women to find that a welcome sight. But several factors intervened to prevent that. The hunk patrol had petered out into a wolf-whistle walk, punctuated by hostile looks from other women. The only men who showed enough gumption to approach them were those characters in the hideous Hawaiian shirts. Worse, the three women hadn't had the satisfaction of catching Tenchi and Tris in flagrante delecto, vis-à-vis bikini spotting. In fact, the two young men were looking as innocent as angels, now assuming the duty of building Mihoshi's and Sasami's sand castle.  
  
Tenchi and Tris, after not finding Ryoko, Ayeka, or Kiyone back at the blanket, had mentioned an idea they had come up with while walking back from the volleyball game. The idea had set very well indeed with Mihoshi and Sasami. They had then asked Tenchi and Tris to help with their sand castle; the structure was clearly in violation of several local building codes. The two young men had pitched in and ended up monopolizing the project. But Sasami and Mihoshi didn't seem to mind a bit. They obviously enjoyed having the two boys all to themselves for once.  
  
"Hey, Tenchi," Kiyone, Ryoko, and Ayeka now heard Tris say. "Let's dig that moat deeper. We need to keep those pesky Galaxy Police types out--and other unwanted guests!"  
  
"Right," agreed Tenchi, scooping sand. "I've got an idea--let's put alligators in the moat! We can feed 'em trespassers."  
  
Both Sasami and Mihoshi laughed with huge enjoyment. It was just like Mihoshi not to take offense at the Galaxy Police crack. To Ayeka, Ryoko, and Kiyone, however, both Mihoshi and Sasami seemed to enjoy being alone with Tenchi and Tris (Washuu was dozing, still) a little too much.  
  
"They need to build a dungeon in that sand castle," Kiyone remarked sourly. "I've got just the idiot to test-drive the Iron Maiden."  
  
"That Mihoshi is sure yucking it up," Ryoko observed with equal sourness.  
  
"And Sasami...is she trying to flirt with the boys?" Ayeka sounded miffed. "I really need to have a talk with her."  
  
That talk was postponed as the women became aware of others entering their space. Led by Toti, the three college students were finally making their move.  
  
"Hi, foxy lady," Toti said suavely to Ryoko. "I like your bikini."  
  
"Huh?" Ryoko asked him. She blinked as her eyes took in his garish shirt.  
  
Chiro sided up to Ayeka. "Saw you were bored, Beautiful," he smiled, showing all his teeth. "We thought we'd give you a break."  
  
"I beg your pardon?" Ayeka asked politely.  
  
Ito, filled with common sense (and assorted cellulite), took one look at Kiyone's piercing glance and did not invade her personal space. He gulped, "You girls from around here?" It was the only pick-up line he knew.  
  
Inwardly, Toti and Chiro groaned. The lamest line of all!  
  
"Sure," Kiyone replied, dryly. "Don't we look like we're from around here?"  
  
"Uh...well..." Ito's mind went blank--which turned out to be quite fortunate for him.  
  
"Forgive my fat friend," Toti told Ryoko, smiling. "He's a little new at this."  
  
"I'd say you all are," Ryoko said.  
  
"And that is so charming...calling your friend names," Ayeka added, disliking Toti's manner.  
  
"What do you guys want, anyway?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"We could see you lovely ladies were lonely," Toti explained. "And we have the cure for loneliness."  
  
"Yeah? We could use a cure for cluelessness about now," Kiyone said. She was getting a bit steamed at the boys' crust.  
  
"I'm not talking to you, sweet cheeks." Toti was obviously getting a bit steamed himself. He addressed himself to Ryoko. "I'm talking to the prime fox here."  
  
"You boys had better leave," Ayeka warned.  
  
"Maybe we got off on the wrong foot, Beautiful," Chiro said to the Princess, trying to keep their (nonexistent) momentum going. He decided to cut to the chase. "Listen, we got wheels. We can show you the city, spring for a meal at one of the seafood stands, and, well..."  
  
"And well...what?" Ayeka asked.  
  
"Well, it's a very comfortable van...most ladies just love it." Again, Chrio favored Ayeka with a glimpse of his pearly whites. He winked to drive his point home.  
  
"You'll love it, too," Toti advised Ryoko, who was staring at him with disbelief. "All the comforts."  
  
"Let me get this straight," Kiyone said. She gently pushed Ito out of the way (she felt a bit of sympathy for him; Toti had been right). She walked up to Chiro and Toti. "You want to take us in your van, show us a city we've seen enough of already, feed us as cheap as you can, and then you expect us to put out for you...in your "comfortable" van? Is that the agenda?"  
  
"Hey, you're crashing the party," Toti objected.  
  
"No, I'm ending the party. Get lost."  
  
Toti, losing face in front of his buddies, decided that this lady needed a little firm handling. He stepped up to her, with Chiro right behind him. "Look, you're not even invited now." He made a move to push past her. "We'll just hear from--"  
  
As soon as his hand touched Kiyone's shoulder, he regretted it. Immensely.  
  
In the wink of an eye, he was on the sand, gasping for breath. Kiyone had admired the solar plexus punch Tris had administered to Munt. She now discovered it was as serviceable as it had looked.  
  
Chiro's reflex action in seeing his buddy go down was to try to grab the Galaxy Police officer. What he grabbed was air. Kiyone's snap kick connected with his left kidney and he too ended up on the sand in a world of hurt.  
  
Kiyone dusted her hands, unfazed. She looked at Ito. "Find yourself some new friends," she advised. "And lose some weight. You're not a bad looking boy, really."  
  
Then she turned on her heel and walked toward the Masaki beach blanket and those sitting on it. Ryoko and Ayeka, exchanging broad smiles, joined her.  
  
"Yes, indeed," Ayeka remarked. "It is so nice to have the police around."  
  
------  
  
Tenchi and Tris, along with Sasami and Mihoshi, had looked up from their sand castle construction in time to see the tête-à-tête between Kiyone and the hapless Toti and Chiro. Sasami and Mihoshi now let out anxious breaths as Kiyone finished dispatching the two cretins.  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked at each other. Then they applauded, loudly.  
  
"Oh, shut up," Kiyone told them. She walked up to them. She stopped before the sand castle. "Permission to cross the moat?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
"Permission granted," Tris said. "Mind the gators."  
  
Then Washuu rose from her blanket. She grinned at Kiyone. "Can't say I didn't warn you."  
  
Kiyone looked as if she wanted to practice that solar plexus punch just one more time.  
  
Tenchi stood up and walked out to Ayeka and Ryoko. "Where were you three?" he asked, curious.  
  
"Where were you, Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka countered.  
  
"Tris and I played volleyball. Then Tris got a little hurt and we came back," Tenchi said.  
  
"Oh..." said Ayeka.  
  
"Oh..." said Ryoko.  
  
"We were wanting you to come back. Tris and I have an idea."  
  
"What is that, Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka's voice had resumed its quiet softness.  
  
"I hope it's a good one, sweetums," Ryoko told him. But the golden eyes regarding him were soft.  
  
"This beach is famous all over Japan for the moonrise...the view is supposed to be really something. Tris and I thought, if you girls agree, that we'd stay, have dinner at a restaurant in the town, and watch the moonrise."  
  
"Why, that is a lovely idea...just lovely," Ayeka said.  
  
"That's a good one all right, sweetums," Ryoko agreed.  
  
"Do you want to do it, really?" Mihoshi called out excitedly. "It's going to be so much fun!"  
  
"They want to do it, Mihoshi." Sasami smiled, watching her big sister and Ryoko close around Tenchi.  
  
Tris felt Kiyone sit down beside him. Then he felt her hand stroke the back of his neck. Ironically, it was the same hand that had just punched that dweeb in the Hawaiian shirt. That had been one sweet punch.  
  
"You big idiot...that is a lovely idea," Kiyone told him.  
  
"Glad you like it, Blue Eyes."  
  
"Tenchi said you were hurt..."  
  
"Just a volleyball on the noggin. Don't worry. The volleyball wasn't hurt, either."  
  
Kiyone chuckled softly. Then her lips brushed his ear. "So tell me...are you going to kiss me under the moonlight?" she whispered.  
  
"I can just about guarantee that," Tris murmured.  
  
Glancing at Kiyone and Tris, Sasami added, "Kiyone wants to do it, too, Mihoshi. We're staying!"  
  
"Yay! We can all watch the moonrise together!"  
  
"Good," Washuu muttered. "Maybe I can get some rest, finally."  
  
------  
  
But Washuu ended up watching the spectacular moonrise at Katsurahama Beach with the rest of them some hours later.  
  
All of them had donned their street clothes. It was still only spring and the evening was a bit cool, but not uncomfortably so. Dinner at an outdoor café in Kochi City had been long and boisterous and happy, and the seafood sublime. Now, glowing Japanese lanterns dotted the beach, adding to the magical scene.  
  
The full moon, a ball of soft molten gold, slowly and majestically ascended the perfectly clear, star-studded night sky. Its incandescent glow was reflected dazzlingly on the silvery sea.  
  
Tris kept his promise. He kissed Kiyone, long and slow, under that golden moon.  
  
A distance away from them, Ryoko and Ayeka sat on either side of Tenchi. Mihoshi and Sasami sat a few dozen yards behind them. Washuu, in turn, sat a little distance behind them.  
  
Washuu stared at the gold and silver show. Even the great scientist was impressed. More...she thought about that galoot from long ago. She wished she had his hand to hold. Being single was sort of becoming a drag, Washuu admitted to herself. Frankly, she was tired of it. First Ayeka and Ryoko and Tenchi...and now Kiyone and Tris. It was time that she started thinking about a fella for herself. Suddenly, a man's face flashed in her mind. Him? No way. Well, then again...  
  
In the darkness behind her, the radio played. The night disc jockey at the station had seen the day shift play list and decided to keep the Beach Boys marathon rocking on. It added a piquant tone to the moon-lit scene.  
  
"This is so great," Mihoshi sighed, feeling happy and contented and at peace. "I wish...I wish every day and night could be like this. Don't you, Sasami?"  
  
"Yes, Mihoshi. Sometimes I feel so sad that it's going to end," the little Princess replied, a bit dolefully.  
  
"Huh? Why do you say that?" Mihoshi asked, surprised.  
  
"Oh, Mihoshi, you don't know. Papa has been calling Ayeka and me more and more often lately." Sasami was referring to her and Ayeka's father, King Azusa of Jurai, who communicated with his absent daughters via Azaka II and Kamidake II. "He really didn't want us to come back here. If Mama hadn't intervened, I doubt we'd still be here now. And he wants us back....he wants us back, awfully bad."  
  
"But Tenchi hasn't made his choice," Mihoshi pointed out.  
  
"I think Papa is tired of us being here, waiting for that. Ayeka has her duties as First Princess. The people back on Jurai haven't seen her for a long time. I think Papa's afraid the people may want somebody else to succeed him if Ayeka keeps on staying away. Papa doesn't want that! He wants to retire again, awfully, but he also wants Ayeka to succeed him. I think he might even have a new Prince Consort picked out for Ayeka. Papa doesn't believe we should marry just for love...but also for duty."  
  
"Gosh." Mihoshi considered this. "What do you think Ayeka wants, Sasami?"  
  
"Oh, she wants Tenchi. She'd give up the throne for him."  
  
"And what do you want, Sasami?"  
  
"I want to stay here," the little girl asserted. "I've never been so happy as I am here. I really think of this place as home. I don't want to go back."  
  
Mihoshi smiled and gave Sasami a quick hug. "Then stay!" To Mihoshi, it was as simple as that.  
  
"Oh, Mihoshi!" But the little Princess laughed softly, fondly, at her friend's sweet simplicity and directness. If only her and Ayeka's lives could be as easily ordered as that! She dropped the discussion and watched the moonrise with Mihoshi.  
  
Two others also watching the moonrise now broke their silence.  
  
"What are you thinking about, Tris?" Kiyone asked softly. They sat together, embracing, on the sand. They had just kissed again. One kiss had just led to another...and another. As far as both were concerned, that was just fine.  
  
"Oh, that it'll be mighty hard to have to go back to school. Musty old books and Professor Narita's dirty looks."  
  
"Don't talk about that now," Kiyone told him. "We can talk about that later."  
  
"It's only a couple of weeks, Blue Eyes."  
  
"Then it can just wait a couple of weeks."  
  
"Okay." Tris stroked Kiyone's long teal hair. "You know, that there moon really shines. If there were two moons, they'd be your eyes, Kiyone. I think I fell right into those beautiful eyes of yours at the very beginning and just sank. I never want to come up."  
  
Kiyone held him closer. That was what she wanted to hear. "You darling idiot," she whispered.  
  
They kissed...they kissed on...and on...this was going to be a long one...they kissed and kissed...on and on...for the moment they were wonderfully oblivious to everything but each other. Reality could come calling another day.  
  
That feeling was shared by three others.  
  
"You know, it's just the moon," Tenchi said, where he sat with Ayeka and Ryoko. "But it seems special tonight, somehow."  
  
"But it is special, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said quietly. She leaned against him. "It is very special. We are all together...and I think we are all happy, finally. It will not stay this way, but at least we have it for now."  
  
"Speak for yourself, Princess," Ryoko murmured, pressing against Tenchi on his other side. "I plan to stay right here...with my sweetums."  
  
Tenchi looked at Ayeka. "Say, Ayeka...do you plan to leave us?"  
  
Ayeka pressed closer against Tenchi. "No, Lord Tenchi. I do not plan to leave."  
  
"Great," Ryoko muttered. "Go and get a girl's hopes up..."  
  
"But you know this cannot last, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka ignored Ryoko. "I do not know what the future holds for us. It...It does frighten me a little."  
  
"We can't know the future, Ayeka," Tenchi told her. "But I do know we can't let that affect what we have now. Otherwise, we go through life without enjoying it."  
  
"That's right, Princess," Ryoko said. "You're the biggest worrywart I've ever known. Besides, good stuff can happen as well as bad. Back when I was dodging the GP and bounty hunters like Nagi, could I have known that someday I'd be here in this lovely place with my sweetums? Of course not."  
  
Ayeka laughed gently. "Well, I suppose you do have a point, Ryoko." She looked out over the silvery sea, thoughtfully. "In all those endless days back on Jurai, attending to my duties, hosting official functions, and trying to moderate inter-family feuding, I never dreamed I would come to a place like this, and..." She pressed against Tenchi again. "And...well, everything."  
  
"We're so happy you did come to us, Ayeka," Tenchi told her. "And that you came back."  
  
"Really, Lord Tenchi?"  
  
"Really, Ayeka."  
  
"Well, some of us, anyway..." Ryoko muttered.  
  
They would have to leave soon. It was a long drive back. And Grandfather and Dad would be waiting for them. Tenchi thought about rising and getting going. But he decided to wait just a bit longer. Ayeka and Ryoko were grateful.  
  
In fact, they were all grateful. It was a happy interlude for all of them. The beach and the moon had lived up to their reputations. Occasionally, the best things in life really were free.  
  
_______________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) The Akihabara is an area of Tokyo famnous for its electronics stores. It's where the latest electonic media players and gadgets can be viewed and purchased, sometimes up to a year before they are offered for sale in the US. This writer has many fond memories of buying laser discs in the Akihabara, laser dics of classic and cult films that were not available in any format in America until the advent of DVD. The Ginza district is Tokyo's fabulous shopping and nightclub area. Meeting someone under the Wako clock tower in the Ginza is a oft-heard phrase in Tokyo.  
  
(2) From the film "Yankee Doodle Dandy," the filmic life of flag- waving Broadway performer and composer George M. Cohan. Cohan really was born on the Fourth of July, by the way.  
  
(3) In case you're not entirely familiar with the lyrics to that classic beach song, here's the first stanza:  
  
If everybody had an ocean Across the U.S.A. Then everybody'd be surfing Like Californ-i-a You'd see 'em wearin' their baggies Huarachi sandals too A bushy, bushy blond hairdo Surfin U.S.A. 


	13. CHAPTER 12: No Need For Assumptions

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER TWELVE  
  
No Need For Assumptions  
  
_______________________  
  
Due to the fact that Tenchi, Tris, and the women pulled out of Kochi City around 11 p.m. that evening, it wasn't until early the next morning that they arrived back at the Masaki Shrine. They were tired, happy, and a little sun burnt.  
  
Although Tenchi's father had already retired to bed, since he had to rise early for another workday, Lord Yosho was up to meet them. He shooed the weary beach-goers to bed and undertook the completion of the van unloading himself. When the rental folks arrived later that morning to pick up the Daihatsu custom minivan, Lord Yosho met them and turned over the keys. He seemed to thrive on little sleep.  
  
Breakfast was out of the question, of course...everyone (except Lord Yosho and Nobuyuki) slept through it. Around noonish, Sasami finally rose from her futon and, with Ayeka's help, prepared a lunch for the other late risers.  
  
They all sat together around the table for lunch, even Washuu. They were still a bit tired but very satisfied. There is a wonderful languor that one feels after a particularly energetic and fine time has been had. Lord Yosho, joining them for lunch, was amused to see the tired but smiling faces, all of them a bit flushed from the sun. The trip to the beach had been a solid success.  
  
It turned out to be a stolen day. Most of the beachgoers rose from lunch to do chores, but not vigorously. Except for Tenchi; for some reason, Lord Yosho insisted he and his grandson put in at least an hour of Shintaido Bojutsu practice. Since Yosho was no slave driver, Tenchi assumed that his grandfather had a particular reason for making him practice.  
  
Yosho did. He was still very concerned by the Presence and what its change in tactics portended. He felt that time may be running out and that his grandson would soon need all his combat skills. The Presence had not come the night before, but Yosho felt certain that it would come back again. Nothing that evil gave up easily.  
  
------  
  
Tris decided he might as well put in an hour or two trimming grass. He went into his and Tenchi's bedroom to change from shorts to jeans. (Resting on grass and stone on one's bare knees was rather uncomfortable, he had found.) The young American was preparing to depart and had slid open the bedroom door when he saw Ryoko standing there.  
  
"Hi, Tris," she said.  
  
"Hi, Ryoko. Tenchi isn't here, he's with his grandfather--"  
  
"I know where he is." Ryoko seemed a bit pensive. Unusual for her, to say the least. "May I come in?"  
  
"Sure..."  
  
Tris stepped aside from the doorway. Ryoko walked in. She made a beeline to Tenchi's bed. She sat down. She looked at Tris.  
  
"Better close the door, Tris."  
  
Tris cocked an eyebrow at her. She laughed suddenly.  
  
"Oh, that's not what it is, you goof! I just want to talk."  
  
"Many women have told me that, at first," Tris said. "And then--many women have, by golly."  
  
Tris slid the door shut. He walked up to her. He stood by Tenchi's bed.  
  
"Oh, sit down!" Ryoko told him. "I won't bite."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
Ryoko smiled crookedly. "I'm sure."  
  
"Right-o." Tris sat down on the bed beside the space pirate.  
  
"Tris, you must think I'm really hell on wheels," Ryoko began.  
  
"Well, you're not Miss Manners," he said. "But you're not hell on wheels or heels or anything else."  
  
"Okay, but...you think I'm pretty rude and crude, huh?"  
  
"I think you're honest and forthright. And pretty. Maybe you need a little work in the think-before-you-speak department. But who am I to talk about that?"  
  
"That's one thing I like about you, though," Ryoko said. "You say what you think, even if you do only get a punch out of it."  
  
"Yeah," Tris said reflectively. He absently rubbed his right shoulder.  
  
"So you like me, huh?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Ryoko, you're every boy's dream gal. Better than that, you're for real. And I'm damned glad we're friends, finally."  
  
"Okay, thanks, Tris." Ryoko smiled affectionately at the intruder, the goofball, who had turned out to be such a nice guy. "Since you feel that way...I'd like to ask you a question."  
  
"Fire away."  
  
"You're a guy and I'd like a guy's opinion." Ryoko hesitated. It wasn't going to be as easy to ask as she had thought. But, characteristically, she plunged ahead. "Tris...why won't Tenchi make up his mind? You know what I mean."  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Tris thought a moment. "Ryoko, Tenchi is a great guy. I mean, a great guy among great guys. At college, he really stands out. He's not loud or a show-off, but the other guys look up to him, somehow. If I had a tenth of Tenchi's charisma, I'd go back to the States when I was old enough and run for Congress and win. He really cares about people and will go pretty far not to exclude anyone or hurt someone's feelings. He could have objected to getting a strange Yank for a roommate, but he accepted it and even pretended to be happy about it, at first. We became pals, but that just happened. He would have been nice to me regardless." Tris grinned. "Just look at all the trouble he went to just to have me over for a few days!"  
  
"Everything you've said I already know," Ryoko pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. Well, what I'm leading up to is that Tenchi is such a good guy--and a smart guy--that he knew back when he was in high school that he was just too young and inexperienced then to make that decision you want him to make. He knows that it's for life. Now he's older and he will have to make that decision...but he doesn't want to hurt one of you. So, he's going to be damned certain when he chooses. And that, I think, is the bottom line, Ryoko."  
  
"That makes sense," Ryoko admitted. "I always kind of knew that, I guess, but it's nice to hear someone else say it who's a little more objective than the others around here." She looked down and slowly swung her feet, back and forth. "You know, it's because he's that way that I love him so much. It's so damned unfair!"  
  
"Unfair?"  
  
"Sure! I love Tenchi with all my heart...all my being, Tris. All I want is to be with him, as his wife. I don't care where, I don't care how. I'd live in that damned cave where we found Washuu if I had to." She grinned at Tris. "Or even in that hokey tent! By now, Tenchi should know he loves me and want to be with me forever and ever, but..." Ryoko paused.  
  
"But there's Ayeka," Tris finished for her.  
  
"Yeah, the Princess. That snobbish, rich, overbearing hunk of Jurai royalty--but she's more than that, much more, although I'll deny ever admitting it! And she loves Tenchi too--really loves him. What should be sweet and simple is kind of sour and complicated. That's what's so unfair. And I can't hate the Princess, no matter how much I've tried to. So we're on tetherhooks, the Princess and me, just waiting--wanting to hear and yet dreading to hear what Tenchi will tell us someday." Ryoko stopped swinging her feet. She sat there, clearly in a funk.  
  
Tris looked at the space pirate. He felt for her and thought he understood her now a little better now. Ryoko clearly had wanted to spill her feelings to someone outside the Masaki family for a long time. In a way, it was a real compliment to Tris that she had unburdened herself a little to him. Still, though, it had to be hard for Ryoko to bare her innermost anxieties to him. So Tris tried the leaven the mood. "Yeah, I see what you mean, Ryoko. Love hurts."  
  
Now Ryoko laughed. "You should know that, you goofball!"  
  
Tris laughed, too. "Yeah, I guess I do, at that."  
  
"Tris, I've gotta tell you...you've showed me some things I thought I'd never see, and I've been around, you know. But the biggest surprise has to be how you wormed your way into Kiyone's heart. That's something I really never thought I'd see."  
  
"Why?" Tris asked. "Kiyone is a regular person. She's a warm, caring woman."  
  
"Hey, don't get me wrong, Tris." The platinum-haired space pirate regarded him, rather speculatively, with those amazing golden eyes. "I knew she was attracted to boys. It's just that she built that shell around herself and stayed in it so long. She had feelings for guys, I knew that. She was just afraid to show them...thought it would take her mind off her career or something if she got serious about a guy. She wasn't looking, that's for sure. Single and not looking. That was our Kiyone."  
  
"Well, I wasn't either," Tris pointed out. "I just wanted to breeze through college here, have a few laughs, maybe date some girls for fun, and stay cool. Tenchi was about the first person I ever even talked to seriously after...well, after everything went to hell back home."  
  
"Yeah...I heard a little about that. That's tough, Tris. I know what it's like to be alone." Ryoko looked at him with empathy. Then she grinned. "So, here's two people who weren't looking, trying to cruise around solo, and wham! Collision! That's classic!" Ryoko laughed heartily.  
  
She rose, still chuckling. "I'm glad we had this little talk, Tris. You've made things more fun around here, that's for sure. Bye." She floated up and passed through the door. Outside the door, Tris heard her say, laughingly, "Wham! Abandon ship! Goofballs and lady cops first!" The laughter continued and slowly lowered in volume until it was gone.  
  
Tris shook his head. "The Cheshire Cat! I swear!" He stood up. The grass wasn't going to get trimmed by him just sitting there.  
  
------  
  
"Tenchi, I think we can end the session here," Lord Yosho said, lowering his stave.  
  
His grandson bowed to him and he bowed in return.  
  
"Thanks, Grandfather." Tenchi meant it, too. All of his practice combats with Grandfather were intense and straining. One did not progress if one did not extend oneself, as Grandfather often said. But this session had been a real challenge. His head had been in danger of being thumped several times. However, Tenchi had managed to survive the practice combat unscathed.  
  
Yosho caught the tone of his grandson's voice. "Yes, Tenchi, I was testing you very severely today. I gave you of my best. I am happy to observe that you are returning to your fighting trim...although you still have a ways to go yet."  
  
"I'm happy, too, Grandfather." Tenchi shook his head. "I didn't realize how much out of practice I was."  
  
"That is the key...practice...in order to be prepared for the real thing."  
  
Tenchi looked at his grandfather, realization growing in him. "Do you think I might--we might--meet up with the real thing, Grandfather?"  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. "I cannot justify my feelings factually, Tenchi. But I do feel we will."  
  
"It's that...force or visitation, or whatever it is?"  
  
"Yes, Tenchi. It may have lowered its intensity, but I cannot believe that it is truly ebbing. It has visited us too often for that. It's also directed toward at least one of us from Jurai or descended from Jurai. Of that, there can be no doubt."  
  
"No doubt, Grandfather?"  
  
"None, Tenchi." Lord Yosho walked over the rack and deposited his stave. Tenchi followed him and did likewise. "I considered that we might be facing an old enemy of Ryoko's or perhaps even of Professor Washuu. But this invading Presence...it smacks of an old evil and a very powerful and deceitful one. I believe that any enemies of Ryoko and Professor Washuu would attack in a far more forthright manner."  
  
"Yes, that makes sense, Grandfather." Tenchi frowned. "When whatever it is makes its move--if it does--do you think I will need to unsheathe Sword Tenchi?"  
  
"I'm afraid it's possible, Tenchi."  
  
The young Juraian Prince spoke sadly. "I thought I could put Sword Tenchi away forever after the battle against Kagato. Grandfather, we were all nearly killed. It was a really close thing. To have to go through it again--and against something we can't even get a real handle on!"  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. "Yes. It is not the fate--or the life--I had hoped for you, Tenchi. My hope was that you would never have to employ Sword Tenchi again, that you would simply enjoy a full and good life as my successor...and that you would expend your energies providing me with many great-grandchildren to spoil!" He smiled.  
  
"I know, Grandfather." Tenchi returned the smile. Then his expression became somber and resolute. "But I understand my fate, too. I have been given the means--and the duty--to fight powerful evil. And I will fight if I have to."  
  
Lord Yosho placed a fond hand on his grandson's shoulder. "That is the true warrior spirit, Tenchi...not to seek battle but to do battle when evil threatens yourself and those you love. You have learned that lesson well, grandson."  
  
"Thank you, Grandfather."  
  
"In a way, our Jurai heritage is a curse," Lord Yosho mused. "A family as immensely wealthy and all-powerful as ours will not only produce the renegades such as Kagato but also incite hatred and envy in other powerful beings. The kind of hatred and envy that would motivate such beings to strike out at the royal family--and perhaps do so by targeting the family members they consider most vulnerable: the runaway prince who fell to the primitive planet Earth and his progeny."  
  
"I understand, Grandfather." Tenchi's face was firm and set. "We'll show whatever it is that we're not so vulnerable!"  
  
"Indeed we will, grandson." Yosho now introduced a different topic. "Tenchi, ordinarily I would not ask you to betray a confidence. But this may have something to do with the enemy we face."  
  
"Yes, Grandfather?"  
  
"The night that Tristram hosted that film that turned out to be a horror movie...and the screams from the women's bedroom. That was not Sasami--was it, grandson?"  
  
Tenchi looked a bit uncomfortable. "No, Grandfather, it wasn't. I guess I should have told you. But Ayeka was so worried about it and embarrassed. I decided to leave it be as long as she apologized to Tris."  
  
"Please do not misunderstand me, Tenchi. I don't disapprove of your actions. That was your own business to handle. If it weren't for the present situation, I would not have brought up the subject at all."  
  
"I see. You knew all along, Grandfather?"  
  
"I suspected. The screams were too mature-sounding to be from little Sasami. Mihoshi noticed that, too, if you'll recall. Ordinarily, Princess Ayeka would have been embarrassed, of course, but she would have quickly owned up to the screaming. But when she hesitated--and Sasami took the blame--I suspected that this was not the first instance of such behavior, and that both of them did not want anyone else to know. My deduction was that the Princess was too caught up with her competition with Ryoko to admit to such a weakness. That's the only significance I placed on the affair at that time."  
  
Tenchi slowly nodded his head. "You should be a detective yourself, Grandfather." Tenchi related what the Princess had told him. When he finished, he asked, "Do you recall Ayeka having those bad dreams as a little girl, Grandfather?"  
  
Lord Yosho considered that question for a quiet moment. "I believe I heard a vague reference to them. At that time, I was far away on one of my expeditions...very likely with Kagato. We were friends at that time and boon companions, as you know. Princess Ayeka told you that her current series of bad dreams resemble the rash of bad dreams she suffered as a child?"  
  
"Yes, Grandfather. She said they're identical. That's why she is so sure they'll just go away again." Tenchi looked concerned. "Do you think there is any connection with that thing you've been sensing?"  
  
"Perhaps. I have slowly come to the belief that it is possible. Too slowly, perhaps. I will need to question the Princess about it. But I will wait until tomorrow, once she and everyone else has fully recovered from that beach excursion of yours!" He smiled, and his voice held a trace of nostalgia. "Watching the moon rise at Katsurahama Beach. You are not the only one of our family to have done that with loved ones."  
  
"Really, Grandfather?"  
  
"Yes. In fact, your father and mother did that very same thing long ago. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that is where your father proposed to your mother."  
  
"No kidding, Grandfather? Wow...think of that."  
  
Both Tenchi and his grandfather did think of that for a moment...and of the beautiful, loving daughter and mother named Achika Masaki.  
  
------  
  
Tor Bodai, the burly and bewhiskered Chief Of Patrol for Division Zeta (comprising five regions, ten sub-regions and some 100 sectors) of the Galaxy Police (and former Chief Instructor at the Galaxy Police Academy) sat in his spare little office at GP Headquarters. He made a pretense of looking over some reports (in permanent foolscap format, i.e., paper rather than electronic form). He was actually making the person standing quietly before his cluttered desk wait for him on purpose. It was a favorite technique of his to see if enforced waiting in his presence provoked any nervous or angry reactions.  
  
In this case, he was to be disappointed. Detective Sergeant (newly pinned-on) Mitsuki Sakakibara, the trim, efficient-looking, red- haired officer, her uniform spotless, manner officially neutral, just stood there and waited for him to finish. She stared at a boundary map of the section GP patrol districts on the wall behind his desk module.  
  
Chief Bodai had hoped she'd show some nervousness. His re- investigation of the Slaakive mis-identification fiasco was frankly going nowhere. He had reviewed the facts and talked to the two Galaxy Police officers who had helped Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu bust the alleged vagrant on that pleasure planet (who had turned out to be just that, a vagrant who bore some fleeting similarity in features to the still fugitive kidnapper Slaakive). He had the main identification-comparison module all but taken apart in an attempt to discover any record of that affirmative ID analysis report Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu insisted they saw. Nothing had resulted. All he had was no new evidence...and his gut feelings about Kiyone and Mitsuki.  
  
He had instructed both Cadets Makibi and Sakakibara at the Academy. He had liked them both very much back then. They had been friends and seemed then like the proverbial two peas in a pod. Both had been bright, aggressive young cadets eager to make their mark in the GP. Spotless disciplinary records, outstanding marks in all subjects, total dedication to their studies with not even the desire to attend off-campus parties or even to date fellows. They had spent their free time working on special projects for extra credit, often together. (Chief Bodai had wished the two would have engaged in some sort of social life, but he had been their instructor, not their nanny. Those latter duties had been reserved for the formidable Inspector Maki.)  
  
Yet, following graduation from the Academy, that pea pod had been split asunder, irrevocably. Kiyone had suffered through career- slowing backwater assignments with a partner who was occasionally hapless (Mihoshi Kuramitsu, granddaughter of the Grand Marshal, which meant no more needed to be said). Mitsuki quickly won assignment to Headquarters. There, she had changed. She had learned the political ropes, taking part in the in-fighting and backstabbing that plague all bureaucracies, even elite ones.  
  
It was unfortunate that such tactics sometimes did more for the practitioner's career than simply attending to duty and showing occasional initiative. Many fine officers labored out in the field, forgotten and un-trumpeted, unless they made a spectacular arrest-- while staff officers pulled a few internal coups, usually at the expense of others, and won recognition and promotion. Mitsuki had certainly won promotion, largely for achievements on paper. It was a rotten system, one that Chief Bodai and others like him had vowed to eradicate. But it was going to take time. In the meantime, up-and- comers like Mitsuki did not want to waste time in advancing themselves...and so made a moral choice.  
  
It was that moral choice that convinced Chief Bodai that Detective Sergeant Sakakibara was more likely to resort to skullduggery than Detective First Class Makibi. Oh, Kiyone was hot-tempered, impulsive, perhaps overly aggressive at times...but those were the understandable symptoms of a dedicated officer, symptoms that time and experience would ease. The problem was, those symptoms were all that many at Headquarters had experienced from Kiyone--that, and the knowledge that she was partnered with the less-than-sterling Mihoshi. In fact, to those who did not know her well, Kiyone was the one who seemed more likely to push the envelope too hard to win promotion, not Mitsuki. The fact that Kiyone and Mihoshi couldn't even say they saw the then- subordinate Mitsuki put the alleged full comparo-ID report on Kiyone's desk module let Mitsuki out completely--particularly if there was no electronic or paper trail, and there wasn't.  
  
So, the logical assumption would be that Kiyone, bitterly frustrated over having had her career stalled so long and determined to play career catch-up, had arrested a person solely based on the strength of a preliminary comparo-ID report. That was strictly against GP regulations and common sense, to boot. The proper thing to have done was to hold the suspect at the pleasure planet and then run the full comparo-ID at Headquarters. At any rate, when the vagant proved not to be Slaakive, Kiyone had lied in desperation about seeing a full comparo-ID report. Mihoshi, her good friend (really, her only friend; Kiyone did not make friends easily) had then loyally--and foolishly-- backed her up. That was what many at Headquarters seemed to believe, at any rate.  
  
Chief Bodai knew Kiyone better than that, of course, but he was quite alone in that knowledge. True, Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu had won a little respect back over the handing of those errant young girls from Souiis. Still, many at GP Headquarters would remember only that they had fired upon a ship piloted by kids. And many more still felt that Kiyone and Mihoshi should have been dismissed from the service over the Slaakive mis-identification fiasco and had been retained only because one of them had a grandfather who was the Grand Marshal.  
  
Of course, that alleged positive full ID-comparo report could have been easily faked. Such a forgery would not hold up to close inspection, naturally, but if an over-eager Kiyone and Mihoshi had simply seen in it what they had been hoping for and had not given the report a thorough look...yes, that was likely what had happened. Chief Bodai had to admit that he had been capable of such a blunder when he had been Kiyone's age. Once she and Mihoshi had left to make their big bust, the report would have been spirited away and destroyed. No fuss, no muss...and no evidence left behind.  
  
Well, anyway, he'd called Mitsuki in. He'd better stop stalling and talk to her. It was likely a waste of time at any rate.  
  
His head rose. He stared at her. "First of all, Sergeant Sakakibara, I again congratulate you on your promotion."  
  
"Thank you, Chief." Mitsuki voice was neutral. Clearly, she wasn't buying it.  
  
"And I offer my best wishes on your upcoming wedding with Lieutenant Zay're." That was a match made in political heaven. Lieutenant Zay're was another hard-charging staff officer. Together, they would make a formidable combination. They could one day rise to the highest ranks of the GP. Chief Bodai felt a little depressed at the thought.  
  
"Thank you again, Chief." There was just enough feeling in her reply to avoid any charge of impertinence. Sergeant Sakakibara knew how to play the game, all right. This was going to be a waste of time.  
  
But he tried. "Sergeant...I want you to know that I understand the special pressures that this service places on young officers. I have no recording devices in this office. I never use them. We need talented officers like yourself and we will be willing to forgive one misstep--if that misstep is confessed to in a timely manner."  
  
Detective Sergeant Sakakibara blinked. Then she said, "Yes, Chief. I believe you and the GP showed great fairness to Detectives First Class Makibi and Kuramitsu. This re-investigation is proof that the service will bend over backwards to be fair."  
  
Inwardly Chief Bodai groaned. The little staff heroine had all her moves laid out, her answers down pat.  
  
"Sergeant Sakakibara...Mitsuki...is there nothing you'd like to say to me? The time is now, believe me."  
  
"Such as what, Chief?" Her voice was distantly polite.  
  
"I think you know what."  
  
"I am sorry, Chief. I truly don't." She waited a few beats, and then asked, "Is that all, Chief?"  
  
Chief Bodai sighed inwardly, but kept his outward composure. "Yes, Sergeant. That is all."  
  
With a quick and textbook-perfect salute, Sergeant Mitsuki left.  
  
Chief Bodai sat and thought a moment. Then he stood up and kicked his desk, hard. It hurt his foot but it made him feel better inside, a little.  
  
------  
  
Following his conversation with his grandfather, Tenchi walked to the house. On the way, he had passed and greeted Tris, who was bent over another stone pathway, trimming away. Tris had asked him if the governor had sent along the reprieve. Tenchi had told him no and to get back to work. Past the garden shed, he saw Sasami, who was taking a break from the kitchen to play with Ryo-Ohki. He had waved at Sasami and Sasami waved back. Ryo-Ohki had "meow-er"-ed at him amiably.  
  
Tenchi entered his house quietly and exchanged his shoes for house slippers. He heard a noise above him. He looked up to the ceiling. On one of the wide beams, he saw a dark form and a shock of platinum hair. He grinned, and then yelled, "Ryoko!"  
  
He heard a startled gasp from above. An object fell from the rafters, nearly hitting him. He looked at it. It was one of the hentai books that Tris had accidentally given Sasami and Mihoshi. Immediately, Ryoko followed it down.  
  
"Tenchi--I'm sorry I dropped it, you surprised me--I didn't mean--" She floated up to him. She looked a bit abashed.  
  
"Catching up on your reading, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Just looking at that silly stuff for a lark...you know." Her voice was casual but her golden eyes were anxious.  
  
Tenchi dropped it. "Just don't let Sasami see any of that."  
  
"I won't, sweetums!"  
  
"Okay. Have you seen Ayeka?"  
  
"What do you want to see her for?" Ryoko asked, all contriteness gone.  
  
"I just want to see her."  
  
"Why? You're seeing me. Why go look at second best?" She gave him a sassy smile.  
  
Tenchi shook his head and smiled back in spite of himself. "Ryoko!"  
  
The space pirate was pleased. As long as she could make her Tenchi smile, all was right in her world.  
  
"She's in the laundry room," Ryoko said, referring to the smallish nook beside the kitchen where the clothes washer did its duty.  
  
"Uh-huh. Weren't you supposed to help her?"  
  
Ryoko was all wide-eyed innocence. "I tried, sweetums...I really did! She booted me out."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"That's right. She said I took too long sorting the clothes. Isn't that silly? Just because I'm kinda picky about my clothes. You remember how my nice lemon blouse ended up looking like a squashed orange?"  
  
"Mihoshi did that," Tenchi reminded her. "And she apologized to you about a hundred times." That was why Mihoshi no longer pulled laundry duty.  
  
"Well, you can't be too careful, Tenchi. I always want to look my best for you."  
  
"Okay, okay." Tenchi didn't want to get involved in yet another discussion on that topic. "I'll just go talk to Ayeka for a moment. See you later, Ryoko."  
  
"See you soon, sweetums."  
  
Tenchi left. Ryoko waited until he had gone, then picked up the hentai book and floated back up to the rafters.  
  
As he passed the stairs, Tenchi heard voices from the floor above:  
  
"Mihoshi--if you dump floor wax on my feet again--!"  
  
"I won't, Kiyone. Please don't yell at me."  
  
"Okay. I won't yell."  
  
Tenchi smiled. Life at the Masaki household had its own particular rhythm.  
  
In the laundry room, he found Ayeka bent over the Matsushita washing machine, putting in clothing. The Princess still had a flush on her face from a minor squabble with Ryoko. She was very glad to see Tenchi.  
  
"When you wash that load, Ayeka, I'll help you put it out on the line," Tenchi said.  
  
"Thank you, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka was happy to do domestic chores with Tenchi although she thought perhaps it was not entirely fitting for him to perform such labor. However, it certainly beat trying to get Ryoko back to help her. She walked up to him, smiling.  
  
"Ayeka," Tenchi began, already feeling a bit uncomfortable with what he had to say next. "About your bad dreams and all..."  
  
The Princess stiffened perceptibly. "Yes, Lord Tenchi?"  
  
"Something came up when I was speaking with Grandfather. I had to tell him about who really screamed that night we watched that horror movie."  
  
Ayeka nodded. She stood very still. "I understand, Lord Tenchi."  
  
"I'm sorry, Ayeka. But Grandfather isn't upset, of course. He may ask you some questions about it tomorrow, though."  
  
"Why, Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka did not appear pleased at the prospect.  
  
"Well...he's a bit concerned about the dreams...as I am." Tenchi knew it sounded lame.  
  
"Is he? I see. As it happens, the bad dreams have ended."  
  
"Really?" Tenchi asked, surprised.  
  
"Yes, Lord Tenchi. Several days ago. Not that you bothered to ask me." Ayeka's tone was cool, collected...and not a bit friendly.  
  
Tenchi just stared at the extraordinary woman he had known for so long. She had gotten angry with him and scolded him before (as she had for swimming in the cold ocean yesterday), but she never before used such a formal, frosty tone with him.  
  
"I..." he began awkwardly. "I know you're right, Ayeka. I should have asked. I'm sorry. Truly, I am."  
  
"If you are, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka spoke very slowly and distinctly, "then you will kindly drop this subject...and you will ask Lord Yosho to do likewise."  
  
"Ayeka!" Tenchi couldn't believe what he was hearing from the Princess. "I'm happy to drop it but I can't tell Grandfather what to do. He may ask you some questions, anyway. He'll do it privately--he won't embarrass you, you know that."  
  
Princess Ayeka's back was ramrod straight. Her eyes blazed. "Very well. If I must submit to interrogation by Lord Yosho like a common criminal--or a space pirate--regardless of my wishes, I shall." She turned from him and walked back to the washer. "Please ask Ryoko to come and help me, Lord Tenchi, if you please."  
  
"But I was going to help you."  
  
"If it is all the same to you, Lord Tenchi, I prefer the company of one who has at least never mislead me as to her feelings about me. Thank you."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Lord Tenchi, I believe I have made myself clear."  
  
If Ayeka had assaulted Tenchi physically he could have not been more stunned. Certainly, Ayeka was embarrassed about the matter. But she was always fair-minded, or at least tried to be. This was just not like her. And to speak to him the way she just had...so cold and hostile...that just seemed impossible. But the impossible had happened.  
  
Tenchi studied Ayeka's stiffened back a moment. "Okay," he said and left the laundry room.  
  
When he reached the living room, Ryoko floated down to him. "Hey, you two didn't sound so happy in there. What's up with the Princess?"  
  
"Please help her with the laundry, Ryoko. And please don't antagonize her."  
  
Ryoko studied Tenchi. She saw the hurt in his eyes. She shrugged. "Sure, sweetums. I will."  
  
"Thanks, Ryoko." Tenchi walked to the front door, slipped on his street shoes, opened the door, and departed.  
  
With some trepidation, Ryoko walked, not flew, to the laundry room.  
  
------  
  
"I've pulled some tough weeds before, chum," Tris addressed a particularly hardy plant that had sprouted between two stones in the walkway he was trimming. "But you are one badass mofo!" He used the trowel; finally, the weed gave up the ghost.  
  
He became aware of someone standing before him. He looked up. It was Tenchi.  
  
"Yo," Tris said.  
  
"Yo," replied Tenchi. "Talking to plants now, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. They don't talk back, unlike Galaxy Police officers. What's up? You look a little peeved."  
  
"Tris, has Ayeka seemed a little...upset, lately?"  
  
Tris pondered the question. "No. She's seemed really upbeat. After our beach trip, she seemed happy as a clam. No pun intended."  
  
"That's what I thought. Well, just now, she more or less handed me my head."  
  
"Ayeka?"  
  
"Yeah." Tenchi quickly sketched out his confrontation with Ayeka in the laundry room.  
  
"Sheesh!" Tris said when Tenchi finished. "That doesn't sound like our favorite royal personage."  
  
"You bet it doesn't."  
  
"She'd be a little embarrassed about it, sure. She was when she apologized to me a few days ago. But it wasn't anything extreme-- nothing to get her to act like that, I don't reckon."  
  
"That was my impression, too. So what's up with her?"  
  
Tris shook his head. "I haven't the foggiest."  
  
Tenchi said, "I'm going to talk to Grandfather again. You want to come?"  
  
"Sure, if I'm not intruding."  
  
"You might as well get used to intruding...you're involved in this. Come on."  
  
Leaving his garden shears and trowel behind, Tris walked with Tenchi toward the temple.  
  
------  
  
"Ummmm...Princess," Ryoko broke the heavy silence that suffused the laundry room. "Should I go ahead and sort the rest of these clothes? Or what?"  
  
Ayeka seemed fascinated by the rumbling of the washing machine--it appeared to claim all of her attention. "You must suit yourself, Ryoko," she said.  
  
"I mean...you haven't already sorted these clothes, right? I need to do it, right?" Ryoko couldn't get a handle on this quiet and morose and frigidly civil Ayeka. The Princess had always responded to her before, not always amiably, of course. But this silence was unexpected and kind of awful.  
  
"That is correct, Ryoko. That is a task that needs doing." That was all Ayeka said.  
  
"All right then..." Ryoko began to rummage through the clothes. "Hey, here's my plum-colored blouse. I got that in Zenon, you know, that planet where all the rich people go to spend money. You been there? Anyway, the blouse was on sale. I never saw a sale on Zenon before, have you? Well, I couldn't resist, Princess. I had to do some shopping! But I never should have tried on so many clothes. Somebody recognized me and I had to leave the best bargains I ever found behind. How about that?"  
  
Ryoko stopped. No response from the Princess. Ryoko might as well have been talking to the washing machine...at least the washing machine made noises back. For some reason, the Princess's lack of response galled her.  
  
The space pirate considered handing the Princess a red-hot one or even several red-hot ones. That always got a rise out of Ayeka. But Ryoko wasn't so sure it would work now. Besides, she had promised her Tenchi that she would not goad Ayeka--at least, not on purpose. She always kept her promises to Tenchi...well, almost always.  
  
"Hey, get a load of this!" Ryoko exclaimed. She held up a pair of BVDs. "That Tris character wears boxer shorts! At his age! What kind of guy wears old man underwear before he has to? I wonder if Kiyone knows about it? Think we ought to tell her?" Ryoko laughed.  
  
Very quietly, addressing the washing machine, Ayeka said, "Kiyone knows that she has a man who respects her and her wishes. That is all that matters."  
  
Well, at least it was a response. "That's right, I guess, Princess. But he doesn't respect her too much, you know? I think that's one reason she likes him. He gets her off that high horse she climbs on sometimes. But boxer shorts!" Ryoko laughed again.  
  
Ayeka didn't join in the laughter. She said, "Are you finished sorting those clothes, Ryoko?"  
  
"Um...no."  
  
"Then will you kindly finish? The clothes now in the washing machine are almost done. They will need to be put on the clothesline very shortly. Then we will need to do another load--if the clothes are sorted and ready."  
  
"Uh, yeah, Princess. Whatever you say."  
  
Ryoko dutifully sorted clothes. Ayeka stared at the washing machine. It was quiet, for once, between them...and it wasn't good.  
  
------  
  
"Are you certain you said nothing that may have offended her, grandson?" Lord Yosho asked Tenchi.  
  
The Shinto priest sat on a tatami mat behind his short-legged desk in the small office he maintained inside the temple. Tenchi and Tris stood before the tiny, battered rosewood desk. Tris had never been in the temple office. He eyed it with curiosity. Certainly, Lord Yosho had lots of paperwork and files. Tris wondered how it all got generated. Being a Shinto priest, or any kind of priest, just didn't seem to go with forms and red tape.  
  
"I'm certain I didn't, Grandfather," Tenchi affirmed.  
  
Lord Yosho slipped off his glasses a moment and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He suddenly looked a bit tired. It surprised Tris.  
  
"Yes, her reaction seems strange. It is a somewhat embarrassing situation, but as a Prince of Jurai, I am her social and caste equal, as are you, Tenchi. It should not distress her for me to ask a few questions."  
  
"She is very distressed about it, Grandfather. She really let me have it, but good."  
  
"That is odd. I cannot explain it, Tenchi." Yosho shook his head. "It is unlike the Princess, as you say."  
  
"What should we do, Grandfather?"  
  
"Simply bear with her. I believe her hurt feelings will moderate if we show patience with her and don't press her. I will postpone questioning her until she is in a better humor."  
  
Tenchi smiled slightly. "Thanks, Grandfather."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded and then looked at Tris. "Something seems to interest you about my humble office, Tristram."  
  
"Yes, sir. I just can't understand all the files and folders around here."  
  
Lord Yosho smiled. "You were expecting just a few holy scrolls laying about, perhaps?"  
  
"Well...yes, sir."  
  
"Tristram, the need to fill out official forms and to satisfy local government in all their programs extends to the shrine as well as to the community. The shrine is the local community and must be operated in accordance with all laws and regulations that apply. We are not exempt, and such accordance does result in paperwork. To quote a phrase no doubt familiar to you...we must render unto Caesar what is Caesar's."  
  
Tris grinned. "The government has its hands in everything, right sir?"  
  
"That is correct, Tristram."  
  
"We've taken up enough of your time, Grandfather," Tenchi said. "We'll see you at dinner. Come on, Tris."  
  
The two young men left the temple office.  
  
As he and Tenchi walked down the temple steps a few minutes later, Tris said, "Okay, you hustled me out of there pretty quick. What's up?"  
  
"I could tell Grandfather wasn't happy about Ayeka's attitude. He needs to mull over the situation. It's better to leave him alone to do it, Tris."  
  
"In other words, it's better not to pester him with dumb questions, right?"  
  
Tenchi grinned. "You said it...I didn't!"  
  
------  
  
"She's being a real Sphinx, huh?" Kiyone asked Ryoko.  
  
"Yeah, a real Sphinx...and it stinks!"  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi, attired in their short-shorts, squatted on their hands and knees on the wooden hallway floor upstairs, trying to rub the dull haze of the floor wax into a nice warm glow. It was hard work and caused a few aching muscles. But the results were worth it. They had been stopped in their task by Ryoko's sudden visit with them.  
  
After the space pirate had helped Ayeka hang up the washed clothes out on the clothesline, the Princess had just walked back into the house and the laundry room and put another load of clothes in the  
  
washing machine. Not a word did she utter. So Ryoko, unable to stand the sullen silence any more, had zipped out of there. She had then decided to vent a little with Kiyone and Mihoshi.  
  
Mihoshi smiled at Ryoko. "You made a rhyme, Ryoko."  
  
"Yeah? Well, here's another one...our Princess is in a snit. She acts like she's full of sh--"  
  
"Can it, Ryoko!" Kiyone told her, before the space pirate could complete her verse.  
  
"Okay, okay. But she makes me real angry, copping an attitude like that. She really hurt Tenchi, too." That earned the Princess two black marks in Ryoko's book. It accounted for her unusual venture into outhouse poetry.  
  
"Well, that's not like her at all...certainly not hurting Tenchi like that. What did Tenchi say to her?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"I don't know. It was something about bad dreams. I didn't hear all of it." Ryoko had certainly tried, though.  
  
Kiyone shook her head. "That doesn't sound like anything to set Ayeka off, especially not with Tenchi."  
  
"Yeah, you're right--and not only with Tenchi. The Princess kept acting super snooty to me, even though I was helping her with the laundry. That's gratitude!" Ryoko suddenly grinned, remembering something about the laundry. "Hey, Kiyone."  
  
"Hey, what?"  
  
"Tris wears boxer shorts!" Ryoko laughed. "Maybe he wears a truss, too!"  
  
Oooooohhhh--! Kiyone was determined not to let Ryoko get to her. She almost succeeded, but a slight flush did bloom on her high cheekbones.  
  
"So what? I think boxer shorts look sexy on a man," Mihoshi told Ryoko.  
  
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone exclaimed.  
  
"Well, I do."  
  
Kiyone turned to Ryoko. "So do I. So drop it."  
  
"Fine," Ryoko grinned. Her good spirits, as well as her sassiness, had obviously returned. She began to float away. "I just hope the Princess gets over her pout. She's beginning to remind me of how you were, Kiyone, when you first came back here. What a drip you were! I don't want to have to live through that again!"  
  
Mihoshi looked at Kiyone, her expression anxious. That comment was just the type that would anger her partner. But Kiyone just smiled ruefully. "I don't blame you, Ryoko. I wouldn't either."  
  
Ryoko winked at her and floated away toward the stairs.  
  
After she had left, Mihoshi asked, "Full of...shame?" She was still pondering the unheard portion of Ryoko's little poem.  
  
"Yeah, that must be it, Mihoshi. Let's get this more of this floor done. Then we'll go talk to Ayeka and try to find out what's really eating her."  
  
------  
  
Ayeka was finishing with the weekly wash in the laundry room when Lord Yosho arrived.  
  
As he walked into the laundry room, Yosho could hear crockery rattling in the kitchen. Sasami had come in from playing with Ryo-Ohki, found her older sister less than communicative, had been hurt by it, and didn't know any other way of dealing with her hurt than going to the kitchen and rattling dishes. For dish-rattling, it was rather eloquent.  
  
"Princess Ayeka?" Lord Yosho addressed the young woman who was next in line for the throne of Jurai.  
  
The Princess turned from the washing machine. She looked at Lord Yosho. Her face was expressionless. "Yes, Lord Yosho?"  
  
"May I speak to you for a moment?"  
  
"Of course, Lord Yosho...if you wish."  
  
Lord Yosho moved deeper into the laundry room. "Princess, I know Tenchi came to see you earlier about a certain matter. He did so simply to inform you of my concern about a subject you knew well of."  
  
"Yes, Lord Yosho?" Tenchi had been right. Princess Ayeka's cold and formal manner was quite atypical.  
  
"I first wish to apologize for causing you any distress, Princess. It was due to my clumsiness and was quite unintentional, I assure you. Tenchi was only the innocent bearer of my concerns."  
  
"I understand, Lord Yosho." Princess Ayeka didn't appear to unbend a millimeter, though.  
  
"I did have what I felt were sufficient reasons to broach such a sensitive topic with you. However, they certainly are not sufficient to cause any friction between my grandson and yourself...or between you and me. Please allow me to close the matter. And please do accept my apologies."  
  
Lord Yosho still wanted to question Princess Ayeka about her recurring nightmares. He felt their possible link to the invading Presence needed to be explored. But he now realized that in her present state of animosity, Ayeka would not cooperate sufficiently to give him full information. In addition, she was the First Princess of Jurai. As a Prince himself, he had a duty to respect her privacy and her position. Any questioning would have to be postponed until he felt the Princess could be approached again, hopefully with more success.  
  
"Does that mean, Lord Yosho," Ayeka asked, a trifle sharply, "that you intend not to interrogate me about that...subject?"  
  
Lord Yosho bowed. "Yes, Princess. Again, I offer my sincere apologies for distressing you."  
  
When he straightened, he was surprised at the sudden change in Princess Ayeka. It was as if a light had been turned on inside her. Her visage had lost its coldness; her smile was sweet and fond, her eyes brilliant. She extended a hand to him. "Thank you, Lord Yosho. You have made me very happy."  
  
The usually imperturbable Lord Yosho was confounded by the sudden one-hundred-eighty-degree turn in the Princess's demeanor and attitude. It seemed unnatural, even mechanical, as if, indeed, a switch had been pulled. But he simply took her hand and murmured gallantly, "That is my fondest goal, Princess...your happiness."  
  
Princess Ayeka blushed rosily; with her new radiance, she was infinitely lovely as she regarded him. "You are a true Prince...the truest Prince," she murmured. Then she released his hand. "Well, I must finish this laundry, Lord Yosho. Then I have some tidying up in the living room to do."  
  
"Very well." He bowed to Princess Ayeka again, and she returned the bow. He left.  
  
Yosho walked away from the laundry room, slowly. He was fraught with thought.  
  
As he walked past the stairway, he met Kiyone and Mihoshi coming down the stairs. Kiyone took the initiative. "Lord Yosho?"  
  
"Yes, Detective?"  
  
"Did you just come from talking to Ayeka?"  
  
"Yes, Detective, I did."  
  
"We were going to talk to her. Is everything...all right now?" Kiyone asked a bit hesitantly.  
  
Yosho understood the reason for the Galaxy Police officer's question. Kiyone hated to pry but she also didn't want to bring up an issue with Princess Ayeka that may possibly have been resolved. A good question, though! Obviously, the two Galaxy Police officers had heard about the Princess's upset. Yosho considered and said, "I believe everything has been cleared up for the moment."  
  
Relief flooded into Kiyone and Mihoshi's faces.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that." Kiyone smiled.  
  
"Me too," Mihoshi added.  
  
"Yes, I am relieved as well. I'll see you both at dinner." Lord Yosho smiled fleetingly at them and continued toward the front door.  
  
------  
  
"So it was nothing, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked once Lord Yosho was out of earshot.  
  
"I don't know if it was nothing...but I think it's all right now," Kiyone said. "Well, let's get upstairs and give the floor another polish, Mihoshi. We can be done by dinner if we try."  
  
"Yes, Kiyone." They returned upstairs.  
  
------  
  
With Princess Ayeka seemingly back in good spirits (rather amazingly so to those who had experienced her coldness just a short time prior), dinner began as a reasonably happy affair. The fact that all of the beach-goers had performed some labor after the long day previous proved beneficial; their biological clocks were back in synch. As well as their appetites for Sasami's wonderful cooking. Happy that her sister had gotten over her aggravation so quickly, Sasami had been inspired to serve another culinary delight.  
  
"I'm glad you're still not angry with me," Tenchi remarked to Ayeka, who was sitting at his right side as always. He had just filled her bowl with steamed rice and vegetables and handed it to her. He still couldn't believe the change in her that had happened so quickly. But he certainly preferred it.  
  
"Angry with you, Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka seemed amused as she accepted the bowl. "When was I ever angry with you?"  
  
"Why..." Tenchi looked at her closely. "Today. When we talked while you were washing clothes."  
  
"I know we talked about something...it was not important. I certainly was not angry with you, Lord Tenchi." She smiled at him as if she suspected he was teasing her. She did it so winningly that Tenchi could believe that Ayeka sincerely thought their discussion had been trivial in nature. But of course it had been just the opposite. So why was Ayeka denying it?  
  
"Not angry, huh?" Ryoko, sitting on Tenchi's left side (again as always) had caught the tail end of their conversation. "Well, Princess, you just let us know when you really are angry so we can run for cover."  
  
"What are you talking about, Ryoko?" Ayeka demanded.  
  
"I'm talking about the way you mean-mouthed Tenchi," Ryoko told her. "And you mean-mouthed me, too, but that's nothing new."  
  
"I did not, Ryoko."  
  
"You did, too. There's witnesses."  
  
"There are not. Lord Tenchi must have misinterpreted something I said. The fault was mine, I am certain. And as for you, Ryoko...let me warn you that I am proceeding to get angry now."  
  
"You have me shaking in my boots, Princess," Ryoko grated.  
  
"Hold on," Tenchi said. It was useless to insist to Ayeka that she had been angry with him when she seemed convinced she had not been. It was bizarre, but there it was. "Ayeka, I think you're right. Ryoko, please stay out of this."  
  
"All right, sweetums." Ryoko glared across Tenchi at Ayeka. Ayeka returned the glare.  
  
Tenchi caught his grandfather's eye. His grandfather gently shook his head. This was something to delve into later.  
  
Farther down the table, Tris, Sasami, Kiyone, and Mihoshi had caught the gist of the minor squabble. Tris looked surprised. Kiyone and Mihoshi looked at each other with puzzlement. Little Sasami just looked small and sad and confused. The dinner did not continue as happily as it had begun. The only bright spot was that Nobuyuki came home in the middle of it and was able to share at least part of his meal with his extended family, which pleased his son and father- in-law particularly.  
  
------  
  
After dinner, the languid mood hit again. Watching television was the only after-dinner activity that seemed in order. Tenchi checked the listings in the local newspaper and inquired if everyone wanted to watch "Bayside Shakedown," which was based on the wildly popular "Wangan Police Station" miniseries. Everyone agreed, especially Mihoshi, who loved police shows, and even Ryoko, who didn't. The program turned out to be a mixture of American-type police procedural and maniac-on-the-loose suspense, all spiced with a distinct lack of respect for authority (which nettled Kiyone and Ayeka just a bit). It was vastly entertaining. Then, the next show led to the next, for an evening of TV viewing.  
  
As was the usual de facto seating arrangement, Tenchi sat on one couch between Ayeka and Ryoko, who from time to time pressed against him and/or held his hand. Sasami sat next to her older sister. She looked up at Ayeka occasionally. But Ayeka was just like her normal self. Once when she noticed Sasami regarding her somberly, Ayeka smiled fondly and whispered, "What is it, dear?" Sasami just shook her head. Ayeka stroked her cheek and returned to watching television. Tenchi also gave Ayeka a close inspection. But she was enjoying the shows, laughing quietly, and being quite loving to him. He let his concerns about her go for the time being.  
  
On the other couch, the seating arrangement had changed somewhat, with Tris at one end, then Kiyone, then Mihoshi. Kiyone had talked to Mihoshi and that accounted for the change. Kiyone had curled up against Tris, her head resting on his shoulder. She was warm and soft against him, and she breathed slowly and steadily. Tris suspected she had fallen asleep. Earlier, she had nuzzled his ear with his lips and had whispered something affectionate to him. For the umpteenth time, Tris marveled at how soft and sweet Kiyone could become when she was around him in a romantic mood. But she was as tough as nails otherwise, especially when duty called. And she was pretty handy with her fists. It certainly made for a bracing relationship...not to mention a bruising one.  
  
"Tris?" It was Mihoshi.  
  
"Uh-huh?"  
  
"Kiyone's asleep."  
  
"Yeah, I got that impression."  
  
"Shall we wake her?"  
  
"Not me. You go right ahead, though."  
  
"Well...maybe I won't." Mihoshi decided.  
  
As it turned out, Kiyone work up just in time to follow everyone else to bed. It had turned out to be a short evening. It also turned out to be the last truly peaceful evening they would have.  
  
------  
  
"Ayeka! Ayeka!"  
  
Asleep in her futon hours later, Ryoko stirred angrily. Why was she hearing Ayeka's name? If she was going to dream, she was going to dream about her Tenchi, not the Princess. If Washuu was using that damned Dream Machine again, she'd--  
  
"Ayeka...oh, Ayeka!"  
  
Ryoko's eyes opened. It was morning. And it was little Sasami's voice she had heard. It was still crying out her big sister's name. The voice sounded stricken.  
  
Seldom had Ryoko moved so fast. She all but leaped from her futon and hurried to Ayeka and Sasami's futons.  
  
Ayeka lay on her futon. Her eyes were closed, her face wan and pale. She seemed as if she were still sleeping. Little Sasami was shaking her, anxiously. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Ayeka! Ayeka-- wake up!"  
  
"Yeah, Princess!" Ryoko added, alarmed at what she was seeing. "Open your eyes! Stop fooling around. You're scaring Sasami." In fact, Ayeka's lack of response was also scaring Ryoko.  
  
In an instant, Kiyone and Mihoshi were there. Kiyone read the situation swiftly. "Mihoshi," she murmured, pointing to Sasami. Mihoshi nodded. She swiftly bent down, and wrapped her arms around the little girl. Gently, she disengaged Sasami from her older sister, who lay so silent and still. "Come on, honey," Mihoshi said to Sasami. "Let Kiyone look at Ayeka now." Sasami buried her head in Mihoshi's shoulder, crying. "Why doesn't she wake up?" Sasami asked as she sobbed. Mihoshi spoke reassuringly to the little girl, stroking her hair softly.  
  
Efficiently, Kiyone checked under Ayeka's eyelids, then her pulse, and finally laid a hand on her forehead. "She's okay, Sasami. Don't worry. Pulse is a little weak...her body temperature seems a bit warm...not too much, though...deep sleep breathing..." She frowned. Normal, more or less. So why didn't the Princess wake up? She did look awfully pale and spent.  
  
Ryoko watched the tableau, clenching her fists. She had never felt so helpless. She couldn't have known it, but years ago, another super-powerful being--a King--on a planet thousands of light-years distant had felt exactly the same way.  
  
Heavy footsteps sounded outside the door. Kiyone, taking Ayeka's pulse again, hoped Tris wouldn't end up clobbering Nobuyuki a second time.  
  
The door slid open. Nobuyuki, fully dressed for the office, entered, followed by Lord Yosho, also fully dressed. Tenchi and Tris, both in their pajamas, spilled in behind them. They all saw Kiyone examining a still and silent Ayeka, while Mihoshi held a sobbing Sasami. They stopped.  
  
Lord Yosho said, his voice betraying his anxiety, "Detective...the Princess...?"  
  
"She seems all right, Lord Yosho," Kiyone told him. "Physically."  
  
All the men visibly relaxed, especially Tenchi, who had looked overwhelmed.  
  
"She appears to be resistant to waking," Lord Yosho said. "A comatose state?"  
  
"Looks like it." Kiyone nodded. "Ryoko--please get Washuu."  
  
"Right away!" Ryoko was a blur leaving the bedroom.  
  
"But how...why...?" Tenchi asked. His face was anxious as he stared at the Princess. His father put his hands on his son's shoulders. "We'll get her awake, son," Nobuyuki murmured.  
  
Tris looked at Ayeka with the same feeling of anxiety as everyone else. But something gnawed at him...something about being resistant to waking. He walked up to where Kiyone was still examining Ayeka. "Please raise one of her eyelids," he asked Kiyone.  
  
"What? Tris--listen, just stand back--we don't have time for--"  
  
"Please do as I ask," Tris said.  
  
Kiyone glared at him for a moment. Then her expression softened. She reached down. Her fingers gently raised one of Ayeka's closed eyelids. Tris bent down. Yes, there was the reddening around the iris, indicative of true sleep. The eye darted a bit. It was something he had seen clinically a number of times...something he recognized well. This was no coma, he knew. He knew exactly what it was.  
  
"I'm afraid we'll just have to wait," Tris said, staring at Ayeka. Cold fury filled him.  
  
"Wait?" Tenchi asked. "Wait for what, Tris?"  
  
"Wait for the son of a bitch to let her go," Tris said.  
  
Silently, Lord Yosho nodded.  
  
"Tristram...what's wrong with Ayeka?" Nobuyuki asked.  
  
"She's hypnotized," Tris answered.  
  
"What?" Tenchi demanded. "How--you just tell me how, Tris--did you--?" Tenchi paused and collected himself. "I'm sorry, buddy."  
  
"That's okay. To answer your question, I have no idea...no idea in the world." Tris looked at Kiyone. Kiyone looked at him. They both seemed to sense that the answer, whatever it was, would be ugly.  
  
Suddenly Mihoshi, releasing a now-composed Sasami, cried out.  
  
"Look!" She pointed toward the far wall.  
  
They all looked.  
  
Every one of the large, heavy wooden wardrobes the women stored their clothing in--the same wardrobes that the women regularly struggled with to move aside for cleaning purposes--every single wardrobe--was upside down.  
  
They all stared at the upended wardrobes with disbelief. It was if some playful giant had overturned them...just for wicked fun. Every one of those wardrobes, filled with clothes and other sundries, weighed at least several hundred pounds apiece.  
  
Now, sudden fear rustled around all of them.  
  
"Oh...my...God..." Tris marveled.  
  
"I don't think it was God who did this," Tenchi said.  
  
------  
  
"I can't say Tris is wrong...and I can't say he's right," Washuu said. "I just don't know that much about that hypnotism stuff. I'm a scientist, not a shrink. And you know it's been pretty much banned in the Union. But I sure don't have a better answer."  
  
All of them, aside from Nobuyuki, Ayeka, and Sasami, sat at the dining room table. It was a council of war...one of several to come.  
  
Ayeka had finally awakened. She had been weak and listless, but sweet and amiable and wondering what all the fuss was about. Washuu had then arrived with Ryoko and examined the Princess. She confirmed that Ayeka was weak and physically taxed but in no serious jeopardy. Lord Yosho had Ayeka taken to his bedroom, where she would remain for the moment. Both Kiyone and Mihoshi had to help the Princess walk the short distance to Lord Yosho's bedroom, with Ryoko hovering anxiously behind them. Ayeka was just that monumentally exhausted. Sasami had followed them. She was with her older sister now. With an apology, Nobuyuki had left for work. Practical matters intruded even upon impractical events.  
  
"But how?" Tenchi asked. "She's always been with us. No one new besides Tris has been near her." He shot an apologetic look at Tris. "And we know Tris isn't involved with this. So then who? And why?"  
  
"You asked the damndest questions, Tenchi," Washuu admitted. "And I'll be damned if I have any answers...yet."  
  
"Well, get some answers," Ryoko told her. "Great scientist! Prove it!"  
  
Washuu looked at Ryoko. She was surprised at the amount of concern she saw in the space pirate's face. She decided mot to take offense. "I'll do just that, Ryoko. Watch me."  
  
"You bet I'll be watching you," Ryoko promised.  
  
"Grandfather?" Tenchi asked, hoping to deflect any possible row between Ryoko and Washuu.  
  
"Yes, Tenchi?"  
  
"You were going to ask Ayeka about her recurring nightmares. Then there's that force, or whatever it is. Do you think...?"  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. "I'm certain now that they are connected. The entity's target is revealed--it is Princess Ayeka."  
  
"Excuse me, but..." Mihoshi looked confused. "Nightmares? Entity? What are you talking about, please?" Ryoko looked perplexed as well.  
  
"Yes. I'd like to know that, too." Kiyone had her arms folded across her chest. Uh-oh, Tris thought.  
  
"Detectives...Ryoko," Lord Yosho said. "I am sorry that we didn't take you fully into our confidence before. We didn't have any real evidence--just an old man's sensations. Now I will be happy to tell you what we know...or, rather, what we suspect." He then proceeded to do so.  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yosho." Mihoshi seemed satisfied, although a little confused, still, when Lord Yosho had finished.  
  
"You all could have told a girl," Ryoko muttered. She seemed irritated at not being in the know earlier, but that was all.  
  
Kiyone was more than irritated. She was furious. She felt the old anger and uncertainty and insecurity well up in her.  
  
"Yes, Ryoko, you're entirely right. We should have been told at the start!" Kiyone's voice was low but chocked with anger. "I'll be honest, you all. I feel left out--and, frankly, pissed off!"  
  
The others regarded the Galaxy Police officer with varying degrees of shock. Kiyone ignored that and looked at the head of the table.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lord Yosho. But that's how I feel. You all tell us, Mihoshi and me, that we're part of this family. But when a crisis arises, you don't bother to tell us about it. It's taken a near tragedy to get the information from you." Her face reddened with indignation and hurt. She looked at Tris. "You tell at least a part of it to a near stranger--someone who was supposed to be just a visitor. But you don't tell us. Damn it! Don't we rate higher than a damned visitor?"  
  
"Kiyone!" Mihoshi cried.  
  
"Hey, don't go off the beam, Kiyone," Ryoko told her. "It's not that big a deal, you know?"  
  
Washuu looked grim. Ryoko was wrong, she knew. It was a big deal. Kiyone had always felt like something of an intruder amongst the Masaki clan--and now it was coming out.  
  
Tenchi just stared at Kiyone, speechless at her outburst. Lord Yosho sat quietly, but he even looked a bit startled himself...and contrite as well.  
  
Tris stood up. His face was filled with chagrin and dismay. Obviously, he had been wrong about nearly everyone's feelings about him--especially Kiyone's--and that cut deep. Too deep.  
  
"Okay, that's it. I'm out of here," he announced.  
  
"Com'on, Tris. You don't mean that," Tenchi said.  
  
"I do mean it, Tenchi. Look, you're all very nice. I appreciate it. But you really don't want me here now and you sure don't need me here now. When someone whom I thought...well, anyway, calls me a near stranger...that's probably how you all feel. I won't stay here and make things worse. It looks like you all have one hell of a problem on your hands and you don't need to be sidetracked. I'll just get my things and go. Tenchi, thanks for the hospitality and my thanks to you, especially, Lord Yosho. Please give your father my regards, Tenchi, and Sasami and Ayeka, too. I hope Ayeka feels better soon. See you back at school, Tenchi. So long."  
  
Tris turned on his heel and left the dining room, quickly.  
  
"Kiyone!" Mihoshi stared wide-eyed at her partner. Her eyes began to spill tears. "How could you say that?"  
  
"Kiyone...not smart...not smart," Washuu said.  
  
"What's gotten into you, anyway, girl?" Ryoko asked.  
  
Kiyone slowly rose from the table. She looked ashen. She realized what she had said and what she had done. She had lost her temper again and at the worse possible time. And now Tris was leaving because of her. Her face flamed with remorse and embarrassment.  
  
"Of all the damned fool things I've ever said...Lord Yosho, I am so sorry. I had no business speaking to you in that manner. I'm so worried about Ayeka and what it all might mean. I was just angry and hurt that you seemed not to trust me with vital information."  
  
"I was remiss, Detective," Lord Yosho said softly. "I admit that."  
  
He understood Kiyone perfectly. Kiyone and Ayeka shared a particularly strong friendship. It had formed over time between two very capable and competent women who both had the honor of great responsibilities and duties. Both also had a great respect for authority and for doing things properly. The attack on Ayeka had shaken Kiyone to the ground. Finding out she had not been in on their preliminary discussions of his sensings of the intruder had smacked of a lack of trust. Lord Yosho knew he had blundered by playing things so close to his chest, to borrow Professor Washuu's phrase.  
  
"You and Mihoshi are police officers," Yosho continued. "I wanted at least one solid fact to present to you. I was wrong not to have included you both in the beginning. You both are very important to us and you both are a dear part of our family...Kiyone." For once, Yosho did not use her official title. That deliberate lack of formality spoke volumes.  
  
The teal-haired Galaxy Police officer was greatly moved. Her lower lip trembled a moment before she regained control of herself.  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yosho." She bowed to him.  
  
Lord Yosho rose and returned her bow.  
  
The atmosphere in the dining room seemed to lighten suddenly. Tense postures relaxed and even a few smiles blossomed. Mihoshi still shed tears, but did so quietly.  
  
"Well, glad that's settled," Washuu grumped. "Now will someone go get that cute guy back? I need him--we need him--believe it or not."  
  
"Yes, we do," Lord Yosho confirmed.  
  
"I need him most of all," Kiyone admitted. "That is...I want him to stay most of all. Oh, stop crying, Mihoshi--he's not going anywhere. I'll fix his wagon, the big stiff!"  
  
She quickly left the room. She was wiping her eyes as she did.  
  
Washuu suddenly laughed. "God, I love that guy! Never a boring day, no sir, not with him around!"  
  
"That's what I say. Did you see Kiyone's face when he walked out?" Ryoko added. "You can bet he's not going anywhere!"  
  
Tenchi smiled, relieved. "That's for sure. He's staying no matter what he says. Grandfather, do you think we ought to...?"  
  
"Kiyone will bring him back," Lord Yosho said with a smile. "I trust, in one piece!"  
  
"We'll see about that, Lord Yosho." Ryoko grinned. "The one-piece part, I mean. Mihoshi, stop with the waterworks, will you?"  
  
"Okay." Mihoshi smiled now, tearfully. She was vastly relieved that Tris would be staying and that the angry feelings were gone.  
  
"Well, then. With Sasami now caring for her older sister, I believe I will endeavor to make some tea. Possibly some rice cakes will also not go amiss. After all, none of us has had breakfast yet. What do you say, Mihoshi?" Lord Yosho smiled.  
  
"I say...yay," Mihoshi replied softly, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Very well said, Detective." Lord Yosho rose and left for the kitchen.  
  
"This has been one hell of a morning!" Washuu commented. "I wonder if--"  
  
She stopped as she and the others heard the sound of Tenchi's bedroom door sliding open. Footsteps. Then the front door could he heard sliding open and then sliding closed.  
  
"Tris is in a rush! Kiyone better hurry," Washuu observed.  
  
"To heck with all that. I'm going to go talk to him." Tenchi rose.  
  
"Sit down, sweetums." Ryoko smiled at Tenchi.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Let Kiyone handle it," Ryoko told him. "She will."  
  
"Well..." But Tenchi sat down.  
  
Then, from outside, they heard the sound of a car engine's starter grind...and grind...and grind.  
  
"What's wrong with Tris's car?" Tenchi wondered. "It ran fine just the other day."  
  
Washuu suddenly began to laugh. Then Ryoko laughed. And then Mihoshi laughed, too.  
  
Tenchi looked confused.  
  
There were more grinding sounds from the car's ignition outside. Then they heard a loud curse in an unmistakable male voice.  
  
"Such language!" Ryoko said with a grin.  
  
Suddenly Tenchi grinned, too. All was clear now to him.  
  
A metallic popping was heard next. It was the sound of the front hood of Tris's classic old car being raised. A few minutes later, another curse rent the air outside.  
  
"Someone needs their mouth washed out with soap," Ryoko noted.  
  
Then they heard a triumphant laugh. It came from Kiyone. No doubt about it.  
  
"Where the hell's my distributor cap?" they heard Tris yell.  
  
"I've got it, darling," they heard Kiyone reply. "See?"  
  
"Give it back!"  
  
"Won't!"  
  
"You'd better!"  
  
"Says who?"  
  
"Says me!"  
  
Kiyone's hooting laugh was eloquent.  
  
"Give it back, Kiyone Makibi, or I'll--"  
  
"You'll do what?"  
  
"Come here--and I'll show you--"  
  
There was another laugh, one of pure delight, from Kiyone. "You'll have to catch me first--!"  
  
Sounds of running. Then...sounds of silence.  
  
Now Lord Yosho appeared in the dining room with a tray of teacups, a steaming teapot, and a plate of rice cakes. He set the tray down on the table. He hesitated. "I wonder if I should have brought cups for Kiyone and Tristram." He smiled,slightly.  
  
"Uh-uh," Ryoko said. "They're going to be gone a little while, I think."  
  
------  
  
"I wish I could make you feel better, Ayeka," Sasami said to her big sister.  
  
They were both upstairs in Lord Yosho's bedroom. Ayeka was reclining beneath the covers on the bed, her head propped up with pillows, while Sasami stood alongside.  
  
Ayeka smiled at her little sister. She looked stronger now. "Do not fuss so much over me, dear. I am quite all right now...just a little tired."  
  
"I know. But please don't go to sleep!"  
  
"I shall not, I promise. I will just rest." She smiled. "It is nice to know my little sister loves me so much."  
  
Sasami began to cry again.  
  
"Oh, dear...come here..."  
  
Sniffling, Sasami complied. Ayeka held her little sister closely, stroking her hair.  
  
Then both of them heard shouts and odd noises from outside.  
  
"What is that?" Ayeka asked, releasing Sasami.  
  
Sasami dried her eyes with her fingers. She walked to the window. "Oh, gosh!" she said, peering out.  
  
"What is it, Sasami?"  
  
Her little sister gave the play-by-play: "It's Kiyone! And Tris! Kiyone's got something in her hand...she's waving it. Oohhhh, Tris looks awful mad! Golly...I think...I think Kiyone just stuck her tongue out at him!"  
  
"What?" Ayeka sat up on the bed. Her eyes danced with excitement. "She didn't! Our Kiyone?"  
  
"She sure did!" Sasami marveled.  
  
"Good heavens!"  
  
"Now..." Sasami reported, "Kiyone just said something to Tris. Now she's running! He's running, too! He's running after her, Ayeka!"  
  
"I do not believe it!" Ayeka proclaimed.  
  
"They're out of sight now..." Sasami sounded disappointed. She walked back to Ayeka from the window.  
  
"Those two...oh, dear heavens!" Ayeka laughed heartily. Sasami smiled. She thought it was a wonderful thing to hear.  
  
Finally, Ayeka subsided. "Sasami, dear, do you think you might fix some of your wonderful tea and perhaps something to eat? I am absolutely starving."  
  
"Oh, yes, Ayeka! Right away!" Sasami happily departed Lord Yosho's bedroom.  
  
------  
  
"So do you forgive me, idiot?" Kiyone demanded.  
  
Somehow, Tris was prone on the dirt by the edge of the wooded area and Kiyone was on top of him, holding him down. She had stopped suddenly in the midst of their footrace, he had made a grab for the distributor cap, and the next thing he knew he was flying in the air. Now Kiyone was straddling him. She looked down at him with those beautiful blue eyes, her long dark teal hair ticking his face. She had already kissed him a couple of times. Didn't read him his rights or anything.  
  
"No!" he said.  
  
She smiled and bent down. She kissed him, lingeringly.  
  
"Listen, I just renewed my membership in the He-Man Woman Hater's Club," Tris told her when she rose from him. "And if you think--"  
  
She kissed him again. She slowly broke the kiss. She kissed his nose. She absolutely loved that stupid nose of his.  
  
"If you think that stuff will work," he said with much less conviction, "you'll find out--"  
  
Another kiss...a really long one.  
  
When they broke, Tris looked up at her. "What were we arguing about again?"  
  
Kiyone smiled. "No argument. I said a really stupid thing. Then you said a really stupid thing. That's the gist, anyway."  
  
"So, we're both stupid. Now what?"  
  
"We want each other," she said. "And they need us. That's it, in one-syllable words. Now have you got it?"  
  
"Okay...I got it."  
  
She slipped off him. They both rose. They were a mess, both of them. Tris especially.  
  
"You know, I'm really looking forward to marching back in there, looking like what the cabbit dragged in," Tris groused.  
  
"I think they'll be happy to see us...no matter how we look," Kiyone told him.  
  
"Yeah, those Masakis do seem to have a soft spot for strays."  
  
"Speak for yourself, you goofball."  
  
"I was." He began to slap loose dirt from his slacks. "I could be a damned seed bed for sweet potatoes," he muttered.  
  
"You're my sweet potato..." Kiyone suddenly embraced him and kissed him, fiercely. "You better not walk out on me again," she whispered. "You'd just better not."  
  
"Yes, Officer."  
  
"You know, goofy, you have a bad habit of running out when things get a little sticky. You need to cut that out. You know?"  
  
Tris nodded ruefully. "I know. You're right."  
  
"Okay, then." Kiyone took his hand. Her other hand still held the distributor cap.  
  
"Hey, I'd like the rest of my ignition back," Tris said.  
  
"No. First we need to talk with the others and work up a plan of action. Then I'll give this back to you. Can't have you running off again."  
  
"Okay...as long as I get my car back together eventually. I might need it sometime, you know."  
  
------  
  
A little while later, with the air considerably cleared, a belated breakfast having been prepared and eaten, and Kiyone and Tris cleaned up somewhat, the discussion continued around the dining room table. Sasami still attended to Ayeka in Lord Yosho's bedroom.  
  
"I took the opportunity, while we had our break," Lord Yosho was saying, "to talk to Princess Ayeka and Sasami. They were able to recall the instances of the nightmares. Their dates tally exactly with the times I sensed the intruder. And I did very briefly sense it last night. I think there can be no doubt now."  
  
"No doubt maybe, Lord Yosho, but no answers, either," Ryoko said glumly.  
  
"Well, we know something, Ryoko," Kiyone said. "We know a force is being directed against us. We know whom it's targeting. That's a start."  
  
"I suppose so," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"We also know it's that...hypnotism stuff," Mihoshi added.  
  
"But if it is some sort of mesmerism," Tris pointed out, "it's a form I've never heard of. In the movies, you see some mesmerist make a few hand motions and then the hypnotized subject enters the room. That's just the movies. It's bogus. It doesn't work that way. You can't control a subject from long distance unless you can at least talk to them directly, like through the telephone."  
  
"I wonder..." Tenchi said. He looked at Washuu. "That Dream Machine thing you made. It worked from long distance, sort of."  
  
"Yeah, Washuu--what about that?" Ryoko still got steamed up when she was reminded of that dream-enhancing fiasco.  
  
"Hmmmm. That's a point, Tenchi," Washuu admitted. "I was thinking along those lines myself."  
  
"So, this person is probably using a similar machine?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Oh, no. No way." Washuu was adamant.  
  
"Huh? Why not?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"All my invention did was scan for the brain waves that it already had identifying examples of, redirect them to a program that was supposed to modulate them to nice, even patterns to ensure you all had nice dreams, and then send them back to you to enjoy."  
  
"Enjoy! Hah! All we got was Sasami's dream!" Ryoko gritted.  
  
"Okay, the program messed up. The point is, it just redirected a dream that already existed. It didn't issue any commands or try to control your thoughts or control you. It couldn't. It was just a machine."  
  
"I see," Tenchi said. "Just a computer following its programming."  
  
"That's it, Tenchi." Washuu nodded. "In this case, someone is projecting their will from long distance. Extreme long distance. We know, at least, its not coming from this planet. That's way beyond what I was trying to do, of course, or could do, I have to admit." Washuu folded her hands. "It has me stumped...for the moment."  
  
"Couldn't they...couldn't they use some machine to project their mind waves a real long distance?" Mihoshi asked hesitantly. A few of the others looked at her with some surprise. Kiyone smiled at her.  
  
Washuu nodded again. "That's an idea, Mihoshi. But whatever machine they may be using, remember I couldn't pick it's transmissions up on my scans and probes. My firewall covers every known transmission medium and it detected nothing. So the carrier is brand new to me and that's astounding...really." Washuu lacked her full compliment of humility, perhaps, but what she said was true. A transmission medium or carrier unknown to her seemed all but unthinkable.  
  
"Oh," Mihoshi said. "I guess I understand."  
  
"Could it be just plain old brain waves from someone else getting into the Princess's skull?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"From across the ether?" Washuu asked. "No way. The brain waves would need some powerful means to transmit them and a carrier medium to direct them to the target. I told you that. Pay attention, will you, Ryoko?"  
  
Ryoko just yawned. Pointedly.  
  
Tris stirred. He had been thinking about what he had learned about hypnotism in his college classes and labs. Several points struck him. Kiyone, sitting very close to him and watching him from the corner of her eye, now prodded his kidney with an elbow. "Speak up, you."  
  
"Yes, Tristram. Don't be afraid to contribute," Lord Yosho told him. Tenchi nodded at him encouragingly.  
  
"You're kind of our resident expert on that hypnotism stuff," Washuu admitted. "At least until I get up to speed on it."  
  
"Then we're all in trouble," Tris said wryly. "You remember what happened the last time I played around with it."  
  
"We know," Washuu said. "You're no expert. But you've studied it under experts and that information is what we need."  
  
"Okay...here's something, then. If this is a form of hypnosis, it would explain the Princess's behavior yesterday. I mean, the way she acted so defensive when asked about the dreams. If whoever hypnotized her originally instructed her to resist questioning about her dreams, she would do so. She would even act out of character to obey. It's called a post-hypnotic suggestion. Actually, that's a misnomer. It's really a command."  
  
"If that's true, Tris," Tenchi said, "she sure seems willing to talk about it now."  
  
"The spell's been broken, in a way. She's seen how significant her dreams may be now. That may be helping her resist the suggestion enough to answer questions. The post-hypnotic suggestion isn't all- powerful. That's my understanding about it, anyway. After all, if I'm right, Ayeka did manage to fight it off enough to apologize to you and me about letting Sasami take the rap for the screaming, even though she didn't go into any details about the dreams at the time. Of course, that doesn't mean this creep's lost his hold on her."  
  
"That sounds quite reasonable," Lord Yosho remarked. "I think that does explain what happened yesterday with the Princess and also her willingness to let Sasami lie for her, which is not in her nature at all. That's a good point also about the Princess still being in the thrall of our enemy, Tristram...we must not forget that. In fact, our enemy may well be allowing Princess Ayeka to answer our questions now."  
  
"But why would he allow that, Grandfather?" Tenchi asked. "That doesn't make sense."  
  
"I don't know, Tenchi," Lord Yosho admitted. "It could be our enemy simply wants to toy with us."  
  
"Yeah, maybe, Lord Yosho," Ryoko said. "But I want to get back to these brain waves or transmissions or whatever. Washuu...why can't you use your Dream Machine and scan for outside brain waves, even if they are in some sort of carrier thingy, and invent something to block them?"  
  
"You forget that I had already obtained sample brain wave pattern scans of all of you before I set up the machine," Washuu replied. "It scanned for your individual brain wave patterns first and then redirected them. I don't have a identifying brain wave pattern of whoever we're dealing with, you know."  
  
"I know that! Why not just block all brain waves coming in except ours?" Ryoko was insistent, and she had now made an excellent point.  
  
"I already plan to do just that," Washuu said. "I need to do some more research into it, build a prototype, test it...all that takes time, even for me, Ryoko."  
  
"Yes, you must have time to develop a counter-measure, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho agreed. "And simply blocking these intrusions is not sufficient in itself. We must also discover whom this enemy is and carry the battle to him and defeat him. Otherwise, we will always remain in peril."  
  
"That's right, Grandfather," Tenchi agreed. "If we only go on the defensive, we've lost before we've started."  
  
"I agree with that, Tenchi. But how do we go after this creep?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Knowledge is power, Ryoko. What we need is more information," Lord Yosho told her.  
  
Washuu grinned. "I'm with you, Grandpa!"  
  
Lord Yosho turned to her. "Professor Washuu, I suggest the best use of your invaluable time would be to research the events surrounding Princess Ayeka's life during the period of her first series of nightmares, since they are doubtless the forerunner of what we face now. Any event out of the ordinary might be of the greatest significance. We must discover whom our enemy is."  
  
Washuu nodded. She knew this was the best course. "I'll scour GP records, royal Jurai household records, and data from the Royal Science Academy. I'll get the dirt on this dirtbag, all right. And I'll also work on a way to detect and block whatever's intruding on Ayeka's mind."  
  
"Washuu," Tris said, "here's one idea. Maybe this creep has some unknown way to control Ayeka hypnotically from long distance. But if this is hypnotism, even an advanced form, there's one thing for certain. The first hypnotic induction could not have been from long distance. It had to be face-to-face."  
  
"That's right!" Tenchi exclaimed. "So it had to be someone Ayeka had personal contact with as a child, yet someone not in her immediate circle of family and retainers. That should help narrow things down."  
  
"It sure will," Kiyone affirmed. She slipped her hand in Tris's hand beneath the table, and gave his hand a firm squeeze.  
  
"Give that boy a cigar," Washuu said. "In fact, make it a box of H. Upmanns." The great scientist again displayed her amazing range of knowledge--knowledge that apparently even included Earth cigar brands.  
  
"Thanks, Washuu, but I smoke Cohibas when I can get 'em." Tris said.  
  
Kiyone's lips found his ear. "You smoke cigars?"  
  
"Let's talk about it later," Tris muttered  
  
"We sure will, buster," Kiyone promised.  
  
"At the same time, a thorough questioning of Princess Ayeka about that period in her life is equally in order," Lord Yosho suggested.  
  
Kiyone nodded. "We will handle that, Lord Yosho, Mihoshi and I. As police officers, we're trained in practical interrogation. Besides, we need to start treating this as a regular police case, since it involves an assault on a member of the Jurai royal family."  
  
"That's right," Mihoshi affirmed. "We have a case now."  
  
"I don't know if the Princess is really up to being grilled yet," Ryoko objected. "Especially by you two."  
  
For a moment, the others seemed nonplussed by Ryoko's protective attitude toward her long-time rival for Tenchi's affections. Kiyone looked at Ryoko with surprise and Mihoshi's mouth opened as if to object, then closed.  
  
"I don't mean a formal, intense interrogation, Ryoko," Kiyone explained. "It will be just a questioning session. I only meant that, as police officers, we are trained and experienced in covering all the bases when we ask questions. And again, all this will have to be put in a report for the GP. Of course, certain names need not be mentioned."  
  
Ryoko looked unconvinced.  
  
"Ryoko, why don't you go with Kiyone and Mihoshi when they talk to Ayeka?" Tenchi suggested.  
  
Ryoko relaxed her stance a mite. "Okay, sweetums, good idea. I'll do just that."  
  
"Fine with me," Kiyone said. Mihoshi nodded.  
  
"Kiyone," Washuu said. "if you could give me access to the GP records stored in your ship, it'll save me some time hacking through GP security."  
  
Kiyone nodded. It was against regulations, of course, but this was an emergency. "I'll give you the access codes when we leave to interrogate--to talk to--Ayeka."  
  
"Good enough."  
  
"Tenchi, you and Tristram can be most helpful righting those overturned wardrobes while the women are busy," Lord Yosho said.  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked at each other. They groaned in unison.  
  
"The hard labor for the guys," Tris muttered. "Typical."  
  
"Lord Yosho's just making sure we all serve where we're best suited," Kiyone told him. She ruffled his hair. "For you--manual labor."  
  
"Hey--speaking of the wardrobes--and I'll personally fry whoever's behind this if my clothes are ruined--I have a question before we all scatter," Ryoko said.  
  
"Yes, Ryoko?" Lord Yosho responded  
  
"Why did this bastard strike now? And why in such a goofy way-- having our wardrobes overturned like that?"  
  
Lord Yosho thought a moment. "To answer your first question, this intruder must be able to read Princess Ayeka's mind to control it. Thus, it was made aware of my intent to question the Princess about her bad dreams. The intruder no doubt concluded that the game was up, as far as its covert nature was concerned. That is perhaps why he may be allowing Princess Ayeka to answer our questions now. As for your second question...I believe it is a warning, a mocking sort of warning, to us. The intruder committed that prank last night while you ladies all slept in the same room. We all found it a bit unnerving, which is doubtless what our enemy intended. It also shows our enemy is confident of victory. Perhaps too confident. To describe his attitude, I would use that useful Greek word: hubris."  
  
"You're right, Lord Yosho," Kiyone said. "It was a little unnerving, now that I think about it."  
  
"I think it was real scary." Mihoshi shivered.  
  
"Yeah...even I'm a little creeped out by it," Ryoko admitted.  
  
"I'm glad I sleep in my lab," Washuu added.  
  
"So our enemy did succeed in that respect," Lord Yosho concluded.  
  
"Sir," Tris said. "There is one more useful Greek word I can think of--nemesis."  
  
"Very good, Tristram. That is exactly what we must become to this enemy...its final and unremitting nemesis."  
  
------  
  
Later that morning, the group had dispersed so that each of them could attend to their given tasks. Washuu was back in her lab, huddled over her own hacking and cracking modules (which would have made Munt and Ginkar green with envy). Tenchi and Tris struggled to right the heavy wardrobes in the women's bedroom. Lord Yosho attended to shrine affairs. And Kiyone and Mihoshi interrogated--that is, questioned-- Ayeka while she lay abed in Lord Yosho's bedroom, with Ryoko and Sasami attending.  
  
The faithful reader may find the following foolscap copy of the raw, unedited transcript of that questioning to be of some interest (taken from Galaxy Police Archive Files, Case Number YH #908876):  
  
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY / NO MEDIA CLOSE HOLD--PHYSER ACCESS REQUIRED  
  
(Transcript of interrogation of Princess AYEKA JURAI, First Princess, Jurai Royal Family, Jurai, by Detectives First Class KIYONE MAKIBI (Badge #334400) and MIHOSHI KURAMITSU (Badge #333327), assigned to Earth Sector, Region Brysis, Division Zeta. Princess SASAMI JURAI, sister of the subject, also present, as well as an unidentified spectator. Case Number: YH #908876. Date: 300-89-7655 GCD.* Location: Earth. Note: This transcript is unedited.)  
  
*Indicates Galactic Calendar Date.  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: You are Princess Ayeka Jurai, first in line to the throne of Jurai, is that correct?  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: Of course, Kiyone; you know I am.  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: Please refer to me as Detective Makibi for now, Princess Ayeka.  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: Oh, very well, Detective Makibi...but it does seem silly (laughs).  
  
DETECTIVE KURAMITSU: (laughs).  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: Mihoshi! I mean--Detective Kuramitsu!  
  
DETECTIVE KURAMITSU: I'm sorry.  
  
UNIDENTIFIED: This is some interrogation.  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: Princess Ayeka, can you describe to us an alleged series of bad dreams you have intermittently experienced in your lifetime?  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: I shall be glad to. But they are not alleged! When I was Sasami's age, I began to have some very terrible dreams night after night--  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: Pardon, but will you specify how long ago that was?  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: I will not! The idea!  
  
UNIDENTIFIED: Your age has caught up with you, Princess (laughs).  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: My age is none of your business!  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: All right. We will pass that point by. Please continue, Princess Ayeka.  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: As I was saying--  
  
DETECTIVE KURAMITSU: I don't think you look very old at all, Ayeka. Do you, Sasami?  
  
PRINCESS SASAMI: No, not very old at all (giggles).  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: Sasami! Really!  
  
UNIDENTIFIED: Come on, Princess, tell us your real age. We won't tell Tenchi, we promise.  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: If I have to rise from this bed, someone's age shall be cut very short--  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: Enough! Please! Let's forge ahead.  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: (sighs) Very well. I had these bad dreams as a young girl, as I have said...about a dozen times already...  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: We appreciate that, Princess Ayeka. Please go on.  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: The dreams lasted for a short while and then stopped. They did not re-appear until quite recently.  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: Please describe the dreams, Princess Ayeka.  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: They were all the same...dreadful dreams of a horrible one-eyed thing trying to devour me.  
  
UNIDENTIFIED: Heartburn City!  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: Does this person really have to be present?  
  
UNIDENTIFIED: Oh, you'll need dynamite to get me to leave now.  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: Sasami...please get the dynamite!  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: Please, Princess Ayeka. Now, this is a very important question. Outside of your immediate circle, did you meet or interact with anyone new during the time the first series of bad dreams occurred?  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: Well, let me think. No, not really. I stayed with my own set in those days. I did met some new children at the school we had then, of course.  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: School?  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: Perhaps that is the wrong word for it. It was more of a seminar for children of my caste to learn their proper roles in life, to learn to adjust to them. We were taught deportment, manners...  
  
UNIDENTIFIED: Being stuck-up...  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: It would not have hurt a certain person to have had a little of that training.  
  
UNIDENTIFIED: A certain person had more important things to do, even then.  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: Yes, one can just imagine!  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: So, Princess Ayeka, this was a sort of finishing school for upper-caste youngsters?  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: Considering our ages, perhaps the term "beginning school" would be more apropos.  
  
UNIDENTIFIED: Perhaps even the term "snob school"?  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: I am going to get up now and--!  
  
DETECTIVE KURAMITSU: She's doing it, Kiyone!  
  
PRINCESS SASAMI: Please lay back down, Ayeka!  
  
DETECTIVE MAKIBI: Yes, please! Thank you, Princess Ayeka. Now, this school you mentioned...what was it called?  
  
PRINCESS AYEKA: It was called the Lyceum. A distinguished academic, Professor Tchaka Klove, was the head of it, as I recall. Poor man. He suffered a breakdown, I believe it was, and the institution was forced to close.  
  
UNIDENTIFIED: No more snob school for you little stuck-ups? What a shame!  
  
------  
  
"...and that was really the only regular outside contact the Princess had during the time of the first round of nightmares," Kiyone concluded. She was making her report on the interrogation to the others during lunch. Sasami had just left to carry a lunch tray up to Ayeka.  
  
"The Lyceum? I believe I may have heard it mentioned. A progressive educational institution for children of the rich and powerful of Jurai and other planets," Lord Yosho mused. "It lasted only a short while, I believe. Some sort of scandal...it was not discussed. I was away with Kagato during that time, I am certain."  
  
"I don't have any recollections of that Lyceum place, of course," Washuu said. "I wasn't exactly hanging around the inner circle of the upper crust back then. More like buried in the Earth's crust for hundreds of years!" Washuu grimaced as she thought of all those centuries wasted. Then she returned to the matter at hand. "But that name, Professor Tchaka Klove, oh, that rings a bell...a hell of a bell!"  
  
"How so, Washuu?" asked Tenchi.  
  
"I hate to bring up the topic again of my little dream experiment," Washuu said dryly, glancing at Ryoko. "It's a source of personal pain for me to know at least one sensitive soul was traumatized so much by my heinous invention..."  
  
"Can it, Washuu!" Ryoko gritted.  
  
"Oh?" Washuu smiled. "So you've forgiven me entirely, then? Darned decent of you, Ryoko." Washuu now turned toward the others. "Anyway, when I was doing research to complete the dream experiment, I relied heavily on clinical findings on the effect of brain wave patterns on dreams contained in a report written by a researcher. The report was moth-balled in an old Royal Science Academy databank that those fools have probably long forgotten about. The author of the report was--" Washuu paused for dramatic effect "--a certain Professor Tchaka Klove."  
  
No one spoke for a moment as they all digested that very interesting tidbit along with their midday meal.  
  
Tris broke the silence. "Now that," he remarked, "is one hell of a thundering coincidence."  
  
"Ain't it, though?" Washuu agreed.  
  
"Very significant," Lord Yosho said. "Of course, it is certainly no coincidence. Are you acquainted with this Professor Klove, Professor Washuu?"  
  
"Nope. He's after my time at the Academy."  
  
Tenchi said, "I think you've nailed the guy, Kiyone, Washuu." He stood up. "Excuse me...I'll be right back." He left. Ryoko looked after him, surprised.  
  
"Where's he going?" she wondered aloud.  
  
"To the bathroom, I'll bet," Mihoshi told her. "You know how boys--"  
  
"Mihoshi," Kiyone said heavily. "You don't have to answer every question...okay?"  
  
"Well, okay." But Mihoshi looked as though she didn't understand why not.  
  
Washuu said, "Lord Yosho, Tenchi is right. We have our man...or, I should say we have our scumbag!"  
  
Lord Yosho's eyebrows raised. Professor Washuu had made that last remark with rare anger.  
  
"Have your researches yielded fruit also, Professor Washuu?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah...rotten fruit." Definitely, Washuu was incensed about something. "I had almost no luck with the Jurai royal family records. I hacked pretty deeply into them. If there is any mention of Ayeka's dreams--and this Lyceum place--it's buried in some repository that isn't even on-line, a closed system."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. "Yes, any scandal would be so hidden. There would be no outside access provided...none at all."  
  
"The Royal Science Academy had no records either on this Klove character, aside from that old paper of his I found, but he must have studied there. I suspect the files were excised after the scandal. That's how those fools would operate," Washuu continued. "I searched the GP files through Kiyone's access to her ship's on-board database. That's where I gathered some details about that school scandal. They were sketchy, but there was enough! The GP records reported the Lyceum was raided and closed down and the head of it--this Professor Klove again--was arrested and taken into custody. The offense the GP charged him with was a number...it was seven-aught-seventeen."  
  
Kiyone's eyes widened. Mihoshi turned pale. "No...oh, no!" she cried.  
  
"What is it?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"A seven-aught-seventeen," Kiyone said flatly, "is abuse of children."  
  
"Scumbag is right!" Tris was enraged.  
  
Ryoko snarled, "That's too damned nice a word!"  
  
Lord Yosho's own visage was grim.  
  
Washuu said, "Let me add, it wasn't what you all might be thinking. This creep was charged with conducting unauthorized mental experiments with the children at that Lyceum place. Nothing else was mentioned."  
  
"Thank God for that!" Kiyone said with deep gratitude. She briefly patted Mihoshi's shoulder. Her partner looked close to tears. Such charges--and such people--devastated Mihoshi. Kiyone was not unmoved herself.  
  
"Yes, there is that much to be thankful for. But experimenting with helpless children--that is infamous!" Lord Yosho himself displayed a rare anger.  
  
"That really ties things together, though," Washuu added. "It's a safe bet to assume the experiments involved hypnotism. Probably some sort of dream experiments were performed on the children. The experiments, I'll bet anything on this, led to the children--including poor Ayeka--having those nightmares."  
  
"A scandal indeed!" Lord Yosho said. "One so terrible that it was not even mentioned to those not directly involved, including myself. And I can imagine the King's rage. Strong action would be taken, and quickly, by the authorities. That would account, for example, for the ban on the general use of hypnotism in the Galactic Union you have mentioned."(1)  
  
Washuu and Kiyone nodded their agreement.  
  
"And I think we certainly have our motive for the intrusions on Ayeka and last night's incident--revenge against the Jurai royal family who were behind the raid on that professor's dirty little operation and him being arrested," Kiyone added.  
  
"Those are likely assumptions, I'd say," Washuu said. "But they're mostly just that...assumptions."  
  
"Why, Washuu?" Ryoko asked. "It all sounds spot-on to me."  
  
"Because the information contained in the GP files I accessed through Yagami were just what I said--sketchy," Washuu explained. "For example, there's no information on whether Klove's been released or if he escaped from prison, or whatever. That's not available from Yagami's databanks. References to detailed records about the Klove case mentioned that those records were "close-hold." Does that mean what I think it means, Kiyone?"  
  
Kiyone nodded. "Yes, it means the records are extremely sensitive. Our data records on Yagami are only for field use and don't contain much that's already stored in the archives at Headquarters. And we can't access intensely confidential records such as those classified as "close-hold" from Yagami. You all know why...hackers and such." Her words briefly brought up memories of Munt and Ginkar. Yes, they did know why.  
  
"That is extremely unfortunate," Lord Yosho said. "To track down this Professor Klove, we need much more information."  
  
"Why don't you just keep on hacking and drill down to those records at GP Headquarters, Washuu?" Ryoko wanted to know.  
  
"Because records that sensitive at GP Headquarters have all sorts of anti-hacking and anti-cracking programs surrounding them. Those programs detect any unauthorized probing and immediately scan the prober."  
  
Ryoko eyed the scientist narrowly. "Are you saying you can't defeat that security stuff, Washuu?"  
  
"Sure I can. But one slip, even one nanosecond long delay in evading a scan from the GP firewall, and those anti-cracker programs may get a fix on me. They could discover where the probe is coming from. And you know what that will mean."  
  
"I sure do." Kyone's voice and expression were grim. "Such an offense is one exception to our hands-off policy toward non-Union planets. Investigators from the GP would be authorized to detain and interrogate a person even from this planet to find the hacker. You know we can't stand any kind of investigation like that, Ryoko. You should know that better than any of us."  
  
Reluctantly, Ryoko agreed. "Yeah...it's too big a risk, I guess. But we've got to get a line on that bastard. We've got to help the Princess."  
  
Kiyone looked thoughtful. "Mihoshi and I can view those records. We're certainly authorized to. The only thing is..."  
  
Washuu grinned and nodded at the Galaxy Police officer. "Keep going, Kiyone. You're doing fine."  
  
"What is it, Kiyone?" Tris asked her.  
  
"Well, to see those records, we'll have to go to the source," Kiyone said. "Mihoshi and I will have to travel on Yagami...to Galaxy Police Headquarters."  
  
_________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) It may interest the reader to know that hypnotism is still not universally accepted as a legitimate medical and psychoanalytic technique even today. Hypnotism can and has been abused, often for entertainment purposes. There are those who would ban its use even now, or at least confine it to heavily regulated medical circles. 


	14. CHAPTER 13: No Need For A Job

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
  
No Need For A Job  
  
_________________  
  
Hardly had Kiyone made this pronouncement when Tenchi reappeared at the table. With him, clinging to his arm, was a wan and pale but smiling Ayeka. Little Sasami trailed behind them, looking worried but proud.  
  
"I thought that since we're making plans to fight this thing, Ayeka should be in on it," Tenchi explained, leading the Princess to the table and helping her take her place on her tatami mat. He looked up then at Lord Yosho. "Right, Grandfather?"  
  
Yosho looked as proud as Sasami. "Right, Grandson." Tenchi had taken the initiative and had made a significant decision on his own and acted on it. It was proof, yet again, how the former high school boy had grown into a young man.  
  
Of course, Lord Yosho had great reservations about having the Princess present during their deliberations. Although it was not her fault, she was a liability. The intruder was doubtlessly able to read her mind when he came to her and that meant all their discussions would be known to their enemy. On the other hand, this enemy had shown he could well be overconfident. Since their discussions and plans for now would be nothing the enemy was not already anticipating, it might do no real harm to include Princess Ayeka. And it could make them seem so foolish, the enemy may become even more overconfident. Besides--his grandson had made his decision, and Lord Yosho would back him to the hilt.  
  
"I am so sorry," Ayeka murmured, eyes cast down, "to be the cause of all this stress and bother. You must not disarrange your lives on account of my problem."  
  
"It's all our problem, Princess," Ryoko told her. "And we're all going to work together to solve it. That's that." Ryoko noticed that Tenchi had a hand still gently holding Ayeka's elbow. She decided to ignore it. She could not begrudge the Princess a little comfort at this time. As long as it didn't become a habit.  
  
"That's right, Ayeka." Tenchi gently touched Ayeka's chin and eased her face up. "We're all with you. We'll fight this thing--and win!"  
  
Ayeka's lovely ruby eyes glinted. "Thank you, Lord Tenchi. Thank you all," she said quietly.  
  
"Perhaps we'd better bring Ayeka--and Tenchi--up to speed on our discoveries," Washuu suggested.  
  
"Yes, indeed, Professor Washuu." Lord Yosho agreed. He then proceeded to fill Princess Ayeka and Tenchi in.  
  
When he finished, Ayeka looked thunderstruck. "I find it so hard to believe. That kind and soft-spoken gentleman, Professor Klove. He was so distinguished and learned. All of us children loved him, really. It is a hard thing, very hard, to look upon him as...well, as a predator."  
  
"But you must, Princess," Lord Yosho said gently. "He is almost certainly responsible for the terrible dreams you have suffered both as a child and now. And he is likely responsible for...rearranging the furniture." Yosho softened the import of his words with a smile.  
  
Ayeka smiled in reponse, wanly. "I understand, Lord Yosho. But my feelings and my memories of the Professor are so warm...so good."  
  
"Ayeka," Tris interjected. "Again, I'm no expert. But I have read that the subjects of hypnosis often have very fond feelings toward their hypnotist, even after a betrayal has occurred."  
  
"I see." Ayeka looked troubled. "I do recall that we would take short naps in the afternoon, all of us children. The Professor said such naps allowed us to function with all our facilities during long evening engagements. That does seem an absurd notion now."  
  
"How did you take these naps?" Washuu asked.  
  
"Oh, we had little cots set up and the Professor would read to us a wonderful story. There would be lovely music playing...it was very restful."  
  
"Standard hypnotic technique," Washuu said, who had been frantically studying Earth records on the subject. "Right, Tris?"  
  
He nodded. "I understand that's the way to do it, especially with children."  
  
"And children are very susceptible to hypnosis," Washuu added. "That's probably why he really opened up that Lyceum joint in the first place--to have easy access to children for experimental purposes without raising suspicions."  
  
"I think that's so mean--treating sweet little children like that. He needs to be arrested!" Mihoshi said, with real ire in her voice. "I mean...arrested again."  
  
"It is very distressing to learn such things," Ayeka said. "When the school closed, we were told simply that the Professor had fallen suddenly ill...suffered a breakdown. That was all that was said on the subject."  
  
"Yes, Ayeka, but the nightmares did end then, didn't they?" Kiyone asked pointedly.  
  
"That is correct, Kiyone. I was certainly grateful they ended but I placed no connection between that and the closing of the Lyceum."  
  
"You were meant not to, of course," Lord Yosho said. "The King and your mother, Queen Misaki, would see that you were sheltered from all scandal and upset. Perhaps they should have informed you later, when you were older. But parents often dread making such revelations to their children. They no doubt allowed the matter to drop entirely. They could not have known, of course, that it would rise to the surface again."  
  
"Grandfather, shouldn't we inform them of what's happening here?" Tenchi asked. "We could enlist their help."  
  
"I am tempted to," Lord Yosho admitted.  
  
"Please do not!" Ayeka said anxiously. "They--Papa especially--would descend upon us with great force and majesty. Papa would take Sasami and me away for good. And he may decide some of you are blameworthy, although you certainly are not. Ever since he has been obliged to return to the throne from retirement after Prince Kagato was defeated, he has rather irascible, I fear. Papa is the King of Jurai. He can do just about anything he wishes, and the laws of the Galactic Union do not apply here. If Papa's wrath is provoked..."  
  
"Ayeka is right," Sasami added somberly. "I fear what Papa might do."  
  
Tenchi nodded his head. He agreed completely. Having met the King, he feared what the old sourpuss would do, too. King Asuza already didn't like the situation with his daughters and the Masakis. Give him an excuse...it wouldn't be pretty, at the very least.  
  
"Yes, and that is why I decided not to involve him or the rest of the royal family," Yosho agreed. "At least, not until we have defeated this enemy."  
  
"I get it. Sort of like that old Mafia saying--I'd rather explain it to twelve than be carried by six, right?" Tris tried to lighten the mood. He was not successful. Tenchi and Lord Yosho smiled their understanding, but the others looked confused.  
  
"It's okay to contribute, Tris," Kiyone told him. "But try to keep it intelligent, please."  
  
"Yes, Officer." He dropped it.  
  
Ayeka was visibly relieved by Lord Yosho's words. "Thank you, Lord Yosho. That settles my mind. I do not want to bring trouble to all of you."  
  
"That trouble's already here--and demanding the penthouse suite, Ayeka," Washuu told her.  
  
Ayeka shook her head. "I do not understand, Miss Washuu. If Professor Klove has been released or escaped from custody and he is using some device to torment me for the purpose of revenge--surely that affects only myself. I am sorry that Lord Tenchi and Tristram had to perform so much labor this afternoon in our shared bedroom." While still resting in Lord Yosho's bed, Ayeka had listened with amusement and fondness to the two young men as they sweated and swore and struggled to return the wardrobes to their proper upright positions in the women's bedroom. Even emptied out, the large wooden wardrobes had proved amazingly stubborn.  
  
"That's all right, Ayeka." Tenchi grinned.  
  
"Quite all right," Tris added. "I don't need that old second vertebrae anyway--ow!" He looked with high dudgeon at a glaring Kiyone. "Guess I don't need that kidney, either," he muttered.  
  
"You need to hush up," she told him.  
  
"So you think that's all there is to it, Princess? This Klove guy just wants to give you a few sleepless nights and then he'll feel all better about being tossed in the clink?" Ryoko asked Ayeka skeptically.  
  
"That does sound a little wussy, Ayeka," Washuu agreed, "for someone who has gone to all this time and trouble."  
  
"I certainly would not trivialize it as Ryoko just did." Ayeka was clearly getting her old spirit back. "I know it is serious. But at least it is not a general attack on all of us. And when you do locate the professor and stop him, that should end it. Should it not?"  
  
"Well..." Kiyone pondered. "I suppose so. It seems he only poses a threat to Ayeka right now. I mean, she can't be hypnotically compelled to attack us, right, Washuu?"  
  
"Right," Washuu said. "A hypnotized subject can't be made to go against their basic nature. That's in all this planet's writings on the subject, and in what's left in the Royal Science Academy's archives." She looked at Tris.  
  
"I was told to hush up," Tris said.  
  
"Tris..." Tenchi began. He did not need to finish. His expression was eloquent enough. Tris answered Washuu with dispatch.  
  
"Okay. Yeah, you're right, from what little I've studied, Washuu. Of course, folks have done things under hypnosis that were against their inclinations, though."  
  
"How?" Washuu asked, surprised.  
  
"Well, for example..." Tris glanced at Kiyone. "No, I'm not going to use that example."  
  
"Yes, you are," Kiyone told him. "Start talking, buster."  
  
Tris grinned. "As you wish. Let's say a certain Galaxy Police officer is very, very uptight and wouldn't dream of taking off all her clothes in a crowded shopping mall. It'd embarrass her no end and besides, she thinks her thighs are too fat. Shall I go on?"  
  
Kiyone gritted her teeth, but she nodded.  
  
"Well, then, a clever hypnotist puts her under and tells her that she is actually all alone in her bedroom. He then tells her the room is quite steamy and hot and she would be so much more comfortable taking a nap in the altogether. So, she undresses and lays on her bed. Only, she's actually laying on the floor of the shopping mall without a stitch on...and, yes, her thighs are too fat."  
  
Mihoshi and Sasami suddenly clamped their hands over their mouths to keep from giggling. Neither was entirely successful.  
  
"Watch it, clown!"  
  
"But Officer, this is just a hypothetical situation," Tris said innocently. "Any similarity between actual persons is purely coincidental. Void where prohibited by law."  
  
"I'll void you!" Kiyone snarled.  
  
"Say!" Washuu exclaimed. "You may have something there, Tris."  
  
"He's going to have something, somewhere," Kiyone promised darkly.  
  
"But Tris," Tenchi protested. "You can't mean that Ayeka would ever attack and injure us. I don't care how fogged the situation is made to seem in her mind. I don't believe it."  
  
"Thank you, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka looked at him fondly.  
  
"I don't believe it either, old buddy," Tris said. "To compel our Ayeka to hurt the ones she loves and love her--forget about it! Ayeka, you might be tricked into hurting or embarrassing yourself. But as far as hurting another person...revulsion at the very idea would immediately set in and that would end it. That's according to the experts."  
  
"Thank you, too, Tristram." Ayeka smiled at him.  
  
"Then why did you go on with all that drivel?" Kiyone asked him.  
  
"Because you told me to, Officer," Tris replied with a grin.  
  
Ryoko laughed. "Hooked her and reeled her in! That's classic!"  
  
Kiyone glowered at Tris. He just kept grinning at her...and scooted a foot or two away from her.  
  
Washuu said, "Well, that answers that, maybe. I could be persuaded to think this guy just wants to make the Princess suffer and pull some tricks on us, like those wardrobes. I really don't know what else he can do with what he has in his backpack right now."  
  
Lord Yosho shook his head. "I do sense that this runs much deeper than that. But I can offer no more concrete facts or information than what you all have uncovered. I could certainly be mistaken."  
  
Tenchi spoke up. "None of us think you're mistaken, Grandfather. So, the plan is for Kiyone and Mihoshi to travel to Galaxy Police Headquarters, gather all the information about Professor Klove and the Lyceum case, and bring it all back. Hopefully, we can start a manhunt for this Klove with a few good leads. In the meantime, we don't leave Ayeka unmonitored for a second." Tenchi stated all this with a natural air of authority and leadership. He did glance at his grandfather when he finished, though.  
  
"That is a good plan...the best plan I think we have available to us," Lord Yosho said approvingly. He looked inquiringly at Washuu.  
  
"It's a plan." She shrugged. "Meanwhile, I'll keep pulling in all the information I can find. There's a few more data repositories that I haven't drilled that deeply into. Might find something more. And I'll keep working on that blocking device, too."  
  
"Very good, Professor Washuu. Does anyone have anything else to add?"  
  
No one did. Kiyone rose. Mihoshi did likewise. "I think we should leave for our Headquarters right away, Lord Yosho."  
  
"Let's leave after dinner," Mihoshi pleaded. "Please?"  
  
"We have food stores on Yagami, Mihoshi."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Well..." Kiyone looked at Tris and her look was not as frosty as he would have expected. Something besides a pay-back seemed to be percolating in her brain. "Okay."  
  
"Can you leave your patrol area to go to Headquarters that easily?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"I'm pretty certain we can, Tenchi," Kiyone replied. "We're allowed what's called personal time, or PT, to attend to personal matters. It's not counted against our annual leave. Ever since the...problems we had, we've used very little of it. We only have to request it and the nearest patrol team will monitor our sector as well as their own. You know what little action we have in our sector--teenaged kids notwithstanding." She gave an ironic smile. "I'll put in the request now. I'm sure it will be approved."  
  
"What reason will you give for needing this PT?" Washuu asked.  
  
"Oh, Mihoshi and I still have our apartments at the Compound, you know, from when we were assigned to Headquarters. I'll say we need to check them out, talk to the landlady. It's a legitimate reason."  
  
"That's right," Mihoshi said. "We were sub-letting our apartments and the people were re-assigned and moved out a while ago. We should have gone back to check up on our places long before this, only..." Mihoshi glanced at Kiyone and stopped.  
  
"It's okay, Mihoshi. The fact is, I just plain didn't want to go back there," Kiyone admitted. "We'll leave after dinner, then. We'll bring back the information we all need, never fear."  
  
Washuu regarded Kiyone knowingly. "Quite a coup for you two--solving this case. Promotions may result."  
  
"If they do, you two will deserve them," Tenchi said.  
  
"Thank you, Tenchi!" Mihoshi smiled. Kiyone smiled her appreciation as well.  
  
"You Detectives have everything under control, I see," Lord Yosho said. "Now, I think we've all finished lunch."  
  
"Yes, Lord Yosho," Ayeka said. She rose slowly. "Sasami, I'll help you clear the table."  
  
"Do you think you should, big sister?" Sasami asked, concerned.  
  
"Of course, dear. I am quire recovered. A bit of work will do me good."  
  
That ended a rather extended luncheon. Everyone else rose. Lord Yosho departed to return to the temple. Tenchi grabbed Tris to perform their outdoor chores (they were sadly behind in their work, due to circumstances quite beyond their control). Tris was glad to scoot away from Kiyone...that thighs crack boded ill for his physical well-being. Ryoko actually helped Ayeka and Sasami pick up dishes and cups, while Washuu left for her lab and another long session of spelunking through information archives all over the galaxy.  
  
Kiyone took Mihoshi's arm and led her outside. They talked for a little while and each glanced occasionally at Tris while he weeded another stone pathway with his trusty trowel and garden shears. He noticed them looking at him as they conferred. He had a feeling that something was on the boil with those two and that it somehow involved him.  
  
In addition to the rather marked attention suddenly being paid him by the two Galaxy Police officers, something else bugged Tris as he scissored grass growing through stone walk cracks and it wasn't chiggers.  
  
"Hey, Tenchi," Tris called from his pathway when he saw the former walk by, dragging the lawn mower. Tenchi was putting the lawn mower away in preparation for doing some work in the vegetable garden. Tris could tell that because Ryo-Ohki was dogging--that is, cabbiting-- Tenchi's footsteps.  
  
"Meow-er," Ryo-Ohki said amiably to Tris. She bounded over to him for a head pat.  
  
"Yeah?" Tenchi responded.  
  
"It's kind of an awkward question, but..." Tris twiddled Ryo-Ohki's floppy ears, which the cabbit loved. Now Tris gently rolled Ryo-Ohki on her back and gave her his patented rub-a-tummy. The cabbit was ecstatic. No doubt about it. The young American had stolen another feminine heart.  
  
"That's never stopped you before. What is it?"  
  
"Tell me the truth. You were thinking of asking me to beat it once this trouble began...weren't you?"  
  
Tenchi only hesitated with his answer a moment. "Yeah, I was."  
  
"I thought so. You thought I couldn't help and you didn't want my handsome corpus delicious on your conscious, huh?" Rub-a-tummy completed, Ryo-Ohki was back on her paws, being petted in the conventional manner by the nice being.  
  
"Something like that," Tenchi admitted.  
  
"So what changed your mind, buddy?"  
  
Tenchi abandoned the lawn mower. He walked over to where Tris squatted and squatted beside him. He petted Ryo-Ohki also, inspiring the happy cabbit to do her version of a purr.  
  
"I was going to tell you, anyway," he said. "Grandfather and I had a talk about it. You need to know what we discussed."  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"Well, first of all, Grandfather feels--and I think you know how accurate his feelings are--that you'll be of some help in fighting this enemy, Professor Klove."  
  
"Yeah, me and my knowledge of Psychology 101 with a minor--very minor--in hypnotism," Tris said sardonically.  
  
Tenchi shrugged. "Grandfather feels it's more than that. We'll see. Besides, Tris...I'd like to have you around, you know?"  
  
Tris smiled at his friend. "Thanks, Tenchi. That's about the nicest thing I've been told in a long time. And I've got to admit--I'd hate to leave the theater before the fat lady sings. Just an expression, of course."  
  
"Of course--an expression you'd better keep to yourself," Tenchi advised him, amused. "And then...well, this next part isn't so good."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Grandfather's pointed out that this Klove can read Ayeka's mind, which means by now he knows about you and your knowledge of what he's up to. Do you think he'd let you live with that knowledge, no matter how far away you ran?"  
  
Tris felt a coldness in the pit of his stomach. It was quite a thing to realize that an evil and powerful alien being personally had it in for you.  
  
"No, he wouldn't...he couldn't. He'd want to eliminate all witnesses, of course--even an unimportant Earthling," Tris agreed without enthusiasm. Somehow, Ryo-Ohki seemed to know what they were discussing. She rubbed against Tris now, and "meow-er"-ed sympathetically.  
  
"Yeah, that's it." Tenchi looked at Tris. "Now aren't you glad you accepted my invitation to come visit us for a few days during Spring Break?" His smile was more than a little rueful.  
  
"Sure I am. What a deal--spend a few weeks in a beautiful setting, meet a nice girl, make new friends--and maybe get toasted by an alien criminal. Hell, I recommend it!"  
  
------  
  
When Kiyone and Mihoshi returned to the house following their conference, Sasami walked up to Kiyone and asked her if they could talk privately for a moment.  
  
Kiyone was surprised, but told Mihoshi to go upstairs and to start packing their bags for their trip to GP Headquarters. Mihoshi, a little surprised herself, nonetheless complied and went upstairs. Kiyone followed Sasami to the kitchen.  
  
"Kiyone," Sasami said, once they were alone in the kitchen, "I just happened to see you and Tris outside earlier. I wasn't prying, really I wasn't, but you two were pretty loud."  
  
Kiyone smiled at Sasami. "You little dickens. You saw it all, eh?"  
  
"Uh-huh. I saw you stick your tongue out at him." Sasami tried to stifle a giggle at the memory. She did not entirely succeed.  
  
But the Galaxy Police officer took no offense. "Well, I'd prefer that part didn't get around. I just saw that goofball's face and I couldn't resist." She smiled at the memory.  
  
Sasami regarded Kiyone with admiration. "I thought it was very sweet in a way. I like the way you and Tris tussle together...you both seem to enjoy it so much. You two are a real couple, not like the make- believe couples in the silly romances I used to read."  
  
"Well, that's very sweet of you to say that Sasami. You know, I read a few romances like those you're talking about when I was your age. But I never thought I'd get involved with a guy like Tris--not in a million years!"  
  
"Uh-huh." Sasami nodded. "It's sure made me think twice about, well, the boy I'll end up with and all. That's why I wanted to ask you, Kiyone..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"How did you know how to keep Tris's car from working?"  
  
"You're pretty sharp, Sasami." It was Kiyone's turn to regard the little Princess with admiration. "Nothing much gets past you, I think. Well...I'll tell you, but you have to promise you won't tell anyone else."  
  
"I promise!"  
  
"Okay." Kiyone smiled at the little girl's eagerness. "A while ago, I visited Washuu in her lab and asked her to pull up some schematics of Tris's car. She got them from that Internet data network they have here. I studied them. Those cars are easy to figure out. They're pretty crude, actually."  
  
"I know, although I like the way some of them look, like Tris's car," Sasami agreed. "But...why did you do that? Did you feel you might need to do something to his car someday?"  
  
"Oh, no, Sasami, of course not. But it's smart to be prepared! In fact, it's always a good idea to be prepared for anything, with life in general as well as with boys. You might want to remember that."  
  
"I will, Kiyone," Sasami promised solemnly. Kiyone had just entered the ranks of Sasami's personal heroines. "I sure will!"  
  
------  
  
"Tenchi," Tris said now, as the other prepared to rise to his feet and leave, "I have a million things I'm always meaning to ask you--here's one that I actually remembered while you're around to ask."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well, you told me how Ryoko helped you all fight that bad dude, Kagato. So how come she'd still wanted by the space cops?"  
  
Tenchi hesitated. Suddenly he looked more than a little doleful. "It's due to short-sightedness, I guess...although that probably does us too much credit. We just screwed up, and so did Ryoko."  
  
"Hey, I have to hear this!"  
  
"Okay, but it's gonna be quick. I haven't weeded that garden for days. Anyway, right after Kagato and I fought and I won, by the skin of my teeth, we all discussed Ryoko. I told you she took off before the final battle actually began, but she did get me and Azaka and Kamidake to Jurai. I didn't know it then, but she was badly wounded at the time. Anyway, then she took off. She was really upset with me."  
  
"Uh-huh. And?"  
  
"After the battle and while we were being wined and dined on Jurai, we all talked about letting the GP and the Jurai royal family in on Ryoko's actions. But we felt it might rebound against Kiyone and Mihoshi for sort of shielding her before. The GP seemed willing to forgive and forget about us having the most-wanted space pirate in our little group while we were fugitives, but how would they react if they knew she'd been with us--with Kiyone and Mihoshi--long before that? Anyway, Ayeka volunteered to wait until things had cooled down a bit and then mention Ryoko's help to her father, the King, with Azaka and Kamidake backing her up. With the King's help, she could then try to get the warrants against Ryoko quashed and have her pardoned."  
  
"But it didn't work out that way."  
  
Tenchi shook his head. "No, and here's where Ryoko really put her foot in it. Before Ayeka felt the time was ready to act, Ryoko went on a small binge of piracy. Nothing really serious, no one was hurt, but she robbed some Jurai bigwigs--not any royal family members, but high enough folks to cause an uproar." Tenchi gave a small grin. "That's how she probably got that ring you used to re-hypnotize Mihoshi! Anyway, after that, Ryoko didn't have a prayer for clemency and Ayeka had to drop the whole thing. It's really a nasty mess and I still feel rotten about it, if you want to know." He was not grinning anymore.  
  
"Yeah, I can understand. I guess Ryoko kinda thought she'd lost to Ayeka over you and got back at the Princess by robbing some Jurai fat cats, huh?"  
  
"That's it. Ryoko told me that after she came back here. Boy, was she one sick space pirate when she found out how close she had been to a full pardon...and freedom and respectability. That was the worst part. She didn't get over it for a while."  
  
"She's over it now?"  
  
"Naw, I don't think so, not really." Tenchi reflectively stroked Ryo-Ohki's head. "She pretends she loves the wild criminal life, but she doesn't, not anymore. Perhaps if we can stop this Klove guy--I mean, when we stop this Klove guy--we can work again on getting her pardoned."  
  
"I'd like to see that, buddy," Tris said. "I like that wild child."  
  
"Me too...a whole lot...more than I even realize sometimes, I think," Tenchi said quietly, staring out into space. Now Ryo-ohki rubbed against him. She really did seem to know what folks talked about.  
  
"By the way, Tris," Tenchi added somberly. "If you want to ask any of the others about the Kagato episode, that's okay...except, please don't ask Ayeka about it."  
  
Tris's eyebrows raised in silent interrogation.  
  
Tenchi hesitated. Then he realized that Tris pretty much had the Kagato story in bits and pieces. There was no real reason not to let him know the rest of it. He certainly should understand why the episode was such a sensitive one with Ayeka.  
  
"Okay, I'll tell you, buddy. But this is just between us, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
Tenchi thought a moment. "Like I told you before, when Ayeka detected Mihoshi's distress signal and came to Earth, she was on her way back to Jurai from a marriage negotiation session. King Asuza had gotten tired of the thankless job of ruling Jurai and propping up the Galactic Union and announced his retirement. So the plan was that Ayeka would marry a suitable nobleman who would become her Prince Consort and then she would assume the throne as Queen of Jurai."  
  
Tris grinned. "Instead, of course, Ayeka ended up on Earth and decided to stay. We won't go into the reason why..."  
  
"No, we won't!" Tenchi grinned back. "But the King had already retired. He and the Queen had already left on a long trip to one of the pleasure planets as far away from Jurai as they could manage. In the supposedly short interim, the day-to-day government functions of Jurai were assumed by a Regency Council, made up of the Lord High Chamberlain and other high-ranking Juraian nobles."  
  
"That sounds like government standard," Tris said. "Only, the interim wasn't short, of course."  
  
"Nope. Not short. The Regency Council eventually contacted the King to request that he re-assume the throne until Ayeka returned, but the King insisted that his oldest daughter would soon get over her infatuation." Tenchi grimaced slightly. "When Ayeka still did not return, Kagato, who had already come back to Jurai, saw his chance to strike. He posed as Grandfather and convinced the Regency Council that Ayeka was plotting not only to assume the throne but also to install her own retainers, kicking them out in the cold. Kagato was crowned as ruler of Jurai--he took the title of Emperor. And then the fat was on the fire! The arrest warrants went out for Ayeka, we had to all flee the Galaxy Police and the Juraian military...just loads of fun," Tenchi finished, his voice sardonic. The fight with Kagato had been deadly serious and could have cost them all their lives. Fun it hadn't been.  
  
"But what about the King and Queen during that time?" Tris asked.  
  
"Oh, Kagato had them put under house arrest on that pleasure planet," Tenchi shrugged. "Anyway, you can see why Ayeka prefers not to have all that dredged up."  
  
"Yeah, I get it," Tris said. "Ayeka feels that if she had attended to her duty and continued her marriage negotiations and returned to Jurai, Kagato wouldn't have gotten to first base with the Regency Council."  
  
"Right," Tenchi affirmed. "That's exactly how she feels. It's a real guilt trip with her."  
  
"Well, Tenchi--there is something to that."  
  
"No there isn't, Tris," Tenchi insisted. "Ayeka couldn't have known about Kagato...she didn't even know about Grandfather and me being Juraian royalty until just before the showdown with Kagato. Besides, if Ayeka had taken the throne, Kagato would have found a way to have her removed or killed. He was determined to rule Jurai and the galaxy. In fact, it was lucky Ayeka was with us. She was safe from assassination and we had a free hand to intervene. Otherwise, Kagato would be ruling Jurai right now. And God help us all if that happened!"  
  
Tenchi spoke so forcefully that Tris was taken aback a bit. His buddy really felt passionately about Ayeka's innocence regarding the Kagato coup d'etat. Tris did not probe further. Possibly, Tenchi felt a bit guilty about it himself, since he was the reason behind Ayeka's prolonged stay on Earth. At any rate, it was doubtlessly almost as sore a topic for Tenchi as it was for the Princess. It was best to leave it be.  
  
"Yeah, you're right," Tris said.  
  
"Of course I'm right," Tenchi said shortly.  
  
Tris understood a few more things now. Poor Ayeka! The Princess carried a heavy burden of guilt, it seemed. It also seemed that Ayeka's father, the King, was not a bit happy about ruling far-off Jurai again. At any moment, the Princess could be commanded to return to Jurai and that would be that. And poor Sasami would have to accompany her back. Tris knew that Sasami would be crushed if that happened...or, better stated, when that happened. It was probably only a matter of time.  
  
That opened up another area of speculation. Maybe Tenchi had already made his choice...and that choice was Ryoko. Rather than devastate Ayeka by picking Ryoko over her, Tenchi could play a waiting game-- not making any choice until royal pressure forced Ayeka to leave Earth and Tenchi forever to assume the Juraian throne. Accordingly, Tenchi would then naturally choose Ryoko and it would all look like mere happenstance...  
  
Quickly, Tris rejected that notion. No way! Tenchi was not built like that. Such manuvering would be patently unfair to both Ayeka and Ryoko. They deserved an openly spoken decision and a final resolution, and Tenchi would give them that. Tenchi was the straightest guy Tris had ever known, period.  
  
Ryo-Ohki evidently agreed. She keep rubbing against Tenchi. It restored Tenchi's usual good humor. He gave the cabbit a final pat and rose. "Time to get back to work, slacker!" he told Tris.  
  
"Yes, Massa," Tris replied.  
  
------  
  
"I do not need a baby-sitter!" Ayeka insisted.  
  
"Yes, you do, Princess," Ryoko insisted right back.  
  
In the kitchen, Sasami, Ayeka, and Ryoko discussed (at Ryoko's insistence) the import of Tenchi's comment that the Princess should not be left alone during the present crisis.  
  
"But that is silly, Ryoko...you and Sasami mounting a 24-hour watch on me," Ayeka protested. "I promise I shall not wander off on my own, so someone is sure to be around me all the time."  
  
"Ah, but you can't be sure of that, Princess," Ryoko said. "Sasami has her chores to do and..."  
  
"Unlike some people around here," Ayeka observed pointedly.  
  
Ryoko ignore the jibe--to her it was just more welcome proof that her rival in romance was back to her fighting trim, which was how Ryoko preferred her. To tell the truth, she had found the spectacle of the Princess being so ill and exhausted quite worrying. Her present spiritedness was loads better. "The point is, Princess, that unless someone's assigned particularly to watch you, you could find yourself alone because everyone assumed everyone else was watching you. We've got to watch you in the baths as well, so we can't involve the men, and Kiyone and Mihoshi are about to take off and Washuu has her own work, you know. So that leaves the Junior Princess and yours truly."  
  
"Ryoko," Ayeka said firmly. "My little sister's name is Sasami, or Princess Sasami, or just Princess in her own right. She is not a Junior Princess and I find that nickname you have conjured up for her quite disagreeable, as I have told you a number of times."  
  
"But it's just a nickname, Ayeka," Sasami intervened. "It's a friendly one. I know Ryoko doesn't mean anything bad by it. Do you Ryoko?"  
  
"Of course not. If I have something bad to say about a person, I say it!"  
  
"There is no doubt of that, Ryoko, but--" Ayeka began.  
  
"Tris calls Sasami "kitten"--how do you like that nickname, Princess? He might was well call her a cabbit!"  
  
"I think Tristram is an admirable young man in some ways, but he still is rather imprudent in other ways," Ayeka said diplomatically (she would never use the word "goofball," even if it fit). "I plan to talk to him about that as well."  
  
"But I think "kitten" is a very nice thing for a boy to call a girl," Sasami said.  
  
"Of course it is," Ryoko asserted. "I just wish Tenchi would call me something like that, instead of yelling, "Ryoko! Ryoko!" all the time." Ryoko grinned at Sasami. "You're sweet on Tris aren't you?"  
  
Sasami blushed.  
  
Ayeka rolled her eyes heavenward in silent supplication. Then she confronted her naïve little sister.  
  
"That nickname is demeaning, dear, even if Tristram does not mean it that way," Ayeka explained patiently. "You are a Princess of the Jurai royal household, and you must begin insisting that you are treated with the proper respect. Someday, you will be formally crowned and taught the great secrets of our family, such as how to channel the power we both were born with into a weapon to defend our throne. Then you will not be a little girl whom others feel free to refer to by vulgar nicknames. You will be a crowned Princess. You will as powerful as I and Papa."  
  
"Yeah, you'll be snooty and overbearing, just like them," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"No, I won't, Ryoko! Never!" Sasami cried. Then she held her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide, as she looked at her big sister. She slowly lowered her hand. "Oh, I didn't mean anything by that, Ayeka...really, I didn't."  
  
Ayeka had her eyes closed. Her lips slowly compressed into a flat line. Then she opened her eyes and said, "Ryoko...none of this concerns you."  
  
"Hey, I know that. You changed the subject, Princess," Ryoko pointed out.  
  
"That is because you used that ridiculous nickname again and--"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Look, Princess, before you sidetrack us into talking about your stuck-up family again, we need to settle this. Sasami is going to watch you during the day, from eight a.m. to eight p.m. I'll take the night shift."  
  
"My family is dignified--not stuck-up! And I do not want anyone watching me. I absolutely refuse to permit it!"  
  
"Okay." Ryoko shrugged. She began to rise in the air. "I'll just go tell Tenchi that little thing..."  
  
She floated away, toward the hallway. Sasami looked at Ayeka. As she expected, her big sister waited until the space pirate was almost out of earshot before she said, "Oh, come back, Ryoko."  
  
Ryoko floated back. "Since you asked so nicely, Princess..." She settled down to the floor.  
  
"All right. You two win. You can both baby-sit me if that will please you."  
  
Sasami smiled, relieved. She had been awfully worried that her big sister would pridefully resist any notion of being monitored. That would mean that horrible mind-controller could take possession of her again without anyone around to raise the alarm...and the next time there might be something really bad in the offing.  
  
"Hey Princess, I ain't doing this for pleasure. For pleasure, I'd baby-sit Tenchi. This is a mission, like Kiyone would say."  
  
"Oh, yes?" Ayeka eyed Ryoko skeptically. "It does seem rather convenient that this so-called mission entitles you to sleep during the day when we do chores and to be awake at night when there is no work to do."  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "You wound me, Princess."  
  
"Don't tempt me!"  
  
"Hey, if I pull the day watch, who's gonna cook our meals? You?"  
  
Sasami dearly loved and respected her older sister, of course, but there were times she had to laugh, at least inwardly, when the wily Ryoko got the better of Ayeka. This was such a time, and Sasami turned away so Ayeka couldn't see the merriment in her face.  
  
Ayeka's own lovely patrician face was a study in frustration. But she was penned in, tight. She would not disobey her beloved Lord Tenchi. And Sasami was needed most particularly during the daytime hours.  
  
"I said, all right! It is just like you to take advantage though, Ryoko."  
  
Ryoko cocked her head toward the Princess. "Excuse me? Take advantage? If I wanted to take advantage of this setup, Princess, I would've appointed myself as Tenchi's 24-hour bodyguard so I could protect my sweetums against another one of your goofy binges." Ryoko made a pretense of looking thoughtful. "In fact, maybe I ought to suggest that to him right now--24-hour protection from Princesses who re-arrange furniture in the middle of the night."  
  
Ayeka glared at her. "That is a laugh! Go right ahead. He will tell you what to you can do with your 24-hour protection!"  
  
"Please," Sasami said. "Don't argue, please! Ryoko is going to watch you at night and you and I will be together all day, Ayeka. It won't be that bad."  
  
"Not for you, dear. But I am afraid Ryoko will be dreadfully bored unless we can find more of those smutty hentai books to keep her amused whilst she watches me sleep."  
  
Ryoko gawped at the Princess, caught off guard by that remark. "Huh?"  
  
"Well, whom do you think takes that telescoping mop and dusts off those rafters up there? You?" Ayeka smiled as she got a little of her own back. "I knocked down two of those filthy books the other day. I was surprised. I thought I had tossed them into the garbage days ago. But no garbage is safe from a certain person, I have learned."  
  
"So that's where they got to," Ryoko muttered.  
  
Again, Sasami had to turn away from the pair to hide her amusement.  
  
------  
  
Nobuyuki's cramped little closet of an office in Okayama City overflowed with a small metal desk, a junior-sized drafting table, and a groaning filing cabinet (with electric tea pot perched precariously on top). Every surface seemed covered with a fine dusting of maps, architectural schematics, drafts, blueprints, and the ceaseless paperwork that still plagues the so-called Electronic Age. At that moment, Nobuyuki was finishing a phone call with his father-in-law. His coat was off, but his tie was still firmly knotted and his top shirt button affixed despite the unseasonable heat. His firm was very traditional-minded about personal decorum.  
  
"So everything is still quiet?" he said into the receiver.  
  
"Yes, Nobuyuki," Lord Yosho replied from the telephone in his own office at the temple. "We've determined--I hope, correctly--that this Professor Klove cannot force the Princess into committing mayhem against any of us."  
  
"Thank heavens for that! But it still leaves the property at risk. I hate to bring it up, but..."  
  
"Not at all, Nobuyuki. We cannot afford another unexplained wrecking of our home. Remember, I was with you when we talked to the insurance people the last time."  
  
"Yes, and those nice sharks jacked up our premium to the stratosphere! Oh, well." Nobuyuki chuckled. "We still have that old orange tent!"  
  
Lord Yosho chuckled, too. "Yes, we do--although Tenchi and Tristram were not overly enthusiastic about its charms!"  
  
"Kids, today...they don't have the grit we had at their age. Anyway, no news is good news, I suppose. Do you think with the information Kiyone and Mihoshi and Washuu will dig up, we can stop this Klove person?"  
  
"Yes, if he is indeed no longer in custody. If we can't find him ourselves with that information, our Detectives can call upon the Galaxy Police proper...and even, if need be, we can alert the Royal Yeoman."  
  
The Royal Yeomen were a select group of Juraian knights specially trained in the latest investigative techniques. They served as troubleshooters for the House of Jurai, much to the consternation and professional jealousy of the Galaxy Police. The original Azaka and Kamidake were members of the elite group now. If Klove was anywhere in the galaxy, the Yeomen would find him and make short work of him. The problem with calling them in was twofold. First, the Yeomen would have to notify the King and that would likely end Ayeka's and Sasami's sojourn on Earth. Second, the Galaxy Police would hold it very much against the Masakis and could come snooping, which would uncover a hornet's nest that poor Kiyone's and Mihoshi's careers would never survive--not to mention Ryoko and perhaps Washuu being forced into taking it on the lam again. But Klove had to be stopped before he caused any more damage or possibly threatened Princess Ayeka's life. The Royal Yeomen were an option that could not be dismissed.  
  
"Hmmm..." Nobuyuki considered this. "That's not something we want to do, from what you've told me."  
  
"No, but we may be forced to. So let us hope we can accomplish this task with our own resources. After all, our resources are quite considerable."  
  
"Yes, they sure are," Nobuyuki agreed. "I want to help, what little I can do."  
  
"Your help is needed, Nobuyuki," Lord Yosho said. "And it is not little to us."  
  
"Thank you. I'll be home in time for dinner, hopefully..."  
  
Father-in-law and son-in-law talked just a little while longer, then rang off.  
  
As he put down the receiver, Nobuyuki looked up. Seji Horibuchi, another senior architect, stood in the doorway. He was short, plumpish, and sweated easily, largely because he was trying to raise a family of three daughters on a senior architect's salary. He was a good friend. He face mirrored concern.  
  
"Trouble at home?" Seji asked sympathetically.  
  
"Oh, a little. Nothing we can't handle."  
  
Seji nodded. "Good. Look, Nobuyuki, I saw the boss walk by your office. He's not happy about any personal calls made during business hours...you know that."  
  
"Yes," Nobuyuki said. "I know that."  
  
"Well, his face was like thunder, friend. He may come in here roaring. If you'll take my advice, you'll just give him your best humble look and let him rant. He's waved a whole file full of resumes at me before, and his meaning was pretty clear...you know?"  
  
"I know." Nobuyuki sighed. "I know."  
  
"Good luck, my friend." Seji ducked out.  
  
Then the intercom on Nobuyuki's desk buzzed. The voice of Reiko, the firm's executive secretary, came through. "Nobuyuki...the boss wants to see you." Her voice was full of sympathy. That meant the worst.  
  
Nobuyuki pressed the intercom button. "Thank you, Reiko. I'll be there directly."  
  
He rose, slipped on his suit jacket (the boss insisted on this formality when visiting him), and squared his shoulders. He recalled what Yosho said about being a warrior in everyday life. He also thought about the possibly dire situation his extended family faced against a powerful and evil enemy. And, as always, he spared a moment to think of his late wife.  
  
Well...perhaps it was time to put Yosho's words into practice.  
  
------  
  
When Sasami called out the front door that dinner was ready, Tris heard her and gratefully rose from his stoop labor. He deposited his tools in the shed. Then he walked out past the lake to the vegetable garden. Tenchi was still hoeing weeds there, with Ryo-Ohki getting an occasional carrot when Tenchi took a break from sod busting. Tris told him dinner was being served. Both Tenchi and the cabbit grinned (each in their own way) and went to join Tris.  
  
Tris bent over and picked up Ryo-Ohki. He cradled the cabbit in his arms as he and Tenchi, who now carried the hoe over his shoulder, walked toward the house. The cabbit did not mind a bit being carried by the being who was so adept at rub-a-tummy.  
  
------  
  
In the house, Kiyone and Mihoshi both stood at the living room picture window, watching Tenchi and Tris. Both women wore their Galaxy Police uniforms, complete with shoulder holsters and sidearms. Behind them, Ayeka and Ryoko were sitting on one of the couches (they were still discussing Ryoko's reading habits).  
  
"Look at those two," Mihoshi said, smiling. "Like brothers, aren't they?"  
  
"Hah!" said Ryoko from the couch. "Maybe if Tris was adopted from a traveling carnival or something." She laughed.  
  
"You hush," Ayeka said. "If anyone around here resembles a refugee from a sideshow..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ryoko said crossly. She'd had enough of Ayeka's lectures. Ryoko was not entirely certain whom her mother was, but it sure wasn't Ayeka. She rose from the couch and floated over to the picture window. Now, along with Kiyone and Mihoshi, Ryoko watched the two slim young men approach the house.  
  
"Well...maybe if Tenchi had to have a brother, he could have done worse than Tris," Ryoko admitted. "Not a lot worse, of course."  
  
"Tris would be a nice brother for anyone," Mihoshi told her. "I have three older brothers, you know, and they would like Tris a lot, Ryoko."  
  
"Those the brothers who spoiled you rotten?" Ryoko asked her, grinning.  
  
"They did not spoil me!" Mihoshi protested. "They helped raise me, though, along with Daddy. I love them more than anything. That's not being spoiled, is it?"  
  
"No, of course not, Mihoshi," Ayeka said. She now rose from the couch and walked over to them.  
  
"Raised by four men...if that isn't being spoiled, I don't know what is," Ryoko muttered.  
  
Kiyone, who was quietly watching Tenchi and Tris with great fondness, suddenly said, "Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn."  
  
"Huh? What?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"Two young scamps who got in a lot of trouble back in America many years ago...fictional characters." That came from Washuu. The great scientist had now joined them in the living room. "Four novels in all(1). Considered quite good by the intelligentsia here, or what passes for it." Washuu had made Earth's primitive culture a special study and her arcane knowledge was nothing short of amazing. "Where did you hear those names, Kiyone?"  
  
"Oh, I heard Tenchi's father refer to Tenchi and Tris by those names once. He was talking to Lord Yosho. Both of them seemed to know what the names meant."  
  
"Huh." Washuu walked to the picture window and peered out. She noted Tenchi still carrying the hoe--it could have been a bamboo fishing rod--and Tris carrying the cabbit--it could have been a dead cat all ready to toss in a grave at midnight. "Appropriate," she pronounced.  
  
"This Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn--they weren't really brothers, were they?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"No," Washuu replied. "They were more than that...they were comrades."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Washuu shook her head. "For a gal that's been around the galaxy a time or two, you don't know jack about men, Ryoko," she said.  
  
------  
  
"Jeeze," Tris said, as he and Tenchi approached the house. "The girls are all watching us...even Washuu."  
  
"I noticed," Tenchi said dryly.  
  
"Think we're done something?"  
  
"I don't know...probably."  
  
"Sheesh."  
  
"Well, Kiyone and Mihoshi are planning to take off after dinner," Tenchi said. "Maybe that's all it is. See--they're in their uniforms."  
  
"Yeah. I still say those are the cutest cop uniforms on the cutest cops I've even seen," Tris marveled. Mihoshi had even put on the brimless GP hat with the single white pom. Cute was the word, all right!  
  
"You won't get an argument from me."  
  
Ryo-Ohki "meow-er"-ed in Tris's arms. No argument from her, either.  
  
------  
  
"What do you suppose the boys are talking about?" Ayeka mused, now also watching them through the window.  
  
"Probably about being gawked at," Washuu said. She turned from the window. "I think I heard someone mention dinner."  
  
"I did," Sasami said, walking into the living room. "Lord Yosho is already in the dining room. The food is going to get cold."  
  
"We'll be there in a moment, Sasami," Kiyone told her. "The boys are just coming in now."  
  
"Okay." Sasami departed for the dining room.  
  
Suddenly, Ayeka, as she watched the others interact, had a powerful premonition. She looked around the room. Everyone--nearly everyone--was there or very close by. Sasami and Lord Yosho in the dining room...Tenchi and Tristram coming in...Ryoko, Kiyone, Mihoshi, and herself in the living room. She sensed this was a special moment, a moment that nostalgia would lock in her memory forever. Years and years later, she would think of this moment, when they were all together, as a family, ready to eat dinner. She would hug it to herself like a favorite pillow...because it would soon all end and she would never be in such a warm and loving place again. Sadness filled her.  
  
"What's wrong with you, Princess?" Ryoko asked. "Gas pains again?"  
  
Not knowing it, Ryoko had done a wonderful thing. She had broken up Ayeka's reverie and chased away the pangs.  
  
"None of your business! Gas pains--how dare you...!"  
  
------  
  
Tenchi and Tris were about to enter the house when they heard a voice call behind them. Both turned. They saw Nobuyuki striding up to them, very quickly.  
  
"Dad!" Tenchi was pleased. "Home early for once, huh? Good. Dinner is on the table and...Dad?"  
  
Tris took one look at Nobuyuki's face and said, "See you inside, Tenchi." He walked through the front door that Mihoshi had just slid open for him. He still carried Ryo-Ohki.  
  
"What's wrong, Tris?" Mihoshi asked him. She took Ryo-Ohki from him with her white-gloved hands and gently set the cabbit on the floor. Tris didn't answer right away. Mihoshi looked at him, sensing something was very wrong, indeed.  
  
Now Kiyone walked up to Tris and softly touched his cheek. She wore the fingerless, perforated gloves she affected when she was going to pilot the Yagami. She also wore her red headband. "Hey, something is wrong. What is it, Tris?" she asked.  
  
"Tenchi's Dad is home from work. Early. I saw his expression. I've got a bad feeling," Tris told her and Mihoshi.  
  
"Oh no..." Kiyone whispered. It was pretty obvious to her now what was wrong. She slipped her hand into Tris's and held it tight.  
  
Mihoshi looked confused a moment. Then tears sparkled in her wide blue eyes as realization came to her. "Oh, gosh...that poor man."  
  
"Hey, what's up?" Ryoko asked, walking over to them. Ayeka followed.  
  
"Can't you guess?" Washuu asked, also walking over to the group. "Haven't you paid any attention at all to what Tenchi's poor father has been going through these past few months? And what it means when he comes home early and everyone's not happy?"  
  
"Huh?" Ryoko was still lost.  
  
"Oh, no," Ayeka murmured. Her face was tense with shock. "Oh, good heavens. How could they do that to him?"  
  
"Because this is Earth, Princess," Washuu said, grimly. "And they do things like that here...all the time."  
  
"You mean--they canned Tenchi's Dad?" Ryoko guessed.  
  
"Brilliant," Washuu muttered.  
  
"But, but he was working so hard--working so late!" Ryoko was instantly angry. "Those dirty bastards!"  
  
"That's just the point, Ryoko. They worked him so hard to try to get him to quit so they wouldn't have to give him severance pay and, eventually, a pension. When that didn't work, they probably used some baloney excuse to fire him. Probably no severance pay now and definitely no pension. I kind of saw it coming...but I hoped I was wrong." Washuu sighed. "God, I hate this damned backward planet sometimes."  
  
Ryoko was furious. "Who fired him? Who? I'll put a fireball--two-- up his butt! Just lead me to him!"  
  
"That would be quite satisfying, Ryoko, and I thank you. But it would hardly be productive." It was Lord Yosho who spoke. He had just entered the living room. Sasami stood behind him, looking worried.  
  
"Sir...I could be wrong," Tris said.  
  
"No, Tristram. I am afraid you are right." Lord Yosho walked deeper into the living room. "Would you all please retire to the dining room? Let's not let Sasami's good food get cold. Tenchi and I will talk to my son-in-law. We'll join you shortly."  
  
------  
  
"A personal call on company time!" Nobuyuki all but shouted. "Almost seventeen years with that damned firm...and that's why they fired me! The preening, sanctimonious bastard who actually fired me spends hours on his phone with his mistress. I call to see if I still have a house standing and a family alive to live in it and I get the axe!" The middle-aged man seethed with bitterness.  
  
He was sitting in the desk chair in his tiny home office and bedroom. Tenchi and Lord Yosho stood quietly, listening to him.  
  
"My friend Seji knew. He wouldn't say, but he tried to help. So did Reiko, the secretary...all a waste of time." Nobuyuki shook his head with frustration. "What a damned fool I was. Thinking that the bosses were being truthful, that they were just trying to get more work out of me to avoid hiring more people. The fact was, they wanted to make me quit so I would receive no severance benefits. They've already hired my replacement. Reiko let me know that afterwards." Nobuyuki laughed bitterly. "But I was too dumb to quit! So they just looked for a reason to fire me."  
  
"No benefits, Dad?" Tenchi asked softly.  
  
"None. Fired for cause. That's how it will read on my file. That's going to really help me find another job, you can bet!" Nobuyuki ran his fingers through his hair. "A damned recession on...caused by arrogant fools who thought they could play free market games abroad and still keep markets closed here. Well, the Americans showed them up, all right, and folks like us are paying the price. There's already too many architects for what little building is going on here. It could be months before I start earning a paycheck again."  
  
"What about unemployment insurance, Dad?"  
  
"It's a pittance! Besides, when you are fired for cause, the company can contest your receiving unemployment--and that bastard told me he would contest it--the last thing he said to me. Someone packed up my stuff and the guard was waiting outside the bastard's office door. I was given the bum's rush! Reiko was in tears, bless her, but she kept quiet until we got outside because God knows she needs her job with that worthless husband of hers." Nobuyuki realized he was straying off the subject. He stopped and swallowed. The worst was yet to come.  
  
Tenchi slowly shook his head. He felt as if he had fallen from a great height and crashed to the ground. His Dad no longer employed. The prospect chilled him. Not just for the economic effect, but also the psychological effect on his hard-working father.  
  
But Nobuyuki could still joke, a little. "I guess we'll have to postpone that fishing lake."  
  
Lord Yosho smiled at him. "No hurry, son-in-law."  
  
Nobuyuki looked at his son. "Tenchi, I'm afraid this is it. The women and Tristram have to go."  
  
Tenchi just stared uncomprehendingly at his father. "Dad?"  
  
"You heard me, son. It's going to get tight around here just feeding ourselves. You know that Kiyone and Mihoshi should have been in their own place all along. It's not as if they aren't paid."  
  
Tenchi could not believe what he was hearing. His Dad must have been terribly upset by the firing to be talking like that.  
  
"That's not fair, Dad. They tried so hard the last time--they nearly starved themselves. They just can't make it on what pay they have after all the deductions. And there's the danger of them being caught by their superiors if they try part-time jobs again. They do pay something to us each month."  
  
"Another pittance. Their deductions are big because that Kiyone won't give up her other apartment that she apparently also won't sublet again, either. And Mihoshi just follows her lead. That's just plain foolishness that we can't subsidize anymore. I can't worry about their careers under these circumstances. We'll do better without them and their so-called payment--especially that Mihoshi and her appetite. Good lord!"  
  
"Dad!"  
  
"I mean it, son. Ayeka and Sasami are wealthy beyond measure. I saw that palace they call home. They need to be back in it. Washuu can set herself up anywhere and do fine but I can't board her anymore. Same goes for Ryoko. I hope she doesn't go back to piracy, but that's her business. It's not our business anymore, Tenchi. We just can't afford to keep boarding them, son. If you ever reach a decision about Ryoko and Ayeka, that's fine. But they can't stay here anymore waiting for it."  
  
Tenchi didn't say anything.  
  
"Tristram is well off, too. He told you his parents' combined insurance and estate was a quarter of a million dollars. I know he, at least, will understand...and I don't want any charity from him. He's a typical big-hearted American. He will offer it. You know we can't be indebted to a foreigner. I know I raised you better than that." Nobuyuki was all but babbling out years and years of hard work, mistreatment, and frustration now.  
  
"A foreigner, son-in-law?" Lord Yosho reproved gently. "What am I, then?"  
  
"A citizen of this country, father-in-law, not a runaway kid from America who can't get along with his own family and has caused more upheaval in this house than we've suffered for over a year. I want him gone." Nobuyuki stopped. He looked a bit contrite now. "I don't mean that. He's a fine young man and your good friend, Tenchi. He's also an invited guest. He can stay if you wish, son, until school starts again. But the women must leave. We'll have to tell Kiyone and Mihoshi to please make other arrangements when they return from their trip. They are not to come back to stay. Then the other women must leave within the month."  
  
Tenchi's face was ashen. He turned on his heel and walked to the door. He quietly opened the door and left.  
  
Silence fell heavily in the room.  
  
Nobuyuki shook his head sadly. "I hated to tell him that. But we can't pussyfoot around. You know how low our savings are, father-in- law. That Ayeka and Ryoko have cost us years of savings from having to shore up the house, thanks to their battles. We've never made it up. Now we have to get by on the tiny remaining savings we have. They won't last long and I can't be certain I'll be earning anything even by then."  
  
Lord Yosho walked to the door and closed it.  
  
"Nobuyuki," he said, "I know you are very upset...understandably. It is a hard blow. But I told you that you had to anticipate it, didn't I?"  
  
"Yes, you did. And I'm now trying to keep us from going into bankruptcy."  
  
Lord Yosho sat in a chair beside his son-in-law. "Let's talk, Nobuyuki."  
  
"I don't think I want to talk anymore, father-in-law. Not for a while, anyway. I just want to sleep. Forget about dinner. I'm absolutely blasted...I mean it."  
  
"I'm sorry, Nobuyuki. Nonetheless, we must talk. More than money is at stake, you must remember. Our very lives may very well be at risk. You must listen to me now."  
  
Nobuyuki took a deep breath. He felt himself stop shaking internally. He was calmer now. And regret at his angry words was beginning to set in.  
  
"All right, father-in-law," he said. "I'll listen."  
  
------  
  
"But how could they do that to him?" Ryoko demanded to know.  
  
She and the others all sat around the dining room table. Sasami had prepared an excellent meal, as always. But very little of it was being eaten. Mihoshi had put her bowl down. She sat quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks. She knew the humiliation of being fired-- and this was no silly part-time job. This job was everything to Nobuyuki. She felt so badly for Tenchi's nice father.  
  
"They did it. That's it," Washuu answered. She made a pretense of eating, then set her bowl down, too. "That's life for the folks around here, Ryoko."  
  
"But he's a great architect!" Ryoko waved her hand around the room. "Look at this place. It's a damned palace!" She glanced at Ayeka. "Well, at least to some of us."  
  
Ayeka merely nodded. "This is a wonderful house and I love it. Mr. Masaki is a very gifted architect."  
  
"He sure is!" Sasami was close to crying just like Mihoshi. "He's so talented and he works so hard."  
  
"Makes no difference," Washuu told them. "There's lots of great architects out there--too many. That's the problem. Companies now can and do get the cheapest price for that talent. They can hire some young kid fresh from college to do the work a lot cheaper than a senior guy who has gotten a lot of pay raises over the years. It's all a matter of money."  
  
"But someone right out of school isn't going to have the smarts and experience that Tenchi's Dad has," Ryoko objected. "They can't do as good a job."  
  
"Who said they want to do a good job?" Washuu asked. "They want to do a job, period, and do it cheaper so they get more jobs...more contracts. Tenchi's Dad calls it "sharpening the pencil." Well, they just sharpened that pencil again--and Dad got the dirty end of it. If you girls would watch something on the TV here besides soap operas and cartoons, you might learn what folks like the Masakis have to put up with."  
  
The other women fell silent. Washuu had simply spoken the truth...a bit bluntly, perhaps, but she was right on target. None of them, except for Kiyone and Mihoshi, had any idea of the real day-to-day struggles of the Earthlings they lived amongst--and Kiyone and Mihoshi had learned that only by happenstance.  
  
Kiyone sat and brooded. She did not even look at Tris. The hard fact was, she acknowledged to herself, that she and her partner hadn't been able to cut it on the outside. That was why they shared a single room with the other women now, sponging off the Masakis, paying them a tiny amount to assuage their consciences. And now the Masakis were facing the same financial straits she and Mihoshi had faced...which meant she and Mihoshi would be even a bigger burden to them.  
  
The great adventure back to GP Headquarters and her special plans for Tris were cold ashes now with the horrible news of Tenchi's father's sudden unemployment.  
  
Sitting so close beside her, Tris sensed Kiyone's upset. He looked at her, the pretty but sad-looking young woman in her Galaxy Police uniform. He slipped a hand under the table and gently grasped one of Kiyone's hands. He squeezed her hand. When she turned to look at him, he smiled sympathetically at her.  
  
Then he winked at her.  
  
Staring at Tris now, Kiyone felt a sudden flood of warmth fill her. She smiled tenderly back at him. God, it was so nice to have someone who could make her feel so good again, so quickly. She squeezed his hand back and then released it. She absently touched the gold ID bracelet she wore now all the time, even in uniform.  
  
Kiyone picked up her bowl and chopsticks. She began, slowly, to eat. She needed food in her stomach for the mission ahead. Mihoshi, seeing Kiyone eating, followed suit. She continued to sniffle occasionally, however, as she ate.  
  
"Dry your eyes, Mihoshi," Kiyone said. "You're in uniform now, remember."  
  
"Yes, Kiyone," Mihoshi replied. She put down her bowl and took the handkerchief Tris offered her with a smile. She dabbed at her eyes. "I'm sorry, Kiyone. I'm just so sad about it, it's hard not to cry."  
  
"I know. Try your best, though."  
  
"Okay." Mihoshi blew her nose into Tris's handkerchief, loudly. Ryoko, Ayeka, and Washuu looked at her with annoyance. Kiyone closed her eyes with embarrassment. Mihoshi, oblivious to all this, tried to hand Tris back his handkerchief.  
  
"Um...you keep it, Mihoshi," Tris told her.  
  
"Thanks!" Mihoshi smiled. Another present from Tris!  
  
Suddenly Tris noticed movement from the dining room entrance. He blinked, and looked again. It was Tenchi. He had appeared briefly, looking at Tris, and jerked his head. Then he disappeared.  
  
The American had a pretty shrewd idea what Tenchi wanted to see him about and why he wanted to do it out of earshot of the women. He swiftly rose. "Be back in a minute," he murmured to Kiyone.  
  
"Okay," she said. "But be sure to. We need to talk about something."  
  
"Huh? Oh...okay."  
  
As Tris walked out of the dining room, he head Washuu resume the conversation. "Hey, I didn't mean to hurt everyone's feelings. The important thing is you all start paying attention..."  
  
Tris walked into the living room. Tenchi stood there. Tris stopped. He had never seen Tenchi so upset and so discouraged-looking.  
  
Without a word, Tenchi walked on to the genkan entryway, slipped on his street shoes, and opened the door. He stepped outside. Tris did the same, wondering why Tenchi seemed so devastated. It was mighty hard news, but not the end of the world. Yet Tenchi sure acted as if it was.  
  
------  
  
"But...if this evil character is after Ayeka only, surely she'd be better off with her royal family to protect her," Nobuyuki was saying to his father-in-law upstairs. Lord Yosho had managed to convince his son-in-law to reconsider his position on their extended family. Now they were discussing what to do about the threat of Professor Klove.  
  
"Yes, if they really take the threat seriously. But I don't believe they will. The King will likely send the Yeoman after Professor Klove. If Professor Klove reads Princess Ayeka's mind and knows that is happening, he will make his move. It could mean the Princess's death at the very least. While she is here, I am convinced our enemy is complacent about any threat from us. That may well be our only advantage over him at this stage."  
  
Staring down at his slippered feet, Nobuyuki slowly nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. I wish no harm to come to that young woman. If we must keep her here to protect her, so be it."  
  
Yosho smiled. "I knew that would be your attitude, Nobuyuki. But make no mistake. I believe the threat extends to all of us. A more compete revenge would be gained by destroying Tenchi and myself...two more scions of the Jurai royal family. And you and the rest of the women--and Tristram--would have to be destroyed to hide our enemy's tracks."  
  
"That's a nice, comforting thought!" Nobuyuki smiled mirthlessly. "But are you certain about the threat to Tristram? I'll admit that I would feel better if we could send him back to the University and away from any danger. It's not fair to expose him to this threat, him not being part of our family...even of our extended family."  
  
"I am certain, Nobuyuki. He is versed in our enemy's powers, he knows exactly what is going on, and he would certainly tell any investigator from the Galaxy Police or from the Palace what he knows. Thus, our enemy must eliminate him as well."  
  
"When you put it like that, it's logical," Nobuyuki admitted. "Logical in an awful way...but logical."  
  
"You also make a mistake about Tristram. He is part of our family now--with what he knows, what he has gone through already with us, and what he must go through with us now. That homeless boy has found a home with us, Nobuyuki. We might as well face it."  
  
Nobuyuki looked thoughtful. Then he nodded. "Yes, I suppose...an American, though! Well, at least Tenchi has what he's needed--another young man to share things with. A friend."  
  
"Speaking of Tenchi...he is likely still upset over what was said earlier," Lord Yosho prompted.  
  
"You're right, father-in-law. I'll go talk to him now." Nobuyuki looked rueful. "I kind of dread it after acting like such an ass and lashing out at people he cares so much about. He must really hate me now."  
  
"Never!" Lord Yosho exclaimed. "He may be upset, but he could never hate his father. Not our boy."  
  
------  
  
"You know, I almost hated Dad for a second when he said the things he said about the girls," Tenchi said flatly.  
  
"Aw, com'on."  
  
"I almost did, Tris! But then I realized the terrible strain he's under...poor Dad! He carries all of us on his shoulders." Tenchi looked downcast.  
  
Tenchi and Tris were sitting in the latter's Mustang, which was still parked just outside the open gate. Tenchi had wanted to make as certain as he could that even a swooping (and snooping) Ryoko could not hear what he wanted to talk over with his buddy. Thus, the old car's canvas convertible top was up, the car windows cranked firmly shut. It wasn't a perfect protection against the space pirate, since she could just pass, dematerialized, into the car. But it was the best he could come up with on the spur of the moment.  
  
"Well, they're pretty broad shoulders, Tenchi."  
  
"Not broad enough! Wanting to send the girls away, right now...just imagine me telling Kiyone and Mihoshi, "Thanks for risking your careers again to help and, oh, by the way, you'll need to find someplace else to sleep"! I know Dad was kind of spouting off, because he's just about floored about being fired and finding he was being suckered for so long. But that's low, Tris. You can't say it isn't."  
  
Tris was silent. Tenchi really was on his father's side, Tris knew. But the prospect of having to send the girls packing shook him to the very depths.  
  
"Well, I know people say things when something terrible happens to them that they really don't mean. Your Dad took back what he said about me, and I have been kind of a pestilence to him since I've been here. I nearly broke his back for him, remember?"  
  
The ghost of Tenchi's usual broad grin appeared. "Yeah, you bonehead! I kind of understood that when he ranted about you."  
  
"Well, if he's willing to back down when he's pretty much right, he's probably going to relent about the girls." Tris tried a joke. "Of course, if we could get Mihoshi down to only seconds at dinner instead of thirds--that might help!"  
  
It worked...sort of. Tenchi could not help chuckling briefly at his father's consternation over the blonde Galaxy Police officer's locust- like appetite. "Yeah. I remember Dad's face when Mihoshi first came to us in that hardsuit and nearly wrecked the house. Dad was so nice to her--well, she is pretty--and when he served her dinner, his eyes bugged out as she almost ate everything in sight!" Then Tenchi's expression darkened. "And now you tell me she was crying for him through dinner while he was upstairs dissing her."  
  
Tris nodded. He understood how hard it was for Tenchi to witness his Dad in such an uncharitable temper. "Well, you know how he'll feel when he finds out about that. He did say he didn't want to send the women away...just that he wouldn't keep afford to keep boarding them. Right?"  
  
Tenchi played dispiritedly with the Mustang's air conditioning vents on the dashboard. "Yeah."  
  
"Well, is that the truth?"  
  
"Oh, I guess so. Without Dad's paycheck, we will have to dip into the savings--and those savings aren't large, I can tell you that."  
  
"And you don't want to go into your savings unless it's an absolute emergency. My Mom and Dad always told me that."  
  
"They were right!"  
  
"What about your grandfather and the shrine?"  
  
"The temple and shrine are all public institutions and are supported locally. Those won't be affected. The actual grounds our family owns are all paid for, of course, years ago. But we have to pay taxes on the land and the house, and, of course, insurance, and the premiums are high, thanks mostly to Ryoko and Ayeka. That's what's going to pinch us, along with just the cost of food and everyday items."  
  
"So your Dad has a really good point, doesn't he?"  
  
Tenchi looked at Tris. He appeared annoyed. "I'm not saying he doesn't, just that I don't think you ought to start kicking people out right off the bat."  
  
"Uh-huh. And that's where I think your Dad was really just venting. You know, letting out all that rotten pressure he's been under for so long. Don't you think so?"  
  
Tenchi looked out the passenger door window. "Well...yeah."  
  
"Then maybe you ought to forgive him for slipping up and acting human in front of you. You know?"  
  
Tenchi didn't say anything for a while. Then he nodded slowly. "You're righter than even you know, Tris," he said. "After the girls thought they had Dad pegged as some sort of letch, they all--except for Mihoshi and Sasami--kind of looked down on Dad. He's tried awfully hard to be some kind of paragon, I guess, to win my respect back, although he didn't need to do it."  
  
"Yes, he did, Tenchi," Tris said. "Because he probably felt he didn't have all your respect. For my Dad, it was easy to have my esteem--he was a fighter jock, he was happily married to my Mom who was a knockout, really--I was Dad's number one fan. But I guess that's all a lot harder to do when your Dad works at an unglamorous job and has to get by without a wife...well, you know."  
  
Tenchi mulled that over. "Tris," he said finally, "you're not always a bonehead and that's a fact. I've been a bonehead myself. It's just that the very idea of having everyone leave really shook me up. You don't know. After the first time we were all together and then everyone scattered, I thought it would be great to have a peaceful life again. Wrong! I really missed all of them. So much so that I kept visiting the places where we all had so much fun. I even visited Kiyone and Mihoshi's old apartment in Okayama City. It is a real dump, by the way. I just wanted them all back, crazy as it seemed. Now I just want them all to stay, always. I know that's impossible. But at least they should leave of their own accord and not be kicked out because of finances."  
  
"Maybe they won't have to leave, Tenchi," Tris ventured.  
  
"How? The fact is, Dad's right. We can't afford to keep such a big household anymore with him unemployed."  
  
"Well, here's probably a dumb idea. You told me Ayeka and Sasami's personal wealth makes Bill Gates look like he needs food stamps--"  
  
Tenchi shook his head. "That is a dumb idea, Tris, although it's only because you don't know enough about those two. Ayeka and Sasami have tried and tried to contribute financially, but their wealth is really all in things...big things...like whole planets. There's a Galaxy Depository where they both have personal accounts, but it deals in credits that don't translate to yen or dollars. So with all their riches, the two of them couldn't buy a newspaper here on Earth."  
  
"Yeah? Then how did Kiyone and Mihoshi convert their salaries to yen to pay their rent and buy food the first time they were here?" Tris asked.  
  
"Because they're paid in regular Galactic Union currency. It's called Jurais. There are currency exchanges in the Union that buy and sell all kinds of currency, even our currency here on Earth. They don't give the best exchange rates, either, and they're kind of shady, but Kiyone and Mihoshi have to use them."  
  
"That must be pretty tough on them," Tris commiserated.  
  
"Tough on Ayeka and Sasami, too, if you think about it," Tenchi added. "That's why they participated in the food and drink sale to buy their swim suits. That's also why they both work so hard around here, trying to contribute the best they can."  
  
"Yeah, I see," Tris said. "That's really something, too. I mean, how many guys can say they have a royal princess who washes their delicate undies...and another one who cooks their meals?"  
  
Now Tenchi chuckled with his old spirit. "That's right! It's pretty darn selfish of me, but I'd hate to see all that end. You have any brilliant ideas how we can keep everyone from scattering again? And don't even think about offering to toss some of your money in--I'll clobber you if you do."  
  
Tris shook his head. "Well, with that in mind...I don't have even an unbrilliant idea." He looked past Tenchi's head out of the passenger side window of his classic old car. "Hey, buddy, your dad and grandfather are outside, looking at us. I think maybe your dad wants to talk to you...and you two need to have a talk."  
  
"We sure do." Tenchi opened his door and Tris followed suit. They stepped out of the car, shut its doors, and walked back to the house. Tris nodded at Lord Yosho and Nobuyuki, who both nodded amiably back at him. He stepped inside the house and closed the door behind him. Tenchi stayed.  
  
Lord Yosho walked a little closer to the house, not leaving the scene exactly, but leaving the stage, so to speak, to his son-in-law and grandson.  
  
Nobuyuki was finding it hard to say anything to his son. Tenchi just looked at his father, his face expressionless.  
  
"Tenchi," Nobuyuki finally said. "Your father isn't a young man anymore, and he sure isn't the man he once was. I suppose I proved that to you tonight."  
  
"No, Dad," Tenchi said. "I know why you're so upset. It's pretty upsetting stuff. Tris and I talked it over and it keeps coming back to the fact that...well, you're right. I was really hurt by what you said about the girls and Tris. But I can't dodge the bullet any more than you can. You're right, ultimately."  
  
Nobuyuki shook his head. "No, son, ultimately I'm quite wrong."  
  
Tenchi was startled. "Why--what do you mean, Dad?"  
  
"You know, Tenchi, my friend at work--my former work--Seji, doesn't realize it, maybe. But he'll be the next to get the axe. He's almost as senior as I was. So, when he's fired and not earning a paycheck, is he going to say to his three little girls, "Sorry, but you'll have to find a new home, I can't afford to feed you anymore"? Somehow I doubt that!"  
  
"But his daughters are family. Of course he's not going to abandon them, Dad."  
  
"Yes, and the women here are family, too. The fact is, they're as much a part of my family--our family--as if I had filed papers in a courtroom to adopt them. You don't just run out on family, or dump them, when there's a crisis. Your grandfather made me realize that."  
  
"No, you realized it all the time, son-in-law," Yosho said from where he stood. "You just forgot it for a very little while."  
  
"Thank you, father-in-law," Nobuyuki said. "You know, Tenchi, when Kiyone and Mihoshi were struggling to make ends meet in their little apartment, I think I worried about them as much as if they were my own daughters. I really did. I was glad when they decided to stop killing themselves over trying to be independent. They were more than welcome here. And when we all had to face up to that Kagato, they helped us--even when they could have just abandoned us and gone back to their superiors and turned us in. Career-wise, that would have been the smart thing for them to do at the time. Certainly, they have been taking an awful chance all this time in not turning Ryoko in. But you don't betray family. Period. And you don't abandon them, either."  
  
Tenchi smiled affectionately at his father. "No, Dad. I guess you don't."  
  
"And you don't always choose your family," Nobuyuki added with a trace of iront. "Sometimes, they just...happen."  
  
"Ours sure just happened," Tenchi agreed.  
  
"And now we have Tristram."  
  
Tenchi smiled again at his father. "Yeah, Dad. I guess we do."  
  
Nobuyuki shook his head. "I must have said a thousand times that this isn't the life or type of home I wanted for you, son. You should have had a mother who lived longer, perhaps a brother or sister. Of course, that's all useless wool-gathering. We have the family we have."  
  
"It's not such a bad family...is it, Dad?"  
  
"No, I suppose not. At least, with all the bickering and fighting and mishaps, it's a real family. Anyway, since it is our family, we're going to face this thing as a family. I don't know how just yet, but I'm determined we'll stay together."  
  
Impulsively, Tenchi walked up to his father. He embraced him. It had been a long time since Tenchi had last hugged his Dad. Too long.  
  
In the background, Lord Yosho smiled.  
  
When father and son parted, Nobuyuki said, "Well! I suppose we should finally go in to dinner. Believe it or not, I'm hungry. I wonder if the food isn't too cold now."  
  
"Only one way to find out, Dad."  
  
------  
  
As it turned out, Sasami, that thoughtful little sweetheart, had put the remainder of the meal in the oven on low heat. Tenchi, his father, and his grandfather were able to sit down to warm food, lovingly prepared. Which is something money cannot buy.  
  
Everyone, including Washuu, continued to sit at the table and provide a forced jovial spirit to enhance the three men's meal. Finally, Nobuyuki set down his bowl and chopsticks.  
  
"Everyone," he said. "Of course, you know I was fired from my job. I won't sugar-coat the situation. I respect you all too much for that. It may be a while before I'm working again, and things will be tighter than ever. But we'll find a way to get through this. The most important thing is that we get through this together. If anyone is thinking about acting noble and ducking out of here...well, forget it! You'll have to get past me first."  
  
"And me." Tenchi grinned.  
  
"And I as well," Lord Yosho said genially.  
  
Tris swallowed hard and stared down at his rice bowl. The women, who had no foolish notions about hiding their feelings, smiled at Nobuyuki with tears in their eyes...even Washuu had to wipe away a tear. Mihoshi cried openly, she was so happy, and no one shushed her this time.  
  
------  
  
After dinner finally concluded for all of them, the group broke up slowly. Kiyone and Mihoshi were all business, though. Tris hadn't even stepped out of the dining room when they both grabbed him and hustled him over to Tenchi's and his bedroom.  
  
"What's the charge, Officers?" Tris asked, a bit irritably.  
  
Mihoshi giggled.  
  
"Be quiet, you," Kiyone told him. By now they all had reached the door of his and Tenchi's bedroom. They stopped.  
  
"I know this family needs another bombshell like it needs the flu, but you'd still better go tell them what's up with us, Mihoshi," Kiyone instructed her partner. "Meanwhile, I'll tell goofy here about it in the one-syllable words he understands."  
  
"Okay, Kiyone." Mihoshi grinned at the two of them. "Kiss him once for me, okay?"  
  
"Mihoshi!"  
  
The blonde young woman laughed and walked away.  
  
"Now, what--" Tris began.  
  
"Inside, you." Kiyone slid open the bedroom door.  
  
"I want to call my lawyer."  
  
"You'll be calling your doctor if you don't get in there."  
  
Tris got in there.  
  
Once inside, Kiyone slid the door shut. Then she walked to Tenchi's bed and sat down. She looked at Tris and patted a space beside her.  
  
"Well." Tris grinned. "If that's what you want...you didn't have to drag me to it, you know. Ummm, do you think we really have time for that before you leave...?"  
  
"Tris!" Kiyone pronounced his name rather like she pronounced Mihoshi's name in stressful situations.  
  
"Okay, okay. Sheesh." Tris went to the bed and sat beside her.  
  
"Tris, I--" Kiyone stopped. She seemed at a momentary loss for words.  
  
Suddenly, Tris felt a stab of dread. This had to be it--the Big Dump.  
  
After all, Kiyone was leaving for her Headquarters...likely she meant to leave for good, despite Nobuyuki's request that everyone stay. Tris knew she felt rotten enough about living off the Masakis, and now with Nobuyuki's sudden unemployment, the situation had worsened. She and Mihoshi could work and live at their apartments by their Headquarters, even if it mean a long, long commute to their patrol area.  
  
Tris, feeling worse than he would have thought possible over losing a girlfriend, decided to help Kiyone out. After all, she had more important things than him to worry about.  
  
"Don't sweat it, Blue Eyes," Tris said quietly. "I'll guess I'll have to stop calling you that, huh? Anyway, I understand. Let's not make a production number out of this, okay? Everyone will miss you two, but they'll understand why."  
  
Kiyone trained her blue eyes on her him. "What the hell are you babbling about?"  
  
"About what you're going to say."  
  
"How do you know what I'm going to say?"  
  
"Well...it's kind of obvious."  
  
"Not from what you're running on about." Kiyone looked at him closely. "Maybe we shouldn't take you with us, at that."  
  
Tris jumped up from the bed. "What?"  
  
"I said, take you with us...all words of one syllable."  
  
"I heard you! I just can't believe it. Are you crazy?"  
  
"No, I'm not crazy!" Kiyone snapped.  
  
"You must be. Even I know you have regulations and stuff about carrying unauthorized people in cop vehicles--and I'm about as unauthorized as you can get, brother!"  
  
"Mihoshi and I are willing to take that risk," Kiyone said.  
  
"But, jeeze, I don't want to get you two fired. It's too damned big a risk!"  
  
"Watch your language, damn it!"  
  
"Watch yours!"  
  
Kiyone and Tris stared at each other narrowly. Then Kiyone patted the place beside her on the bed again. "Sit down and listen to what I have to say, will you?"  
  
Tris shrugged. He again sat down beside her. "Say what you want. I'm not going."  
  
"I thought you cared for me."  
  
"I do care for you. That's why I'm not going," Tris told her.  
  
"You just don't want to go!"  
  
"Of course, I want to go. Flying through outer space in a real starship--that's every red-blooded kid's dream, Kiyone. My Dad and Mom would have given up their pensions for a chance like that. I'm no different from them."  
  
Kiyone's expression and voice softened. "Then you're really just worried about getting me in trouble?"  
  
"I said so, didn't I?"  
  
"Oh..." Kiyone's eyes glowed. "Just for that, you're going to kiss me right now, your sweet idiot. I won't take no for an answer."  
  
"Who's saying no?" Tris leaned toward her.  
  
They kissed, long and slow. It settled them both down, somewhat. Tris marveled at Kiyone as they broke off their kiss. And here he had been expecting the axe!  
  
"Now, will you listen to me?" she asked.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Tris, I don't know if what we have now is going to go anywhere--no, keep your mouth shut! You don't know either, idiot. But I do know we have nothing if you don't get to know who I really am and the world I really live in. By that, I mean the galaxy I live in. I know all about your world but you don't know squat about mine. And my world is pretty big and pretty intimidating to someone like you. Tris, I said shut--"  
  
"Look, I understand all that stuff. I watched "Star Trek"--ouch!"  
  
Kiyone lowered her fist. "Are you going to shut up until I finish? This is hard enough to say, damn it!"  
  
"All right!"  
  
"Okay..."  
  
------  
  
Princess Ayeka stood outside Tenchi and Tris's bedroom door. Her arms were folded, and one foot was softly tapping the floor. The sound of it alerted Ryoko, who had been pressing an ear to that door. Ryoko jerked her head from the door, startled. She gave Ayeka a half-guilty grin.  
  
"I thought something was up when you disappeared so quickly after Mihoshi gave us the news," Ayeka whispered, her soft voice dripping with censure. "I should have known. Do you not respect anyone's privacy, Ryoko?"  
  
"To hell with privacy," Ryoko whispered back. "This is pretty hot stuff."  
  
"What do you mean, hot stuff?" Suddenly, the Princess stiffened with shock. "You do not mean to say that they are...they are...?"  
  
"Oh, get your mind out of the gutter, Princess. That's not what I meant at all."  
  
"Gutter? I am not the one listening at keyholes!" Ayeka still managed to keep her voice at a whisper.  
  
"What keyholes?" Ryoko murmured. She pressed her ear against the bedroom door again.  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka's voice was a sharp whisper.  
  
"Shush. I'm listening."  
  
Ayeka struggled against her natural curiosity. She lost.  
  
"Well, if they are not doing...that...what is so hot, then?" she asked impatiently.  
  
"Kiyone's trying to get Tris to go with her on Yagami," Ryoko, listening at the door intently, whispered back her report. "He keeps saying no, the nut."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Aw, he doesn't want to get her in Dutch with the GP."  
  
"But that is very sweet of him."  
  
"That's very nuts of him." Ryoko listened some more. She grinned. "Hah...Kiyone just kissed him. That'll fix him. He'll go, whether he wants to or not."  
  
Ayeka suddenly realized that she was aiding and abetting Ryoko in eavesdropping. It galled her.  
  
"And we are going now, too! You have heard enough," she whispered sharply.  
  
"Aw..."  
  
"Come on, now. Or shall I go get Lord Tenchi?"  
  
That convinced Ryoko it was time to leave. "You're one big party pooper, Princess," she muttered with disgust.  
  
"And proud of it! Now, come on--before they hear us in there." Ayeka cast a glance at the closed door.  
  
"Okay, okay...rats! And just when things were really getting good, too."  
  
Ryoko followed Ayeka down the hallway, away from Tenchi and Tris's bedroom door.  
  
------  
  
Fortunately, Tris and Kiyone were too engrossed in their own conversation to have heard any whispering outside the door.  
  
"I really don't think you understand where I come from and what I do, Tris," Kiyone told him.  
  
"You're a space cop and you eat donuts at galaxy convenience stores," Tris cracked.  
  
"See? That's what I mean. You see everything in Earth terms. Even though you've seen Mihoshi and me in our police uniforms and you've even seen Yagami, we're really just a couple of Earth-type girls to you...no different than other Earth girls. Well, mostly, we aren't any different. But we are different in some pretty important ways. We don't think of counties, we think of planets. We don't drive to the country, we rocket to a pleasure planet. Do you see what I mean?"  
  
"Well...yeah." Tris had to acknowledge the truth in what Kiyone was saying, although he still didn't see the significance of it. He was quite aware, uncomfortably so, that as far as Kiyone was concerned, their relationship was a lot more than something they would more or less terminate--or at least, put on hold--when he went back to school with Tenchi. Now, that was something he really had to think about.  
  
"You just see me as just another girl, living in Tenchi's home. Nothing exotic or different."  
  
"You're exotic and different. You're outstanding! And that's what I like about you."  
  
Kiyone smiled. "Thank you. But you still see me just as a girl, nice to look at, maybe, nice to hold, nice to kiss. But I'm a lot more than that. I have a very responsible position in a galaxy that makes your Earth look like a grain of sand on that beach we visited. You can't possibly envision what I'm saying unless you get to see at least a part of it. That's why I want you to come with us to GP Headquarters and see at least a little of my world. I want to know if you can take the huge difference in technology and lifestyle...or whether you're willing to take it."  
  
"Why should I have to take anything?" Tris demanded testily.  
  
"Because, buster, if you're going to keep hanging around me, you're going to have to spend some time in my world...or, I should say, worlds. I'll tell you now, Tris Coffin, I'm not about to live my whole life on this planet. I'm willing to spend some of my time here, but I must live where I grew up and where I have an important job and a good future. If you want to be with me, you'll have to spend time there, too. After seeing it, you may not want to, frankly."  
  
"Why not? It sounds like a real sci-fi thrill ride."  
  
"Because you're going to feel like a caveman, first of all, among the people there, and that's kind of how they'll see you." Kiyone gave him a sympathetic look. "We're so technologically advanced compared to Earth, it will make your head swim. Also, lots of different beings are members of the Union. Your planet's silly prejudices between people who are the same, really, just with different skin color, will seem like nothing compared to having to be around beings who will appear like monsters to you."  
  
"Like Rodan?" Tris had to chuckle, recalling his comment to Tenchi before the shopping trip.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Never mind."  
  
"Tris, I don't think you're taking this seriously!" Kiyone had that dangerous look in her eyes.  
  
"I am, too!"  
  
"You are not!"  
  
"Look, I get you. Feel like a Neanderthal, check. Get treated like I drag my knuckles when I walk, check. Blow my little mind at the sight of funny-looking people, check. Go postal at the concept of something more technologically advanced than The Clapper, check."  
  
"The Clapper?" Kiyone looked confused.  
  
"You clap it and the lights go out," Tris explained. "It's great for blind dates."  
  
Kiyone grabbed the lapels of Tris's polo shirt. Her blue eyes blazed. "Tris Coffin, I'm going to kill you!"  
  
"Now that's a nice, advanced, civilized attitude. Sounds like I'll feel right at home in your Galactic Union."  
  
Kiyone glared at him for several heartbeats. Then...she laughed, helplessly. Still holding onto Tris's shirt lapels, she pulled him to her and kissed him. When she released him, she had lost her furious expression.  
  
"Listen, you idiot. I know you're not terribly impressed by my words. You need to see what I'm talking about. If you really care for me, you'll do it. Just for that reason, if no other."  
  
Tris smiled at the beautiful, exotic alien woman. He leaned forward and kissed her back.  
  
"Hey, Blue Eyes, for that reason I'd even put on a white hood and walk backwards through East St. Louis. Besides, like I said, it's the thrill of a lifetime to really go star-trekking in outer space."  
  
"Is that a yes?" Kiyone demanded.  
  
"Ten-four," Tris said.  
  
"Okay. But I want you to really drink in what you see and think real hard whether or not you can stand being a part of it...or even want to be a part of it."  
  
"Right-o."  
  
"Now, one more thing." Kiyone pushed her pretty face to within a few inches of Tris's. "I want your word, because Tris Coffin has proved to everyone that his word is good."  
  
"Word on what? Good thing you didn't eat onions for supper, by the way...ouch!"  
  
Kiyone had affectionately twisted that stupid-looking nose of his.  
  
"All kidding aside, buster. All joking aside. As you say, Mihoshi and I are taking a big risk taking you along. We've already taken some risks what with Ryoko and all, but this is one risk we're taking right to Galaxy Police Headquarters. So when I give you an order during the trip--you obey! Instantly! No back talk, no jokes, no hesitation...just obey! Can you do that? Will you do that?"  
  
"Can and will."  
  
"You promise? Seriously?"  
  
"I promise. Seriously."  
  
Kiyone leaned back. "Good. I have your word, then. Another thing. On this trip, Mihoshi is Detective First Class Kuramitsu, not the funny little blonde ditz you think you know. She has a badge and a gun and she is authorized to use deadly force when she has to. But she has a problem giving orders. So, if she asks you to do anything-- anything--it's a command. You obey it! Got that?"  
  
"Got it."  
  
"Okay, then."  
  
Kiyone finally relaxed. What a hardhead Tris was! She would have to work on him a lot, she could see. But the truth the trip would reveal about him was worth the effort. She was certain of that now.  
  
For his part, Tris wasn't certain of anything. Sure, the space trip would be a real thrill, something so terrifically unique that the only Earthlings who had experienced it were Tenchi and his father. Taking the trip with Mihoshi and Kiyone would make it all the better.  
  
But the whole thing seemed suspiciously akin to being taken home to meet a girl's parents. Earlier, he had been crushed at the thought of ending things with Kiyone. Now he was feeling a bit antsy about what it might mean to keep things going with her. But his gut said: Go. So, he'd go.  
  
"Now give me another kiss, you old piker," Kiyone told Tris.  
  
They kissed. Kiyone held him very tight and they kissed for a very long time. It was more than just a kiss and they both knew it.  
  
"Who's a piker?" Tris asked, a bit woozily, after they parted.  
  
"You are! All this time we've been together and I haven't been taken on that second date yet."  
  
"Oh, yeah." Tris chuckled.  
  
"It's not funny! I'm supposed to be your girlfriend but I've only gotten one measly lunch out of you. That's being a piker!"  
  
"No, that's just being smart and thrifty," Tris corrected her.  
  
Kiyone sighed. She clenched her right fist and studied her knuckles. "Oh, you'll smart all right...and we'll be thrifty with bandages. One bed sheet ought to do..."  
  
"Okay, okay! Second date coming up."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
"All right--then where are you taking me?"  
  
Tris knew he had to come up with something darned good.  
  
"Um...this place in Okayama City, a restaurant."  
  
"What? Some burger joint?" Kiyone looked skeptical.  
  
"Nope. This place costs so much that for once you won't order the most expesnive thing on the menu--because if you do, we'll end up washing  
  
dishes there to pay off the bill."  
  
"Goodie!" Kiyone stood up. "I know just the place you mean. I've always wanted to eat there. It's a date, then. Now I'll help you pack, Tris. Just a few items." She grinned. "Like your jockey shorts!"  
  
"Huh?" Tris asked.  
  
Now, it was Kiyone's turn to say, "Never mind." She savored his confused expression.  
  
------  
  
Hundreds of light years away, in the blindingly white, coldly antiseptic room, the silent and still figure laying on the bed didn't as much as twitch a facial muscle. Yet, inside, the controller was laughing like hell.  
  
He had scanned the subject's memory the Earth-night before. He knew of the sudden realization of the victims that they were under threat--the fools! They realized nothing! Their confusion and consternation...that was delicious. And their continuing failure to appreciate the genius, the protean genius that would soon rend them into bloody pieces. That was like a wet dream to him.  
  
It was just what he wanted...the victims running around, trying to figure out the doom that faced them, making all the wrong moves, finding all the wrong answers, so that they would be crushed by their failure. So let them scurry around for a while, like frightened mice. It would be a pleasure to observe them doing so, through the royal whelp's mind.  
  
And then he would strike, titanically, mercilessly, and devastatingly. They would die slowly, especially that runaway Juraian prince and that snot-nosed grandson of his--Kagato, indeed! A flesh-and-blood enemy, despite his dark powers. They would learn what it was to fight an entity from beyond their very universe, beyond their very conception.  
  
That was the best part, truly. He was happy there were so many women involved this time They squealed particularly nicely when their limbs were pulled from their bodies. And having that overrated Professor Washuu amongst them--wonderful! He would toy with that one...a slow squeeze perhaps, just an experiment, mind you, to see how soon her ribs would crack and her eyes would explode from their sockets...  
  
The silent, still figure feasted on such anticipated glory while his body lay unmoving.  
  
It was good that he no longer sent out the full power of his mind probe--just a low-power probe now to read the royal whelp's mind. He could relax and gauge how things were going with his prey. And when the time was ripe, he would unleash the horror. It would be the final revenge, a revenge that would embroil the very galaxy itself. Then, and only then, he would allow himself to shut off the motor functions and finally die.  
  
Truthfully, he sought the sweet black oblivion...sought it like a lover...but only when his revenge was complete.  
  
_________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) Yes, four: "Tom Sawyer," "The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn," "Tom Sawyer Abroad," and "Tom Sawyer, Detective." A fourth novel, tentatively entitled "Tom And Huck Among The Indians," was never completed. I am indebted to Robert Haynie, Jr., for his kind assistance in getting this list right. 


	15. CHAPTER 14: No Need For A Stowaway

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
  
No Need For A Stowaway  
  
______________________  
  
Everyone saw Kiyone, Mihoshi--and Tris--off. Even Washuu and Ryo- Ohki.  
  
The group had gathered some distance from the house, by the edge of the lake. Kiyone had already used her control cube, rather than her earring, to summon her Galaxy Police starship, the Yagami.  
  
The cabbit rubbed against the two Galaxy Police officers and then Tris, affectionately. She "meow-er"-ed at them plaintively. Tris imagined Ryo-Ohki was telling them to be careful and to come back.  
  
Washuu looked up at the Yagami, that great red constabulary starship, as it hovered overhead. Then she looked at Tris.  
  
"You're cuckoo to be doing this," she told Kiyone.  
  
"Hey, I think she's cuckoo, too," Tris said. "I wouldn't trust me on that starship." He was wearing his father's old A-2 pilot jacket. Tris had decided he wanted at least a part of his Dad to share this trip with him. He also carried his nylon overnight bag in one hand.  
  
Washuu grinned. "Well, cutie, if you think that way...maybe she isn't so cuckoo. Just a little cuckoo."  
  
"Thanks, Washuu," Kiyone gritted. She looked like she wanted to employ the travel bag she carried in an unorthodox but satisfying way.  
  
"You're welcome, Kiyone." Washuu grinned at her, but remained out of range of Kiyone's travel bag.  
  
"It'll be okay, Washuu," Mihoshi told her. She had her travel bag in one hand and Trissy under her other arm. The plush pooch looked as doleful as ever. Perhaps it got airsick easily. Kiyone had tried to convince Mihoshi to leave her stuffed puppy dog behind, but Mihoshi had given her such a tearful look that Kiyone had relented. "We'll be able to handle it. It'll be fun!"  
  
"Okay, Mihoshi," Washuu told her. "If you say so."  
  
"I say so," Mihoshi said brightly.  
  
Ryoko walked up to Mihoshi. "You're taking that ugly mutt, huh?" she asked, eyeing Trissy.  
  
"She's not ugly!" Mihoshi insisted. "And she's not a mutt. She's a Cocker Spaniel. That's a real breed. Tris said so."  
  
"Whatever...as long as it doesn't breed," Ryoko cracked.  
  
Now Ayeka walked up to them. "Hush, Ryoko. Do not antagonize Mihoshi when she is all set to leave."  
  
"Okay." Ryoko grinned. "I'll save it all for when you get back, Mihoshi."  
  
"Ohhhh...thanks." Mihoshi sounded as if she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.  
  
"That is not what I meant!" Ayeka told Ryoko.  
  
"Do I look like I care?" Ryoko became airborne and floated over to where Tenchi and Tris stood talking.  
  
Ayeka looked after her, annoyed. Truthfully though, part of her annoyance was prompted not by Ryoko, but by what she considered this foolhardy venture. Taking the Earthling, Tris, on a Galaxy Police ship was dreadfully risky. Ayeka had remonstrated with Kiyone about it. But Kiyone had pointed out to Ayeka that she, herself, was risking her own throne to stay with Tenchi--and did she think it was worth it? Ayeka, of course, could only give one answer to that. But she was worried for Kiyone--and Mihoshi--and, yes, Tristram, too-- nonetheless.  
  
A short distance away, Tenchi was saying to Tris, "I'm not sure if this is a wise thing, but it's a real break for you, buddy. Space travel is awesome. You'll see."  
  
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to that part, anyway," Tris said. He swung his nylon overnight bag, which was well stuffed, somewhat pensively.  
  
Tenchi raised his eyebrows. "What part aren't you looking forward to?"  
  
"Well...I think maybe someone is hearing wedding bells."  
  
"What!" Tenchi nearly jumped. "You mean Kiyone is--" then he spotted Ryoko floating toward them. "Later, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, later."  
  
"Later for what?" Ryoko asked, landing softly beside them. She took Tenchi's arm.  
  
"Later for me, Ryoko," Tris said. "I'm outta here, you know."  
  
"I know. You're going to love it. I'm glad you're going along, Tris. You should experience everything. Right, sweetums?"  
  
"Well..." Tenchi really didn't want to answer that.  
  
"Yeah, Tenchi said it would be a great trip," Tris replied.  
  
"Oh, he knows. Many is the time Tenchi and I went up in Ryo-Ohki. We sailed though the stars...it was so romantic. Wasn't it, Tenchi?" Ryoko snuggled against him.  
  
"Well, now, really--" Tenchi began.  
  
"Ryoko! You never took Lord Tenchi up in Ryo-Ohki all by yourselves and you know it!" Yes, Ayeka had now joined them, too.  
  
"Did, too...lots of times, Princess."  
  
"Name one time!"  
  
"Oh, when I first came back, before you showed up again. Those were the lovey days. Weren't they, Tenchi?"  
  
"Not really," Tenchi said.  
  
"So!" Ayeka exclaimed triumphantly. "Caught in another lie! That is just disgraceful, Ryoko."  
  
"A girl can fantasize, can't she?" Ryoko still gripped Tenchi's arm.  
  
"Yes and she can keep her sordid fantasies to herself...unhand Lord Tenchi!"  
  
"I won't!"  
  
"Very well, then." Ayeka took Tenchi's other arm. Tenchi groaned. They would probably start pulling at him next. He hated that.  
  
"You two shouldn't argue," Sasami said. She had just joined them after conversing briefly with Mihoshi and Kiyone. She was carrying Ryo-Ohki. "It's not very nice, you know, and this is supposed to be a farewell for Kiyone and Mihoshi and Tris."  
  
"Meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki appeared to agree.  
  
"Hey, who's your mistress, anyway?" Ryoko said to the cabbit.  
  
Ryo-Ohki didn't make another sound.  
  
Sasami petted Ryo-Ohki and put the cabbit down on the grass. She thought this trip was about the most romantic thing she had ever heard of and the bravest. Kiyone was definitely at the forefront of Sasami's Hall of Heroines now. Sasami absently bent down and petted Ryo-Ohki again. She wondered if she would be as brave as Ayeka and Ryoko and Kiyone were when she found a boy she especially cared for. She hoped so.  
  
"Tris!" Kiyone called. "We're leaving now."  
  
"Right-o." Tris looked at Tenchi.  
  
"Just keep cool, Tris," Tenchi advised.  
  
"Yeah." Tris left to join Mihoshi and Kiyone.  
  
"Hmmmm..." Washuu said as she walked over to Tenchi and the others. "Do I detect an undercurrent?"  
  
"Don't go there, Washuu," Tenchi requested.  
  
"Okay." The great scientist shrugged. "None of my business anyway."  
  
"Don't go where? What's up?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"Yes, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka added. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Tenchi said truthfully. "Besides, like Washuu said, it's none of our business."  
  
Neither Ryoko nor Ayeka looked very satisfied with that answer. Sasami felt a bit mystified herself, then decided to ignore it. As Tenchi said, it was none of her business. She rose from petting Ryo- Ohki. "I'll sure miss them," she said sadly. "You will too, won't you, Ryo-Ohki?"  
  
"Meow-er." Ryo-Ohki's response sounded affirmative. She would most definitely miss the rub-a-tummy sessions.  
  
------  
  
Both Lord Yosho and Nobuyuki, standing a distance away, waved at Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Tris as the three young people took their places beneath the hovering Yagami. They, in turn, waved back to Tenchi's father and grandfather.  
  
"You know, father-in-law," Nobuyuki said. "It's an odd thing. Here I was earlier, ranting for all these people to leave. Now three of them are leaving and I want them to come back."  
  
"Nothing odd about it at all, Nobuyuki," Lord Yosho said. "Fortunately, we know they will be back, and soon. We can only wish them good luck...and Godspeed."  
  
"Yes, indeed." Nobuyuki suddenly chuckled. "That reason Kiyone gave, about her thinking Tris should get a chance to see some of the Galactic Union since he's part of our group...it seemed a bit flimsy. That's one diehard career woman, and she's risking her career to take him along. I know what I'd be thinking if I was young Tristram."  
  
"I agree." Lord Yosho nodded. "The fact is, they both are very serious about each other--more serious than at least one of them realizes. Again, we can only wish them good luck."  
  
"Those poor kids. They'll need it."  
  
Now the two men watched as a broad light, an almost blinding luminescence that seemed somehow solid, issued from the Yagami's underbelly. Kiyone had transmitted the order to transport via her control cube. The luminescence streaked down and instantly covered the three figures of Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Tris. The two Galaxy Police Officers stayed put. Tris ducked a bit. Both Nobuyuki and Lord Yosho heard Kiyone yell, "Stand still, you idiot!"  
  
Tris grimaced, but straightened. Then the three of them, transfixed within the dazzling wide beam emitted from the Yagami, began to ascend. Their forms lifted from the ground. Slowly they were drawn to the underbelly of the Yagami.  
  
"Close your eyes if you can't take it, Tris!" Tenchi shouted up a piece of advice.  
  
"Yeah, don't get airsick again," Ryoko added. "Remember, we're right under you!"  
  
"You guy are loads of help!" Tris managed to shout down from around fifteen feet in the air.  
  
"Will you please shut up!" Kiyone shouted to him. "You're not supposed to talk during transport--and don't shut your eyes, you--"  
  
Thus, as it turned out, she was doing the talking when all three of them disappeared into the Yagami.  
  
On the ground, Lord Yosho and Nobuyuki were silent a moment as they stared up at the starship. Then Yosho said, "Not an auspicious beginning to their trip."  
  
"Nope." Nobuyuki grinned. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that starship right about now!"  
  
------  
  
"You can open your eyes, now, clown," Tris heard Kiyone tell him dryly. He also heard Mihoshi giggle. Tris opened his eyes.  
  
He had been all right until they had reached around thirty feet in the air. The ride overall had been fine, not bumpy at all, and he had not been the slightest bit airsick; it had, rather, seemed like riding up an elevator...without an elevator. However, when the figures on the ground had grown teensy-tiny and they still had not reached the ship yet, Tris decided that not watching his ascent any longer was the wiser course and shut his eyelids. He had been dimly aware of Kiyone shouting something at him when blackness had closed in and they were on board.  
  
His first sight of the interior of the good starship Yagami was not impressive. He and the two women were in a well-lit but tiny antechamber, with smooth, circular gray walls and a firmly closed exit door. There was absolutely nothing in the chamber aside from the diffused light from above and that closed door. It was hardly welcoming. Now he watched as Mihoshi and Kiyone quickly moved to that door and faced him. Then the two of them laughed.  
  
"Huh?" he asked.  
  
"Sorry, Tris," Kiyone explained. "This transport chamber is designed for when we bring prisoners up to the ship. This is a police vessel, you know. Sometimes a prisoner will try to make a break when we first trasport in, so Mihoshi and I always immediately guard the exit first."  
  
"Well, you can take the handcuffs off now," Tris told her. "I'm not going to make a break for it. And I'm not wild about the idea of jumping around sixty feet back to Earth. It could be hard on my arches."  
  
"You weren't wild about transporting either, buster," Kiyone pointed out, remembering she was supposed to be mad at Tris.  
  
"What do you mean? I loved it so much that I just had to close my eyes and dream that it would never end."  
  
That did it. Mihoshi, still holding onto her travel bag and Trissy, doubled over with laughter.  
  
"Quiet, Mihoshi!" Kiyone said, to little avail. There was no way she could prevent Mihoshi from having a good laugh this time. So she glared at Tris, trying to squelch the smile that struggled to relax her frowning visage. "You really didn't like it," she told him. "And that's just one of the little shocks you're likely to encounter on this trip. Do you still want to go along? Seriously?"  
  
"You mean you'd just set me back on Earth--right now?"  
  
"In a heartbeat. If you ask me to."  
  
Mihoshi stopped laughing. She looked worriedly at Tris and Kiyone.  
  
"What if I ask you to get us out of this jail cell--so we can take off and get this trip started?"  
  
Kiyone slowly smiled. Mihoshi relaxed. Fortunately, Tris had said just the right thing.  
  
"I'd say...okay, idiot, you asked for it!" Kiyone waved her hand over some panel--it was indistinguishable to Tris from the rest of the wall, no doubt to ensure a prisoner couldn't open the door--and the door slid open faster than the blink of an eye. Warm light flooded the antechamber.  
  
"Let's go," Kiyone said. "Goofballs first."  
  
"Nope," Tris said. "Mean old lady cops first."  
  
Mihoshi started laughing again.  
  
"Mihoshi!"  
  
Mihoshi squelched her laughter. But she smiled broadly. Then she went first, stepping out of the teleport chamber and into the ship's main corridor.  
  
Tris made a sweeping bow to Kiyone. "Age before beauty," he murmured gallantly. Kiyone swung her travel bag at him. Tris jumped out of the way and banged his head against what must have been some sort of security camera. Kiyone laughed and took his hand, the one not holding his bag. They followed Mihoshi out of the transport chamber.  
  
"I was just waiting for that big head of yours to hit something on this ship," Kiyone told him, with something akin to satisfaction. But she also looked closely at Tris's head and made certain he wasn't really hurt.  
  
"Well, now you can stop waiting and..." Tris stopped. "Wow!"  
  
"Like it?" Kiyone asked with a smile.  
  
"I'll tell a Klingon!" Tris enthused.  
  
The main corridor of the Yagami actually ran along the starship's bulkhead, with the various rooms and functional areas placed amidships. Accordingly, one entire wall of the corridor--actually, the bulkhead--was sheathed in a transparent material (Tris knew better than to call it glass). The transparent panels ran from high overhead to just a few feet above the marble-like floor. Before them sprawled the outside world, primarily the Masaki Shrine, the nearby village with its tiny lights (evening shade was falling), and the rural landscape beyond. It seemed almost as if one could just step off the corridor and into that high-altitude scene. It rather reminded Tris of that incentive flight he had taken in the back seat of his Dad's F-15...the cockpit of the F-15 was cut so low that it almost seemed at first as if you zooming through the air without support. It had provided an exhilarating sight and a somewhat dizzying sight as well. So did this.  
  
"You really like it?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"I love it," Tris said simply, earnestly.  
  
"You should see it when we're in deep space," Mihoshi said excitedly. "All the planets and stars whizzing by...it's so grand!" One reason why the blonde young woman adored being a Galaxy Police officer was now evident. She was jazzed by space travel. And who wouldn't be? Tris's affection for Mihoshi, whom he was beginning to regard as the sweet, caring sister he never had, was ratcheted up another notch.  
  
"I'm glad you feel that way, Tris." Kiyone took his hand again and her touch was soft. "Let's go put our things in our quarters and then we'll take off. After that--a tour of the ship!"  
  
"Yay!" Mihoshi said.  
  
"That's my line now." Tris grinned. "Yay!"  
  
------  
  
Many light years away at Galaxy Police Headquarters, a sort of welcoming committee was meeting. Only, it was not exactly welcoming.  
  
A cardinal rule of the good staff officer at Headquarters was: Put in the hours, even if you're not being particularly productive. Thus, newly pinned-on Detective Sergeant Mitsuki Sakakibara, her superior officer (and fiancée), Lieutenant Kamin Zay're, and another of their little clique, Detective Sergeant Youri Katzaar, were grabbing a quick dinner at the main GP canteen before they would spend another hour of paper-pushing and apple-polishing.  
  
The huge canteen itself could have hosted several pro football matches (not arena football, either) in its spacious breadth and width. It certainly could have accommodated the mother of all food fights, but, of course, such a lack of decorum was reserved for the Junior Officer's Club a few floors below.  
  
This central canteen helped serve the nutritional needs (if not the gourmand cravings) of the 14,527 Galaxy Police officers, trainees, clerks, contractors, and occasional visiting members of the High Commissioner's staff (not to mention the High Commissioner himself) who populated the Headquarters. The actual solid walls ended at about five feet up. Then the transparent paneling was employed, which not only presented the vista of stars and black-blue space, but also a nice view of the adjoining planet Vestra, in whose gravity the Headquarters orbited.  
  
Vestra provided the Headquarters staff with living accommodations, shopping, recreation, ferocious taxation, price-gouging...in short, a steady drain on most GP officers' and civilian workers' paychecks. A favorite saying among GP staffers was that although they owed their allegiance to the Union, they owed their souls to the Vestra company store.  
  
That view of Vestra and deep space could be altered to project the lush greenery of a pleasure planet or some other appetizing spectacle. But no one had requested a change of scene to the canteen staff-- certainly not the three staff officers huddled so close to each other. They couldn't have cared less about the view.  
  
Lieutenant Zay're was a tall, thin drink of water, resplendent in a razor-sharp creased uniform, with a high forehead (like the others of his race), only tufts of actual hair on his cranium, and a sharply pointed chin. He was hardly prepossessing, not exactly the type one would expect a ravishing redheaded woman like Mitsuki to take a shine to. But he was a highly competent and politically savvy GP staff officer, destined for high office, and his family were movers and shakers back home on planet Ouum. That planet was extremely important to the Galactic Union due to its strong alliance with other powerful planets, a de facto coalition that had constantly challenged the planet Jurai for supremacy since the early days of the Union. The Juraians had to pay attention when that coalition made demands...even King Azusa and his royal court. For any female wishing a brilliant political match, one that would open many doors in the future, Lieutenant Zay're was a dreamboat.  
  
Sergeant Katzaar was certainly no dreamboat. He was a burly, low- browed, hard-looking specimen from a minor planet in the Union, planet Takawii. Like Detective Kiyone Makibi, he had parents of little political consequence and, also like Kiyone, he had been compelled to work very hard for what he had achieved. Unlike Kiyone, however, he had leaned to play the political game and to play it moderately well. He was now Lieutenant Zay're's official subordinate and chief unofficial sycophant. To Katzaar, it beat busting his butt chasing small-time perps out in some godforsaken patrol area. He was on his way to making Lieutenant early, thanks to Zay're.  
  
The commissary was not crowded at this time of the GP workday. Most of the regular staffers (those doomed to endure mundane careers) had gone home to enjoy their real lives. Seated in their booth, the three officers ate the rather tasteless but nutritious fare served at the canteen without enthusiasm. It had been a long day of rolling and unrolling red tape. In addition, Mitsuki's meal was not sweetened by what Sergeant Katzaar had just told her.  
  
"Kiyone and Mihoshi--those two--coming in for PT?" she asked him.  
  
Katzaar nodded. "I wanted to refuse them, but I had no real reason to do so. They haven't used much PT since they messed themselves up. And you know how dead their patrol area is...its only importance is to enforce the restricted area around that boondock planet Earth. Besides, Chief Bodai would have questioned me pretty closely had I refused their request."  
  
"Yeah, Kiyone would have gone crying to Bodai, no doubt," Mitsuki said sourly. "I wish the Chief would stop coddling those two."  
  
"It's understandable," Zay're said. "Kiyone was sort of his protégé once. It's hard to be forced to realize your special pet is a rotter."  
  
"They're both rotters, if you ask me, sir," Katzaar grumped. "That Mihoshi--Lady Mihoshi, if you please! Little stuck-up bit of useless nobility...incompetent and feeble-minded. Used her grandfather to stay in the GP and then to keep her little pal Kiyone in, too." Like many people born without advantages, Katzaar was keenly resentful of those who had.  
  
"No argument from me on that," Mitsuki agreed. "When I heard Kiyone had drawn Mihoshi as a partner, I actually felt sorry for Kiyone. Back then, I hoped Kiyone would make something of Mihoshi. Instead, it seems that Mihoshi made something of her!" Mitsuki shook her red head with faux sadness. "The Miho-Kiyo Team!" That was the latest nasty reference to the two outcasts that buzzed around Headquarters.  
  
Zay're smiled fondly at his bride-to-be. "Such feelings speak well for you, dear. Especially since those two tried to involve you in their transgressions. It infuriates me that Chief Bodai would use the excuse that those two for once handled a case without causing a disaster to re-open the file on that Slaakive mis-identification matter."  
  
"Without a disaster, sir?" Katzaar shook his beetle-browed head truculently. "Firing on a privately owned ship containing only two teenaged girls? They should have gotten a second official reprimand for that and booted out. We all know that, sir."  
  
"That's quite true, Youri. I'm afraid Princess Ayeka Jurai is far too generous in spirit for one in her position at times." That was as far as Zay're would go in publicly criticizing any member of the Jurai royal family. He certainly wasn't going to add publicly that Princess Ayeka Jurai needed to be back on Jurai, not romancing an Earthling (Juraian Prince though he may be) out in the middle of nowhere. But that was how he and many others in the Union felt. Resentment of the errant Princess and her selfish and costly "fling" that kept her heavy-handed father on the throne of Juria was strong in the Galactic Union and grew stronger every day.  
  
Mitsuki nodded. She had gone a bit pale at the news that Kiyone was coming back to GP Headquarters, even for a quick personal visit. She wished never to see Kiyone again, or that twit, Mihoshi, either. Her fiancée and Youri were right. Those two should have been axed over the incident with those Souiis youths. It would have worked out so perfectly, proving that those two were quite capable of prevaricating about that alleged full ID comparison report. That would have stopped Chief Bodai's re-investigation cold. Damn the Juraian royals and their interference anyway! Naturally, she would never voice such a sentiment aloud. The GP was directly dependent on royal Juraian support.  
  
Lieutenant Zay're looked at Mitsuki with concern. "You appear to be troubled, darling," he remarked.  
  
His fiancée quickly recovered herself. She gave a long, theatrical sigh. "It's just that it's so sad about Kiyone. Mihoshi deserves what she gets--she should never have made it through the Academy. But Kiyone...she was second in our class, you know, behind me. Such a waste."  
  
With another fond smile, Lieutenant Zay're laid one of his hands--one with six fingers, another trait of his race--on Mitsuki's hand. "You're rather wonderful...do you know that? After all that hysterical woman has tried to do to you, you can still feel that way. You have a big heart, my dear."  
  
Mitsuki smiled tenderly up at Kamin. She couldn't wait to be married to him. Then she'd have all the protection in the world...and Chief Bodai and his damned re-investigation could go hang.  
  
Sipping at the latest soft drink craze (from Souiis, as it happened) and grimacing at the taste, Sergeant Katzaar was silent. He secretly thought that Mitsuki had a big ego and big ambition and about as much heart as a proton generator. But he'd never say it. After all, he wanted to make lieutenant early.  
  
That made him think. Perhaps he could do something still about Mihoshi's and Kiyone's request for PT. Mitsuki clearly wasn't happy about them popping in for a visit. Stopping them would earn him her gratitude...and thereby Lieutenant Zay're's gratitude. That was worth a lot to Youri Katzaar.  
  
------  
  
"How do you like our ship's bridge?" Mihoshi asked Tris.  
  
"Great! From what I can see of it."  
  
"You just stay right there, buster," Kiyone told him. "And zip the lip! You too, Mihoshi."  
  
They were in the forward operations and control section of the ship, referred to as the "bridge." It was a spacious compartment, about the size of the Masaki home's first floor, and quite tall...the ceiling would reach to the Masaki home's attic. It was dominated by the command-and-control module, equivalent to an airship's cockpit. The module consisted of the main navigation and weapons console behind which squatted two tall-backed cockpit seats sporting immense side and head bolsters. Kiyone and Mihoshi sat on those seats now. The console itself consisted of a brain-numbing array of touchpads and bar graph indicators, as well as two large screens, one facing each seat, which Kiyone and Mihoshi referred to as viewscreens. Finally, small data pods were attached to the two pilot's seats with telescoping arms, from which even more ship's information could be read and inputted. It was almost information overload, but the two women handled the mass of data efficiently and adroitly.  
  
Facing them was the literal bow, or front, of the ship, much of it encased in the transparent material, so that the Yagami's pilots had an immense view of where their starship was heading. In addition, large panels were suspended in front of the two Galaxy Police officers which provided a constant, real-time readout of all the ship's functions and weaponry status. Every so often, numbers and words would just appear in the air in front of Mihoshi and Kiyone. Tris guessed these were heads-up displays but he saw no light source for projection--in which case, they were somehow generated and projected without light. Rather cool.  
  
No doubt about it, Toto...he wasn't in Kansas anymore.  
  
Tris knew that even his late father would have had quite a learning curve to master such a complicated array of controls to pilot this ship--and piloting an F-15E was a hell of a complex task in itself. Tris didn't even want to think about trying to pilot such a starship himself. Kiyone was right...the spectacle of her and Mihoshi so deftly handling the big starship, piloting it out of Earth's orbit and into outer space and doing so with only the slightest sensation of movement, was tremendously impressive. His regard for the two's professional abilities skyrocketed.  
  
Unfortunately, he had to observe all this from a spot at the very front of the bridge behind the pilot console and the main screens, his back pressing against the transparent material that opened up the sights of outer space to the two pilots. For Kiyone had issued one of her first orders--that Tris, when entering the bridge, would keep himself pressed against the walls and quickly go the front and then stick himself into the little nook he now found himself in.  
  
"Kiyone," Tris spoke up.  
  
Kiyone looked up from where she was recording fuel pressure. She frowned. "I ordered you to keep silent when on the bridge, Tris."  
  
"Can't I ask one question?"  
  
"Please let him, Kiyone," Mihoshi urged.  
  
"Mihoshi, you're supposed to back me up!"  
  
"I will...only, let Tris ask his question. Please?"  
  
"Oh, okay. What is it now, Tris?"  
  
"How come I have to stick my sorry self in this corner?" Tris asked. Actually, it wasn't a corner, since the ship's combined forward operations control center and bridge was rather oblong shaped, achieved by an engineering Tris could only wonder at. Kiyone and Mihoshi seemed to know what he meant, though.  
  
"Tris, it would be nice if you'd pay a little attention to what I tell you," Kiyone replied, grumpy at being interrupted in her fuel pressure recording--it was vital to accurately estimate fuel consumption so they'd be able to justify re-fueling at GP Headquarters. Also, she was ticked off at Tris for disobeying her orders so quickly. "I pointed out to you the two viewscreens on the console and the fact that they can be projected on the main screens. Oh, I understand now--I used two syllables! I'm sorry. Okay, let's go one syllable at a time, Tris. View...screen. Now, say it with me."  
  
Tris was clearly getting a bit grumpy himself. "View...screen," he said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Very good! Now, what do those simple words mean to you?"  
  
"It means I wanna take my ball and go home," Tris muttered.  
  
"What did you say? Don't mumble."  
  
"It means it's a screen someone can view you from," Tris said.  
  
"That's my smart boy. So that means when we get a call from our area Command Post or from our Headquarters, the caller can see us and what's behind us just as we can see them and their surroundings. Now, do you suppose it would be a good thing for them to suddenly contact us and see you hanging about?"  
  
"No," Tris had to admit.  
  
"That's right...no!" Kiyone returned to tapping inputs on the console.  
  
Tris sighed, but did so quietly. It was going to be a long trip. He wondered if Kiyone's brusqueness was due to the fact that he had made fun earlier of the fingerless gloves she wore to pilot the ship. He had called them "driving gloves" and wondered aloud if Kiyone wore a tweed cap, too. Kiyone had not been amused.  
  
Now he saw Mihoshi looking at him. Her wide blue eyes were sympathetic. He grinned at her and winked. Mihoshi smiled.  
  
"Mihoshi, have you established our uplink to the nav buoy network yet?" Kiyone asked her.  
  
"Ummm...no, Kiyone."  
  
"Do you plan to do it before we reach retirement age?"  
  
"I'll do it right now, Kiyone." Mihoshi returned to her tasks.  
  
Tris stood and watched Kiyone and Mihoshi run through their post take- off checklist. Kiyone, of course, handled her tasks with aplomb, the compleat professional pilot. Mihoshi also performed quite well. She was no ditz, no air-headed blonde now.  
  
Without lifting her eyes from the console, Kiyone said, "Tris, once we have the ship properly underway and locked on its course, Mihoshi and I like to have a meal together in the galley inside the recreation room. Yagami will be on automatic pilot while she travels through your solar system, anyway. After that, we take turns manning the bridge. You're welcome to join us for the meal." She glanced at him. He nodded.  
  
Then Kiyone smiled that special smile at him.  
  
Tris now understood. Kiyone was all business when it came to business, police business, that is. But she could and would unbend when that business was completed...at least, completed for the moment.  
  
------  
  
After a quiet evening of watching TV, Ryoko found herself baby- sitting Princess Ayeka in the women's dorm room. It was around ten- thirty p.m., and the Princess and Sasami were snuggled in their futons, eyes closed. Ryoko sat on hers. As a concession to Ryoko, the lights in the room were on, but their intensity had been lowered via the light bezel on the wall.  
  
Ryoko was bored, really bored. So bored that she was reduced to wiggling her bare toes and trying to determine which foot was faster at toe-wiggling. It was a tie, she finally decided.  
  
Man! When she found herself engrossed in watching her tootsies twiddle, it was a sure sign she was going wacky. This baby-sitting-- actually, Princess-watching was a better term for it--wasn't turning out quite as Ryoko had planned.  
  
Since she could subsist on little sleep (although, rather like Mihoshi, she preferred lots and lots of sleep), Ryoko had volunteered to take her shift tonight, although she'd been awake all day. The thought that she could sack out all day tomorrow, free of the Princess's not-so-subtle hints to perform housework, was gratifying, as was the way Tenchi had smiled at her when she announced she would commence her Princess-watching that night. Now that had been just lovely...her sweetums thought she was a real trouper and Ayeka could only burn in silence. That alone was worth a little boredom.  
  
Of course, Ryoko didn't think there was any real danger. That crud Klove had shot his bolt. Ryoko truly believed that Ayeka could not and would not harm any of them, despite all that hypnosis stuff. Tris might be wrong, but Washuu almost certainly wasn't. Washuu was a real pain in the rear sometimes but she was usually right about things...annoyingly right, to be perfectly honest about it. Ryoko pictured Washuu again in that one-piece swimsuit with all the peek-a- boo panels. And Washuu thought that was hot stuff! It just showed you what happened to a girl when she became an old maid.  
  
Ryoko had no intention of being an old maid. She planned to age into a feisty old babe with Tenchi. Tenchi would make her world and life complete. She loved him to distraction, she dreamed about him (no nasty old Professors messing with her dreams, thank you!), and even fantasized about him. Maybe she fantasized too much. Reading those sexy hentai books had gotten her really aroused, and it was all she could do not to go zipping into Tenchi's bedroom. Hmmmm...come to think of it, Tris was gone and...she shook her platinum head firmly. She had promised Ayeka a "fair fight." Ryoko would stick to her promise.  
  
Not that Ayeka always fought fair. When the Princess had come crawling back to Earth (some dedicated Princess she was!) as Ryoko had predicted, Ayeka had even ordered her royal galleon to depart without her for Jurai. It was a clear indication that she planned to stay on Earth this time...although all she really had to do was contact her snooty family via her two Guardians and there'd be a ship to take her back, toot-sweet. But the ploy definitely made her look like she had made an irrevocable commitment to Tenchi, while Ryoko always had Ryo-Ohki to take off in again.  
  
"That was dirty pool, Princess," Ryoko muttered at Ayeka's silent, slowly breathing form. "Real dirty pool."  
  
Still, most of the time they both observed their fair-fight pact, Ryoko admitted to herself. It had to be that way. Their days of actual physical combat were over. This was so for several trenchant reasons. First of all, the best the two of them could do was fight to a draw...one simply couldn't defeat the other. This fact had amazed them both--they each had thought themselves invincible. Secondly, the last time they had fought with their powers, the house had been seriously damaged, which caused a lot of expensive repair work and some problems with that insurance stuff that Ryoko really didn't understand. Tenchi had been so angry he had almost sent them both away and that Ryoko understood all too well. So now they went at each other in other ways--verbally and by exploiting any opportunity to advance themselves in Tenchi's eyes, such as her volunteering to watch over Ayeka. Ryoko grinned. She stuck her tongue out at the silent and still form of the Princess. Hah! Got her that time!  
  
"Put that disgusting thing back in your mouth, Ryoko!"  
  
Ryoko nearly bit her tongue with surprise.  
  
Ayeka sat up. "Do you call this watching me? Playing silly games with your feet, muttering things at me, and sticking your tongue out like a spoiled child? Really, Ryoko!"  
  
"What? You're awake?" Ryoko was stunned.  
  
"Of course I am awake. How could anyone sleep with all the silly things you are doing?"  
  
"Hey, Sasami's asleep!"  
  
Now Sasami sat up. "No, I'm not." She smiled. "You sure were funny, Ryoko."  
  
"Aw, nuts!" Ryoko groaned. Talk about being hooked and reeled in, but good!  
  
"That is just the kind of intelligent response we expect from you, Ryoko. I know Lord Tenchi will greatly enjoy hearing about the valiant way you watch over me."  
  
"You wouldn't tell him!"  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"Because...because I have been watching you! I haven't left this room!"  
  
"She's right, Ayeka," Sasami said.  
  
Ayeka appeared to mull this over. "Very well. I shall not say a word to Lord Tenchi. But you must sit there quietly and do your duty, Ryoko. That means no trips to the living room to watch television, or trips to the kitchen to eat leftovers...and certainly no trips to anyone else's bedroom!"  
  
"Okay, okay," Ryoko stewed. The Princess had her over a barrel. The last thing Ryoko wanted was for Tenchi to hear about her toe-twiddling competition. Then a thought occurred to her. "But can't I at least go to the bathroom? What if I have to...you know..."  
  
Sasami giggled.  
  
"Ohhh, how vulgar! I suppose that is all right, but you must not dawdle, and--"  
  
Ayeka was interrupted by a tapping at the door.  
  
"Now see what you have done, Ryoko?" Ayeka snapped. "You have awakened Lord Yosho or perhaps poor Mr. Masaki!"  
  
"Have not! You've been yak-yakking all this time!" Ryoko shot back.  
  
"Come in!" Sasami called.  
  
The door slid open. It was Tenchi. Dressed in his kimono, pajamas, and slippers, he carried his stereo radio and a pair of earphones.  
  
"Hi, girls." He grinned, a bit sleepily.  
  
Instantly, Ryoko and Ayeka forgot their argument. They eyes sparkled at the sight of Tenchi in his kimono and pajamas. Their faces glowed with love.  
  
"Hi, sweetums," Ryoko sighed.  
  
"Hello, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka breathed.  
  
Sasami watched the two of them melt in Tenchi's presence with amusement. But, she had to admit, she felt a little like melting, too.  
  
"Ryoko, I know it must be pretty dull just to sit here and watch Ayeka," Tenchi told her. "So I thought I'd bring this old radio for you to listen to. It's the one we took to the beach. The earphones will keep you from waking up Ayeka or Sasami."  
  
Ryoko nearly wriggled with delight. "Oh, that is so wonderful of you, sweetums. You deserve a big kiss for that."  
  
Ayeka glared at her. "Lord Tenchi brought that radio so that I could get a good night's sleep without being awakened by your hijinks! If anyone should kiss him, it is I."  
  
"Girls..." Tenchi began.  
  
"You said you wouldn't say anything about--you know!" Ryoko returned Ayeka's glare.  
  
"I did not say anything...but I should!"  
  
"Girls...girls..." Tenchi tried to moderate.  
  
"Perhaps you should show Lord Tenchi that wonderful pastime you have discovered. I am certain he will be as enthralled by it as we were," Ayeka suggested acidly.  
  
"Leave my feet out of this!" Ryoko stopped, realizing that she had just rather put her foot into it herself.  
  
"Feet?" Tenchi asked, looking at both Ayeka and Ryoko.  
  
Ayeka laughed the peculiarly brassy laugh she used when scoring against Ryoko. Ryoko glowered.  
  
Then Sasami rose from her pallet. The little girl walked over to Tenchi and took the radio and earphones from him. Then she motioned for him to bend over. He did. Sasami gently kissed his cheek.  
  
"Sasami!"  
  
"Junior Princess!"  
  
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Tenchi," Sasami told him. "I know you're tired and want to go back to bed. They'll be quiet now, I think. Good-night."  
  
Tenchi grinned down at the little Princess. "Good night, Sasami. Good night, girls."  
  
Ayeka and Ryoko just stared after Tenchi as he left, sliding the door shut behind him. Then they stared at Sasami.  
  
Sasami smiled to herself. She walked to Ryoko and handed the radio and earphones to the space pirate, who accepted them numbly. Then Sasami walked back to her futon, slipped benath the covers, and laid her head on her pillow. "Good night," she said to her big sister and Ryoko.  
  
Both Ayeka and Ryoko continued to stare, dumfounded, as Sasami smilingly drifted off to sleep.  
  
------  
  
"It's not very tasty, is it, Tris?" Mihoshi asked the American.  
  
"It's okay, Mihoshi...if you crave cardboard."  
  
Mihoshi laughed. "I think it tastes like cardboard, too!"  
  
"Mihoshi! These are our official rations!" Kiyone objected.  
  
The three of them sat at a low table in the small, but functional, ship's galley, located just adjacent to the pleasantly decorated and furnished ship's recreation room.  
  
The galley was small, with a food preparation area that consisted of several instant-cooking modules, rather like microwave ovens, and a dining area, where they were seated now. Although the floor of the galley, as in the rest of the starship, was carpetless, and the walls were largely devoid of anything resembling pictures and posters, the overall effect was still cheerful and inviting. The ship's interior at least didn't have that rivets-in-the-wall look of many military sea and air vessels on Earth. Here was a ship where people could spend a great deal of time in and not feel as if they were traveling in a crate. Of course, a few pictures on the smooth, bare walls would not have hurt, either. Tris had briefly glimpsed Kiyone's and Mihoshi's private quarters during the tour of the ship and those rooms were more intimately furnished, at least--Mihoshi's quarters were a riot of pink.  
  
The recreation room itself had proved a welcome surprise to Tris, compared to the severely functional, almost Bauhaus design of the rest of the starship, with its music and video entertainment modules, comfy couches, and huge library of instructional media for GP officers to brush up their knowledge of Galactic laws, history, and various planetary cultures. There were even discs on protocol, useful when entertaining royalty such as the Juraians. In addition, there was, interestingly enough, a shelf of what had to be books in one corner, next to a device that Mihoshi told Tris was a alien kareoke machine. The recreation ("rec") room proved that Kiyone's and Mihoshi's patrols were not all work and no play.  
  
At the moment, Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Tris were eating the boxed food rations stored aboard every GP ship--the prepared food units that required no cooking, no baking, no frying, and no taste buds. Most GP officers stocked their ships with more appealing foodstuffs--of course, most GP officers had money to spend on such luxuries.  
  
"You mean these are your official rancid rations," Tris replied to Kiyone. He pushed a cube of something orangish around his flat translucent plate with a kind of fork-spoon combination utensil (something like a spork, but weirder looking). He'd seen lumps of old plaster that looked more appetizing.  
  
"Rancid! That's right!" Mihoshi hooted.  
  
Around the table were four armless chairs--well, they were sort of like chairs. Mihoshi had placed Trissy in the fourth chair. The plush pooch looked dolefully at the table, as if worried that someone would offer her some of those rations.  
  
"The official rations aren't meant to tickle your taste buds!" Kiyone said, exasperated with both of them. "They are purely nutritional edibles and they'll give you all the vitamins and minerals you need. So eat!"  
  
"Yes, Mom. Hey, what do you think this is, Mihoshi?" Tris asked, pointing at the orange food cube on his plate. "A vitamin or a mineral?"  
  
Mihoshi laughed again.  
  
"Tris...!" Kiyone glared at him.  
  
"This stuff is crud, Blue Eyes," Tris told her. "I've eaten MREs-- Meals, Ready To Eat--on Earth and they taste like food...sort of. This tastes like grade school modeling clay, except the modeling clay had some taste to it. This is the product of your advanced civilization?"  
  
"Oh, most of the food here is awful!" Mihoshi said. "So many different people and so many different tastes, you know. So it's all really bland like this--not like on Earth!" Mihoshi's eyes glowed at the thought of the yummy food on Earth.  
  
"There's more to life than food, Mihoshi," Kiyone said crossly.  
  
"There is?" Mihoshi said. "I mean...sure, Kiyone. But food is awfully important!"  
  
"You tell her, Mihoshi," Tris said.  
  
"Okay, so don't eat it, buster," Kiyone gritted at him.  
  
"Thanks!" Tris said. "I won't."  
  
Kiyone stared at him, shocked. "You're going to go hungry?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"What do you mean, then?"  
  
"Well, why do you think my overnight bag was stuffed so full--lots of jockey shorts?"  
  
Mihoshi was lost in another fit of laughing.  
  
"Hey--what is this, you clown? What did you bring?" Kiyone demanded. "I wondered why you stopped in the kitchen before we left."  
  
"Well, now you know. I brought a bunch of those freeze-dried cups of noodles--you know, ramen."  
  
Mihoshi sprang to her feet. "Yay! Oh, I love you, Tris!"  
  
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone cried.  
  
"Well..." Mihoshi smiled at Tris. "Let's go open your bag, okay?"  
  
"Why don't you bring it here? It's in those so-called visitor's quarters, remember?" Tris suggested.  
  
"Sure--right away!" Mihoshi walked, happily--all but skipped--out of the galley and through the open doors of the recreation room.  
  
When she was gone, Kiyone said, "Tris, what's the big idea?"  
  
"Tenchi told me how bad the food was on your ship and how you never brought enough food, anyway, and everyone almost starved."  
  
"That was Ryoko's fault!" Kiyone denied the charge.  
  
"Was it her fault you didn't have enough food?"  
  
"We weren't expecting to carry the whole damned Misaki family with us!" Kiyone retorted.  
  
"Okay, that's your story. You stick to it. Of course, everyone else says different."  
  
"That does it!" Kiyone stood up and walked around the table to him. "You asked for this!"  
  
Just as she got ready to poke him a good one, Tris picked Trissy up.  
  
"You wouldn't hit a fellow with a puppy dog...would you?" Tris asked her sadly. He made his face look as doleful as Trissy's.  
  
Kiyone stopped. Then she shook with laughter. She took Trissy away from Tris, dumped the pooch back on its seat, and was bent over and kissing him before he could even react.  
  
"No," she chuckled. "But I can sure kiss him silly!"  
  
At about the time the third kiss was delivered on target, Mihoshi walked into the galley carrying Tris's overnight bag.  
  
"Awww..." Mihoshi said. "I thought we were going to eat some yummy noodles."  
  
Kiyone parted from Tris. "Yes we are, partner. You get a vessel of water boiling and this idiot and I will open up some of the cups."  
  
Even Trissy almost looked pleased.  
  
------  
  
Tenchi did not immediately return to his bed from the women's bedroom. He noticed that light showed under the door of his father's bedroom. He knocked on the door softly. He heard his father's voice and Tenchi slid the door open.  
  
He saw his father sitting on his bed, clad in his pajamas. Nobuyuki was peering in a cloth-bound ledger that Tenchi recognized as the one containing the household accounts.  
  
"Come in, son," Nobuyuki said genially. He placed his pencil behind an ear, something Tenchi had seen his Dad do as long as he could remember.  
  
Tenchi walked in and closed the door. "You shouldn't stay up too late, Dad. You need to..." He stopped, abashed.  
  
But his father just smiled. "Well, no, I don't have to get up to go to work in the morning. Quite a shock to realize that, eh?"  
  
Tenchi forced a smile. "Well, Dad, now you're on vacation."  
  
His father shook his head. "Tenchi, unemployment is not a vacation. It's a time of high anxiety, peppered with moments of pure desperation. Working at a job is much easier than looking for one. I'm beginning to recall all that. When the first firm I worked for went belly up, I had to look for the job I've had until today, when you were just a baby. No fun, I can tell you. Thank heavens for the moral support of your dear mother and your grandfather during that time."  
  
"I'm sorry, Dad," Tenchi said. "But you sure have all our support."  
  
"Thank you, son. That really means a lot. I don't know how single folks make it during times like this...I really don't."  
  
"I hope I never have to find out, Dad," Tenchi admitted somberly.  
  
"You won't son. You'll always be surrounded by friends and family. At least I can count on that for you."  
  
"Uh-huh. Any prospects at all, Dad?"  
  
"Well, I'm considering going with one of the contracting firms, if I can. Practically everything is done by contractors these days, rather than regular employees, it seems. No wonder! What a deal it is for companies, having workers but not having to do anything but pay a flat fee for them...no health insurance or investment plans to cover and hire-at-will to boot."  
  
"Hire-at-will, Dad?"  
  
"It means they can fire you at any time, without a stated cause, and without any severance pay."  
  
"Man!"  
  
"That's the way it is, Tenchi. If I go in as a contractor, I do the job, get paid by the contractor, and then have to wait for another job to come up before working again. Lots of folks like it, but it can play havoc with trying to budget yourself. Some firms actually pay you during the idle time. Perhaps I can get on with one of them."  
  
"I guess it's better than nothing, Dad. But it sounds pretty iffy."  
  
Nobuyuki nodded. "Oh, it is. My age is against me and also the fact that I held a senior position for so long. The contracting firms want young people who aren't accustomed to doing anything but taking orders. So even contractor work may well be beyond my reach."  
  
Tenchi walked over to his father. He laid a hand on his shoulder. "Something will turn up, Dad. I know it. Are you checking the household accounts?"  
  
"Yes. Sasami is certainly a precise little shopper...every cost entered, down to the last noodle!" Nobuyuki chuckled. It was a welcome sound to Tenchi. "We'll make it this month, and the next before we have to dip into the savings. That's a little time to get re-employed again, at least."  
  
"Good!" Tenchi clapped his father on the shoulder. "Washuu already said she's going to monitor all the airwaves and the Internet for local architect position openings and send it to your computer daily. Ayeka and Sasami and Ryoko said they'd get the newspaper first thing each morning and pencil all the possible openings. It'll be all right, Dad. You'll see."  
  
"Of course it will, son," his father said. But the household accounts ledger, lying on his lap, seemed to say differently.  
  
------  
  
Thanks to the substitution of hot noodles loaded with goodies for GP food rations, the mood around the galley table was significantly more companionable now. Tris was even able to ask dumb questions without receiving sarcasm from Kiyone.  
  
"Okay," he asked. "Explain again how you're able to know where you are in deep space? Finding a way to navigate outside of the solar system is one of the problems that makes routine deep space travel sound pretty implausible to us knuckle-draggers on Earth."  
  
Kiyone nodded. "I know...I heard that sort of talk on your TV. But it's quite simple, Tris." She was actually enjoying explaining her world and its marvels to Tris. She hadn't been sure she would find it enjoyable or that Tris would take it so well. After kind of a rocky start, Tris was really being kind of wonderful; he absorbed new information and concepts quickly. Although he marveled at the Yagami, he accepted the ship and its functions and capabilities as new technology, not as magic or science fiction. It all made her feel much easier in her mind about him. Already, she thought, the trip was paying off. That is, as long as they didn't get caught.  
  
"My simple mind is open. Fire away."  
  
Mihoshi, who was on her third cup of noodles, giggled. She had just gotten the knuckle-dragger bit.  
  
"Okay. Many years ago, survey teams explored space away from their planets and placed what we call nav buoys, or navigational buoys, in strategic places, such as next to a planet or a planetoid. For example, there's a nav buoy positioned close to the planet you call Saturn...the one with the rings. These buoys are programmed to use their little rocket stabilizers to maintain that position precisely. They also communicate with other buoys to keep their positions fixed and to report any failures that they either repair internally or wait for a maintenance crew to come out and fix. The positions of all these buoys are mapped and the mapping parameters are loaded into navigational control computers, or navcoms, which all ships, private or governmental, must have and which must be updated periodically. The navcoms on the ships search out the nearest buoys and the particular identification numbers of those buoys tell the navcom exactly what sector of space--your solar system counts as a sector, incidentally--the ship is in. The use of several buoys to get one's bearings is a technique that I think on Earth you call triangulation. It allows the navcom to pinpoint exactly where the ship is at."  
  
"Phew!" Tris said. "That's a little complex but I understand the principle behind it. It's sort of like a plane on Earth navigating with the help of radio signals or using satellite geo-positioning."  
  
"That's right, Tris," Mihoshi said, gratified that he understood. "It's kind of like having landmarks that are always there, you know? That's how I see it, anyway."  
  
Tris nodded. "The folks who went out and set up your buoy system-- they must have been real trailblazers," he commented.  
  
"Uh-huh! They were pioneers," Mihoshi said.  
  
"Oh...and are you a Pioneer?"  
  
"Huh?" Mihoshi said. "No...but I've read a lot about our celestrial navigation system."  
  
Kiyone smiled. "Mihoshi is the navigation expert on Yagami. She scored very high at the Academy on navigation and has passed all her certs--that is, certifications--to get her navigator's warrant."  
  
"Gosh, Kiyone..." Mihoshi looked down at the table, her cheeks flushed, embarrased and pleased by the unaccustomed praise from her partner. It was a nicer surprise than even the noodles had been.  
  
"That's doesn't surprise me, Mihoshi," Tris said. "I was really impressed by the way you handled the ship earlier. I don't think I could ever do what you did even if they trained me for a decade."  
  
Now Mihoshi's entire face blushed. Her eyes sparkled. She loved praise and got so little of it that it was exceedingly special to her whenever she received any accolades. The fact that Tris was always nice to her and showed respect for her didn't dilute the effect of the praise he gave her now. "Thank you," she said, very softly. She suddenly had the overwhelming urge to hug. So she picked up Trissy and hugged her plush cocker spaniel. She wished it was Tris she was hugging, though.  
  
"Speaking of the ship," Tris asked, "and since you're the Answer Lady today, Kiyone...how about telling me what powers Yagami? Washuu tried to explain it to me but it sounded like ancient Greek."  
  
Kiyone rolled her eyes. "That Washuu! She takes a simple subject and makes it sound so damned complicated. Okay, I'll try, Tris. You know what antimatter is?"  
  
"Sure. The so-called Big Bang that created the universe was a combination of matter and antimatter. Lots of folks think antimatter is some science fiction invention, but it exists. My country is working with the Japanese right now to find true antimatter molecules in our atmosphere. We've found antiparticles such as anti-protons and anti-electrons and we've even created anti-hydrogen molecules in particle accelerators."  
  
Kiyone's eyes widened. She had no idea her goofball was so well read.  
  
"Gosh, Tris--that's really good! You know about antimatter!" Mihoshi smiled fondly at Tris.  
  
"And so you know why it's the answer for interstellar travel?" Kiyone probed a bit.  
  
"Well...sorta." Tris racked his brains for what he had read about antimatter as a rocket fuel. "With antimatter, supposedly, no more than a thumb-sized amount would fuel a rocket to travel at speeds many times the speed of light," Tris said. "Is that what fuels Yagami?"  
  
Kiyone nodded. "We call our engines reactors, but they're really positron generators--you know, the antimatter to electrons. We mix the positrons with plain old protons, plus antiprotons, in a cloud of electrons. The "soup" creates a terrific thrust that carries Mihoshi and me all over the galaxy."  
  
"Cool. Like I said, we're already creating antimatter in particle accelerators, and--" Tris began.  
  
"Yeah, but at the stage you're at, your scientists are expending millions of times more energy to make the antimatter particles than those particles produce, Tris," Kiyone pointed out. "You'll need a lot of quantum leaps forward in your technology to make antimatter fuel viable, I'm afraid. That's why Earth hasn't been approached for membership in the Galactic Union--you're too far away from inter- stellar flight. Sorry."  
  
Tris looked a bit led down by her words. Mihoshi knew it had to be discouraging for him to sit in a spacecraft whose equivalent no Earthling would pilot until long after he was dead. She felt sad. She would never had told Tris that stuff about his people not being able to travel to the stars for centuries. Why make him feel bad?  
  
Kiyone decided to change the subject. "I hope you don't get too used to all the space in this ship, Tris." She smiled apologetically. "Because when we get to our apartments, you're going to think you're back in the teleport chamber, almost."  
  
"That small, huh?"  
  
"I'll say!" Mihoshi exclaimed. "I really thought Tenchi and his father and grandfather lived in a palace when I first went to Earth chasing Ryoko. So much space in that house...so much nice space! Full of nice people!"  
  
Kiyone nodded. "Even our old apartment in Okayama City seems vast compared to our apartments back at Headquarters. Of course, that was a pretty chintzy apartment we leased. Remember, Mihoshi?"  
  
"Sure I do. I didn't mind it all that much, though."  
  
Kiyone shook her head. "Mihoshi! It was right next to that awful elevated train that shook the whole building about every fifteen minutes, don't you remember? Half the time the heat didn't work and we wouldn't get hot water sometimes, either. We couldn't afford hardly any furniture and the place was almost bare." Kiyone gave a small shudder. "The worst thing was trying to launder our clothes."  
  
"How so?" Tris asked.  
  
"We couldn't afford a washing machine in our apartment, so we had to cart our clothes to a tiny coin laundry down the street. That place was always packed! Night and day! People with families and kids running around. We were lucky to get one washer and then we had to wait around for a dryer. There was nothing to do but listen to your clothes in the washing machine or watch them tumble in the dryer. Awful!" Kiyone grimaced.  
  
"Uh-huh," Mihoshi agreed. "We couldn't even find a place to sit down. We tried leaving once when our clothes were in the dryer and when we came back, they were stolen! My best pink pullover and everything!"  
  
"Yeah...and I don't know how we scraped up enough money to replace those clothes," Kiyone added.  
  
"I almost asked my Daddy for money--the first time ever! But I didn't. We just went to second-hand stores to shop," Mihoshi recalled.  
  
"That was great...wearing other people's cast-off clothes," Kiyone commented ruefully. "But, we got by."  
  
"It was better when we could hold down those part-time jobs," Mihoshi said. "Although we didn't hold them long."  
  
"Yeah, I wonder why?" Kiyone spoke with heavy sarcasm.  
  
"I don't know why...something always happened. I tried my best." Mihoshi seemed defensive.  
  
"Oh, forget about it, Mihoshi. Those jobs stunk! They paid little and they were demeaning. There I was, second-ranked in our class at the Academy, and I was directing trucks on a construction site! A paid laborer!" Kiyone looked indignant.  
  
"But we didn't have any references or anything, Kiyone," Mihoshi reminded her. "We were lucky to get any jobs at all. That bath house job wasn't so bad."  
  
"Handing out towels to overweight, middle-aged biddies? I hated it!" Kiyone gritted. "And having to wash all those towels afterwards? You're kidding!"  
  
"It wasn't so bad, Kiyone. At least we got to use the bath house for free."  
  
Tris listened to the tales of the two young women with amusement, sympathy, and a bit of wonderment. Their story could have been told by just about any two girls out on their own...only these two were from outer space and were professional law officers, to boot. Yeah, it must have really stung to be forced to perform the most menial of jobs for low pay. It amazed Tris that Kiyone and Mihoshi had pulled it off for so long--full-time jobs with the Galaxy Police and that moonlighting on the side. Of course, that was the first go-round. This time around, the two officers could not afford to be caught moonlighting and so they ended up rooming at the Masaki homestead. It was obvious from Kiyone's expression that she did not wish to pursue that subject any further. So Tris changed the subject.  
  
"Speaking of laundry, Tenchi and I are supposed to use the washers and dryers in the dorm but they're always spoken for," Tris said. "So we just wait until we run out of clean clothes and pile into in the Mustang and go to this coin laundry nearby. You're right...it's not much fun. Come to think of it, I reckon Tenchi was supposed to bring his laundry home on the weekends. I can imagine Ayeka and Sasami wanting him to. But he always did his laundry with me. Maybe he was sort of trying to be independent."  
  
Kiyone looked sardonic. "You mean, proclaiming his freedom!"  
  
"How's that?" Tris asked, puzzled by Kiyone's comment.  
  
"Oh, you don't know, Tris...you've only been around us for a little while," Kiyone said. "But this thing between Tenchi and Ayeka and Ryoko has been going on a long time, you know? You weren't there to see how it was the first time those three hooked up. Ayeka and Ryoko were at each other's throats. They had these terrible firefights, and I mean firefights, over Tenchi. And poor Tenchi was just a clueless high-school kid back then. He didn't really understand what was driving those two."  
  
"Yeah," Mihoshi said somberly as she remembered their earlier days with the Masakis. "It could get awful scary. Ryoko and Ayeka would get mad at each other, or one accuse the other of messing with Tenchi, and suddenly force beams and fireballs were zooming all around us! Sasami and I used to hide together, we were so scared! Poor Mr. Masaki would come home from work to find the house wrecked again. He had to put in those ceiling beams and extra walls and all, and I know it must have cost a lot of money. I think there was trouble with the insurance, too. He was nice about it, though." Mihoshi frowned as she thought of something else. "Of course, he really had roving eyes back then, but I didn't mind so much. Ayeka and Ryoko did, though. They called him a pervert. I thought that was mean."  
  
"Surrounded by all you pretty women, and he was supposed to not notice? That's a little rough," Tris said, shaking his head. "Tenchi told me his Dad embarrassed himself over you girls, but he's a widower, for crying out loud. He's not dead."  
  
"Yeah, well, he got a lot better about that stuff, anyway," Kiyone admitted. "He still gives us the eye sometimes, but we're used to it now. He has his good points. He's worked so hard to support everyone and then he gets fired. That just stinks."  
  
"It's awful, all right," Mihoshi agreed in a sad voice.  
  
"It sure is. We'll have to hope for the best there. Anyway, what did you mean about Tenchi proclaiming his freedom, Kiyone?" Tris asked again.  
  
"Oh!" Kiyone laid a hand on Tris's arm. "Sorry about going off the subject, Tris. Anyway, like I said, Ryoko and Ayeka fought like wildcats over Tenchi. Then we got involved in that Kagato civil war, we got promoted, Ryoko took off, Ayeka elected to stay on Jurai, and Tenchi went back to Earth. Well, those two weren't about to let Tenchi go that easily. As you know, they came back. Then they started fighting again, and wrecked the house again, until Lord Yosho and Tenchi really put their foot down. Then those two changed tactics. They stuck to Tenchi like glue. They put constant pressure on him to choose one of them, and quick! They're both not getting any younger and," Kiyone smiled a little wickedly, "Tenchi is really growing up to be a one hell of a handsome man. I mean, he was cute before, but now...well, I know it's got to be killing Ayeka and Ryoko."  
  
"Uh-huh!" Mihoshi nodded. "I mean, they don't fight rough anymore, and things are a lot quieter. But I think they're even more stuck on Tenchi than before. He's awfully good-looking now. They're not going to let up on him until he chooses one of them. So he couldn't hardly take a step around the house without one of them being right there."  
  
"That bad?" Tris asked, amazed.  
  
"That bad," Kiyone confirmed. "He wanted to be free of them, at least a little bit, I suspect, and who can blame him? I think that helped him decide to go to college in the city and to live in the dormitory there. I also think his grandfather and his father endorsed the idea of his going away to college, partially because they wanted Tenchi to get a little relief from those two. And let me tell you, both Ryoko and Ayeka were hell on wheels when they found about Tenchi's college plans. They argued, they cried, they pleaded...you should have seen them at the bus station when he went off to your college the first time. It was embarrassing! Poor Tenchi."  
  
"And poor Ayeka and Ryoko," Mihoshi commiserated.  
  
Kiyone nodded. "Yeah, poor Ayeka and Ryoko...especially Ayeka. You know, Tris, the first time she got together with Tenchi, it was really an accident. When she stayed on, she chose to call it a "vacation." Well, now she's here again and it's no accident...and no vacation. Her intentions are damned obvious. Meanwhile, her father, that King Asuza, is pressuring her to come back to Jurai, marry a suitable Consort, and take over the throne. He wants to retire again...and I can tell you this, lots of folks want him to retire again, too! So, Ayeka's really between a rock and a hard place. Tenchi won't leave Earth. So she either turns her back on Jurai for good to live on Earth with Tenchi or she goes back to Jurai and never returns. There's a sizeable movement on Jurai to petition the King to order her back. He would, probably, but her mother, Queen Misaki, still backs her play."  
  
Tris shook his head. Tenchi had told him before how things were for Ayeka. Now he realized that the pressure on her was worse than he could have imagined.  
  
"You know," Mihoshi said softly, "Tenchi really does need to choose one of them. But when he does, it's all over for the rest of us. Tenchi's wife won't want any single girls hanging around. We'll all have to leave and I don't want to leave. No one does. Not Sasami, or Washuu, or..." Mihoshi looked at Kiyone.  
  
"I don't like sponging off the Masakis--you know that, Mihoshi," Kiyone said firmly.  
  
"I know. But you do like it there...don't you, Kiyone?"  
  
"Well...yeah." Kiyone relented, a bit. "At least we aren't starving there, like we just about did on our own."  
  
"Living on our own wasn't as good as we thought it'd be," Mihoshi agreed.  
  
"Yeah. I'll admit that, too. The only good thing was that we were independent...for a while. It was pretty lonely, though." Kiyone looked bemused. "I never thought I could feel so lonely."  
  
"I felt that way, too, Kiyone." Mihoshi brightened. "But Tenchi and the girls--even Washuu--did come to visit us that one time at the apartment and brought food! Remember? It was so good after all the cheap food we were buying." As always, the topic of food was near and dear to Mihoshi's heart.  
  
"Oh, God!" Kiyone winced. "Tris, Ayeka and Ryoko got into a fight during that visit and started using their powers--they blasted each other and the apartment, too! It was wrecked! Mihoshi and I had to spend some of our food budget to buy the cheapest paint we could find to try to cover the scorched walls. They still looked awful even after we painted. I was so angry with Ryoko and Ayeka. I couldn't believe they did that to our home."  
  
Mihoshi nodded. "That's right, Kiyone. But Tenchi made Ayeka and Ryoko come back and help us fix the apartment. Tenchi and Lord Yosho and Tenchi's father came too, and they worked so hard to fix our place...remember that?"  
  
"Yeah, they did their best, I guess. But we still lost our security deposit when we gave up the apartment."  
  
"Hey!" Mihoshi suddenly laughed. "Do you remember what the other girls called our apartment?"  
  
Kiyone winced again. "Don't remind me!"  
  
"Why? I thought it was cute."  
  
"It was not cute!"  
  
"What did they call your place?" Tris asked.  
  
"Don't tell him, Mihoshi--"  
  
"They called our apartment the "Miho-Kiyo Place"! You see, it's "Miho" for my name and "Kiyo" for--"  
  
"He can figure it out, Mihoshi!" Kiyone gritted.  
  
Tris laughed. "Miho-Kiyo...that's great!"  
  
Kiyone glared at him. "Lips that say that rotten name again won't kiss mine any more, buster."  
  
Mihoshi shook her blonde head, obviously unable to comprehend her partner's attitude. "It was just a joke, Kiyone. You know. The girls didn't mean anything by it."  
  
"The hell they didn't!"  
  
Tris decided to again steer the conversation along safer lines. "So, your apartments back at your Headquarters are really dinky, huh?"  
  
"Dinky is right. You'll see. It's just a small living room and bedroom and the necessity room," Kiyone said.  
  
"She means the toilet room," Mihoshi explained to Tris.  
  
"Mihoshi! He knows!"  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Well, then you need to see Tenchi's and my dorm room at Okayama U.," Tris told them. "Just enough space for two amazingly uncomfortable beds, two wardrobes, two tiny desks...and that's all she wrote. We share a bathing room and a "necessity" room with two other guys.(1) Cozy it is. Comfy it ain't."  
  
"That sounds like the rooms we stayed in at the Academy...right Mihoshi?"  
  
"Right!" Mihoshi nodded.  
  
"Of course, you expect those kind of accommodations in a college dorm," Tris admitted. "But how come you two career women are living in cracker boxes?"  
  
Kiyone grimaced. "You see, Tris, our apartments are located in this huge housing complex called the Compound, on the planet that the Headquarters orbits, the planet Vestra. That rotten planet only exists to service the people who work at Headquarters--and "service" is too nice a word, boy! They gouge the hell out of us, those damned greedy Vertrans, but what can we do? The other nearest inhabitable planet is far enough away to make communing a real pain and it's not much cheaper than Vestra, anyway. We rent the smallest apartments on that planet and the rent still eats up a lot of our salary."  
  
"They're awful small, our apartments," Mihoshi agreed. "I don't like living there, much. When I first saw how little money I had after paying rent and utilities, I wanted to cry. Ohhh, it's so nice to live at Tenchi's!" Mihoshi smiled happily.  
  
"It's so nice to sponge off Tenchi, you mean," Kiyone countered.  
  
"Kiyone! We don't sponge off anyone. We pay Tenchi's father every month to live there."  
  
"What we pay isn't enough to cover what we cost them, Mishoshi," Kiyone retorted. "It really hurts to know that. But it's all we can afford to pay."  
  
"Well, we don't sublet our apartments anymore," Mihoshi said. "We'd have lots more money if we did."  
  
"Why don't you sublet again?" Tris asked. "That's a natural solution to your money problems."  
  
Mihoshi didn't say anything. She looked at Kiyone.  
  
Tris regarded Kiyone too. "How come?"  
  
"Well..." Tris now felt Kiyone's hand slip into his beneath the table. "It was pretty dumb of me. But I was so eager to get back to Headquarters and get our rank back, too. I just wanted our apartments to be instantly ready for us when we returned. Then, when time passed and there was no reversal of our punishment, Mihoshi tried to get me to face facts and re-sublet the apartments, but I wouldn't listen."  
  
Mihoshi's wide blue eyes were sympathetic. "I didn't mind, Kiyone. Really. I understood how you felt."  
  
"Besides, you could have been right, Kiyone. Who knew?" Tris added. He squeezed her hand, gently.  
  
Kiyone smiled gratefully at Mihoshi. "You've been pretty patient with me over that issue," she told her. She gave Tris a soft look. Then she released his hand and squared her shoulders. "And I'm going to make up for it, right now."  
  
"How do you mean, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"While I'm at GP Headquarters looking up the information on that Klove character, Mihoshi, I want you to contact our landlady and authorize her to sublet our apartments--immediately. Tell her we'll settle just for the rent being covered--that will get them sublet fast. There's a big waiting list for apartments on Vestra," Kiyone added for Tris's benefit.  
  
"Yay, Kiyone!" Mihoshi was thrilled. "We'll have so much more money each pay period! I can spend it on--"  
  
"We can spend most of it on--contributing a lot more to our room and board at the Masakis," Kiyone interrupted her, quietly and firmly.  
  
"Sure, Kiyone!" Mihoshi agreed. "I want to, too. But we will have a little left over...won't we?"  
  
Kiyone nodded, smiling.  
  
"Good! Then Tris can take us to our favorite kareoke bar in Okayama City--our treat!"  
  
Kiyone looked at Tris. "What do you say, Tris?" she asked with a smile.  
  
"What else is there to say, but...yay?" Tris replied amiably. Tenchi had been right. Those two were going to get him to a karaoke bar. Oh, well.  
  
"That's a date, Tris," Kiyone said. "We're going to hold you to it." She rose from the table. "Now we're going to start our shifts. I'll go take a nap first and Mihoshi will handle the bridge. In a few hours, I'll switch with her. You can do what you want, Tris--sleep a little now, use the video and audio facilities here. You remember how I showed you to use them?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Good. So the ship is yours to explore. You'll have to obey my orders concerning the bridge, of course, and don't touch any controls or anything anywhere, especially in the engine or reactor bays. Okay?" She was asking him nicely about things of the utmost importance to her. Tris knew better than to make light of it.  
  
"Okay," he said.  
  
"He'll be good, Kiyone," Mihoshi said.  
  
"I think so too, Mihoshi, but if he visits you in the bridge, he has to follow our procedures. Right, partner?"  
  
"Right, partner."  
  
Kiyone looked immensely pleased. "Such cooperation...I don't know if my little heart can stand the shock. Okay, I'm off for my quarters. Tris, will you walk me there?"  
  
"Glad to," Tris said, rising.  
  
"Can I have just one more cup of noodles before I start, Kiyone? I'll eat them real quick, I promise," Mihoshi asked.  
  
Kiyone surprised Tris by not arguing with Mihoshi. "All right, Mihoshi. Just don't dawdle."  
  
"I won't."  
  
In a few minutes, Tris found himself walking with Kiyone in the star- lit corridor. Kiyone had taken his hand. They were walking slowly, not talking verbally, but communicating in a very real way, nonetheless. The language they used was as old as mankind itself.  
  
When they reached the door of Kiyone's quarters, she touched a panel and the door slid open. Then she turned to face him. "I'll get some sleep now. So give me a nice big kiss so I can have a lovely dream."  
  
They embraced and kissed. Kiyone finally broke off the kiss, laying her head on Tris's shoulder. "I don't dare ask you into my quarters, Tris, the way I feel right now...you know?"  
  
"I know."  
  
"Do you, Tris? I just want you to want me as much as I want you. Is that too much to ask?"  
  
"No, of course not."  
  
"Well...you aren't kissing me like you used to."  
  
"Aw, it's just being on this ship and all. Maybe I'm just a little intimidated."  
  
Kiyone laughed softly. "Good! I want my boyfriend to be intimidated! Well...not really."  
  
Tris gently raised her head from his shoulder. Then he kissed her, and this kiss was one for the record books. Whatever Kiyone's intentions might or might not be, she was very dear to him.  
  
"Wow," Kiyone murmured when they parted. "That's the way you used to kiss me, all right...even better. I'm going to have some really nice dreams now." She kissed his nose. "See you later, darling." She slipped from his embrace and entered her quarters. The door slid shut automatically behind her.  
  
Tris stared at her door a long moment. Then he shook the fog from his head and walked to the guest quarters. He doubted he could get any sleep now, but he'd try.  
  
------  
  
From force of habit (rather like Tris), Nobuyuki woke up early the next morning. He was out of bed, in kimono and slippers, and trudging out the door for the bathroom when he suddenly realized-- there was no need to hurry. The realization hit him like a body blow. For a moment, he felt lost and panicky.  
  
Quickly, he pulled himself together. It was a dreadful feeling to get up and really have nowhere to go...and no work to go to. He would have to get used to that feeling. Hopefully, not for too long a time.  
  
Taking a long and deep breath to settle himself, he sat down on his bed. Something crackled beneath him. He rose and reached behind himself. It was the morning newspaper--in particular, the help-wanted classified section. All the architect positions were circled--circled with big, red heart outlines. On the paper's margins, words were written. They were: "We know you'll succeed!" and "You're the best architect on Earth!" At the bottom margin was written, "We love you, sir."  
  
Tears brimmed in Nobuyuki's eyes. He did nothing to stop their flow. He knew that Ayeka and Sasami...and even Ryoko (he recognized her wobbly handwritten "Earth") had gotten up early in order to mark the paper like this for him. They had put it on his bed while he was still asleep. His father's heart recognized the love and support. He let it fill him and warm him and strengthen him. A person with the love and support of others had the strength of ten without--he had read that somewhere.(2) It was true.  
  
He heard a soft tapping on his door. "Come in," he said. He quickly wiped his eyes.  
  
The door slid open. Yosho stood there, smiling at him. "Come to breakfast, Nobuyuki. The women have it all prepared." He glanced at the newspaper on the bed. He nodded. "It looks as if you have some prospects already."  
  
"Yes, it does." Nobuyuki smiled. "Breakfast is already prepared? But there is no need...any more."  
  
"Nonsense! You are still employed--employed in the great job hunt. You'll want to keep your usual hours, will you not?"  
  
Nobuyuki understood. Everyone was trying to ensure his normal routine was not changed so he could ease into the transition. It made practical sense, too. Keeping good work habits was essential to job- hunting.  
  
"I will indeed." Nobuyuki rose from the bed. "I'm rather hungry for breakfast this morning. Let's go, father-in-law."  
  
------  
  
As it turned out, Tris finally had to call it quits on getting some shuteye. In fact, he ended up taking a cold shower in his guest quarters lavatory. He was pleased to see the GP still used water for bathing. He had been expecting to encounter some ultrasound gizmo or whatever that performed such ablutions. But even the cold shower did not help much. He decided to look in on Mihoshi, whom he figured was still pulling her shift on the bridge.  
  
Leaving his quarters, Tris walked up the starry-walled corridor to the open doorway of the bridge. Then, upon entering, he carefully walked with his back against the wall of the bridge and parked himself in his assigned spot.  
  
Mihoshi watched him do this, smilingly. She was very glad to see Tris. She got so bored with manning the bridge alone when the Yagami was in routine flight; with the navcom locked into a preset destination, the starship literally flew herself. But Kiyone insisted that at least one of them stay on the bridge, even though the Yagami would alert them when and if something untoward happened. It was just her way.  
  
At the moment, Mihoshi was occupying herself by preparing the report on recent activity in their sector that they had to turn in periodically. It was a short report, since nothing much had happened. As usual.  
  
Tris was amused to see that Mihoshi had seated Trissy in Kiyone's pilot seat. Now Mihoshi and Trissy were piloting the Yagami. Tris hoped Kiyone didn't catch the plush pooch in her seat, though. Kiyone's humor meter just didn't register when she was carrying out her duties.  
  
"I'm glad you came to keep me company, Tris," Mihoshi said, lifting her eyes from the report she was inputting on the console.  
  
Tris nodded.  
  
"You can talk to me, Tris," Mihoshi said.  
  
Tris raised his eyebrows. Kiyone had given him strict orders concerning neither being seen nor heard on the bridge.  
  
"It's okay now," Mihoshi said. "I fixed it."  
  
Tris pondered this. Mihoshi had proven to him that she knew what she was about as far as her duties on the ship were concerned. And Kiyone had told him that on the Yagami, Mihoshi's requests were tantamount to orders.  
  
He asked, "Are you sure, Mihoshi?"  
  
"Sure, I'm sure. I told you. I fixed it."  
  
"Oh." Tris wondered why Kiyone hadn't "fixed it"...whatever "it" was.  
  
"In fact, Tris," Mihoshi said. "You can sit here--in Kiyone's seat."  
  
"Huh?" Tris could not believe what he was hearing from Mihoshi. This was diametrically opposite from what Kiyone had very plainly told him.  
  
"Oh, it's all right. I fixed it, I told you."  
  
"But what about the viewscreens and main screens and all that?"  
  
"I fixed that."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Sure! I know what I'm doing, Tris."  
  
Well...that much was true. Mihoshi had proven that.  
  
"Kiyone won't like it," Tris pointed out.  
  
"She doesn't have to know," Mihoshi countered. "Besides, the viewscreens aren't a problem anymore and that's why Kiyone didn't want you here at the console. Isn't that right?"  
  
"Yeah. That's what she said. I still don't know, though, Mihoshi."  
  
"Don't you want to sit next to me...and see how we run the ship?" Mihoshi regarded him with those wide blue eyes. Clearly, she was becoming upset at Tris's intransigence. She might think maybe Tris didn't trust her or like her all that much anymore. Which was wrong, of course, but Tris knew the only way to prove it to her was to accede to her request--a request that could be considered an order, really.  
  
"Well...okay." Tris left his spot, gingerly walked around the console and stopped at Kiyone's chair. He looked down at his stuffed namesake.  
  
"You think Trissy will mind?" he asked Mihoshi.  
  
Mihoshi giggled. It was so nice to have Tris around. He made her laugh.  
  
"No, silly..." Mihoshi lifted Trissy from the chair and set the plush pooch down at her feet beneath the control console. She reached over and patted Kiyone's seat. "Come and sit down, Tris." Her voice was friendly and inviting.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Tris sat down on the pilot seat. It was comfortable and supportive, with some sort of gel-foam padding that instantly adapted to one's contours. It was a seat designed to be sat on for many hours and yet not cause aches and pains in the sitter. Smart ergonomic technology. Tris liked that.  
  
Staring at the vast array of touchpads, digital readouts, narrow swipe paths (presumably for authenticated cards) and assorted small levers and buttons, along with the two large viewscreens, Tris felt instantly overwhelmed by the console. The first time he had stared at Dad's instrument panel in the F-4E his father had flown at the time (Dad had graduated from that old warhorse to his F-15), the young American had felt overwhelmed, too. But not nearly as overwhelmed as now. There was a numbing amount of indicators, readouts, alerts, status bar graphs, and other vital bits of instrumental information about the starship's general operating condition, not to mention the separate navcom readout that reported the ship's position in the heavens.  
  
Then Tris looked up and stared at the two panels positioned in front of the seemingly vast transparent bulkhead that was filled with blackness and stars, and at all the information that scrolled across those twin overhead screens (they rather reminded him of screens at a drive-in move at night). To top it off, heads-up displays flickered information before his eyes from time to time. For Kiyone and Mihoshi to have mastered all this bespoke the fact that they were indeed part of an elite group  
  
"It's a lot to keep track of, huh?" Mihoshi seemed to read his thoughts.  
  
"Sure is. You two are amazing. I'm not worthy to sit here...I'm really not."  
  
"Tris, that's silly. You could learn to pilot Yagami if you had the training."  
  
"Hah!" That was a laugh.  
  
"Yes, you could," Mihoshi insisted. "You put yourself down too much, Tris. I like it that when you poke fun, you usually poke fun at yourself...you don't want to hurt people and I think that's so lovely. But I also think you take it too far sometimes. You're one of the nicest boys I've ever met and you're real smart, too. Sometimes you don't act so smart, but I think it's because you have a big heart and you have a brave heart, too. Kiyone feels the very same way about you, you know."  
  
Mihoshi said this softly, but with as much firmness as Tris had ever heard from her. She clearly believed all that and believed it deeply. Tris felt slightly overwhelmed again, but for a different reason this time.  
  
"Well, Mihoshi. I...I don't know what to say."  
  
"You don't have to say anything, Tris." Mihoshi smiled.  
  
"Actually, I do know what to say. Thank you, very much."  
  
"You're welcome...very much." Mihoshi reached over and put her hand softly on Tris's arm. She gave his arm the smallest of squeezes.  
  
"And I'll tell you something else, Tris. I...I really shouldn't. But I just have to." Mihoshi blushed, but pressed on. "If you and Kiyone weren't together--well, you'd have to fight me off!"  
  
Tris smiled at the beautiful blonde young woman. "No guy would ever fight you off, Mihoshi. No guy who had any sense."  
  
Mihoshi's beautiful blue eyes glistened. Tris by now knew the signs. She would begin crying (from happiness) unless he could distract her.  
  
"Say, how do you know when that viewscreen thing has an incoming call?" he asked.  
  
"Oh...that indicator, there." Mihoshi's tanned short-nailed forefinger pointed at a wide yellow bar. "It lights up and makes a buzzing sound."  
  
"Yeah? Well, I'm not going to get caught napping. When it goes off, I'm going to zip out of sight...like this."  
  
Tris relaxed his body completely. He slipped out of the seat and headed to the footwell in the console below, where he could curl up below the vista of the viewscreen. He was sure he would fit there easily.  
  
"Tris!" Mihoshi cried. "Don't!"  
  
Too late. Tris had misjudged the slope of the console beneath his seat, due to the amazing uniformity of the lighting on the bridge that threw few shadows and the equally uniform color of the lower console. It actually bulged out slightly before it concaved into the footwell. Tris's head met the hard metallic bulge with a ripe thump.  
  
"Yeow!"  
  
"Tris!"  
  
Tris grabbed his head and groaned, lying on the bridge floor. He had been right about one thing, at least...he did fit in the footwell.  
  
Mihoshi rose from her seat and bent over Kiyone's seat. She helped Tris to his feet. "Oh, Tris! Are you hurt?"  
  
"No more than usual--damn it!" Tris rubbed the appreciable swelling on his head. "Sorry, Mihoshi."  
  
"That's all right." Mihoshi had heard much worse cursing than that before, especially from Ryoko, although Kiyone could turn the air blue if sufficiently riled. "Your poor head. Does it hurt much?"  
  
"Only when I look out of my eyeballs," Tris muttered. He wondered if there was a Guinness world's record for bumping one's head.  
  
Mihoshi's soft hands eased Tris back on Kiyone's chair. "You know, when I used to bump myself, I remember my Mommy used to kiss it and make it better. Did your Mommy do that, Tris?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, I suppose so." Then Tris realized what Mihoshi had said. He ignored the throbbing pain. "You lost your Mommy--your mother-- when you were pretty young, didn't you?"  
  
"Uh-huh...pretty young. I remember that she was very beautiful and sweet. My Daddy and my brothers were terribly crushed. I didn't understand what had happened...until later."  
  
"I'm sorry, Mihoshi. That's a tough break for a kid."  
  
Mihoshi smiled sadly. "Uh-huh. That's why I think I can understand how you feel, losing your parents like you did. Just like I think I can understand how Tenchi feels sometimes when he's reminded of his Mommy."  
  
"I'm sure you can, Mihoshi. Sometimes they just kind of pop into your mind...and you can feel the loss all over again. I guess it doesn't matter how many years pass."  
  
"I think that's true, Tris." Mihoshi nodded. "Sometimes I don't think of my Mommy at all. Sometimes, I think about her a lot. You know?"  
  
"I know, Mihoshi."  
  
"That's one thing I really like you for, Tris. I think you do know. Kiyone and Ayeka and even Sasami...I try to talk to them about it, and they act nice to me, but I feel they just think I'm being silly. And I don't dare talk to Tenchi about it. You know why."  
  
Yes, Tris knew why. Her talking alone with Tenchi was certain to rouse the ire of Ryoko and Ayeka. They still weren't certain about her in that regard. Impulsively, Tris slipped his hand over Mihoshi's hand. She had small, delicate hands for such a tall woman, he noted. He patted her hand. "Well, they don't understand, I guess. But you can talk to me about it, whenever you want."  
  
"Can I, Tris? Really?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I'm glad." Mihoshi wanted to hug Tris--she had that powerful urge to hug again. After all, a hug wouldn't hurt anything--  
  
Suddenly there was the buzzing sound she knew so well. The yellow bar on the console flashed.  
  
"Yipes!" Instinctively, unthinkingly, Tris slipped off the seat again. His judgment of confined spaces had not improved. There was another thump and another cursing groan. Again, Tris was on the floor, grabbing at his head. The same place, damn it! Owwww!  
  
"Tris!" Mihoshi cried, above the insistent buzzing from the console.  
  
"I'm alive," he moaned, huddled into the foot well.  
  
"But you hit your head again--"  
  
"I'll survive--aren't those viewscreen things on yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Huh? How come?"  
  
"Oh," Mihoshi said brightly. "I turned them off when you came in."  
  
"Great..." Tris muttered.  
  
"So you didn't need to--"  
  
"I get it. Shouldn't you answer that thing?"  
  
Mihoshi knew he was right. She fingered some touchpads on the console. The viewscreens blazed with light. Then a face was staring at her from the viewscreens. It was the face of Detective Sergeant Youri Katzaar. It was neither a handsome face nor a friendly face.  
  
"Detective First Class Kuramitsu," Sergeant Katzaar said with no trace of greeting or amiability in his voice. "It took you exactly 10.5 seconds to respond. My indicators reveal that your viewscreens were turned off."  
  
"Uh-huh, yes, Sergeant Katzaar," Mihoshi said.  
  
"Are you not aware, Detective, that Section 111, Subparagraph 76 of the Instructions for Operating Galaxy Police Vessels states that the viewscreens are to be switched on at all times when the vessel is in operation and the bridge is manned?"  
  
"Ummm...yes sir." Mihoshi mentally shrugged. That was one of about a thousand picayune instructions for operating a ship like the Yagami. Practically everyone ignored the real anal-retentive ones, like keeping the viewscreens always on. Kiyone said she suspected some officers kept their viewscreen off because they didn't want to be caught picking their noses. That was disgusting! But probably true.  
  
"Do you have a suitable explanation for ignoring this instruction?"  
  
"No...no, sir." Mihoshi didn't and she never lied.  
  
"Very well. I have no choice but to write you up for this lapse, Detective Kuramitsu."  
  
"What?" Mihoshi couldn't believe it. Nobody got written up for such a tiny infraction as that!  
  
"Are you going to add lack of courtesy to an officer superior in grade to the offense?" Sergeant Katzaar asked stonily.  
  
"No...no, sir. But, sir..."  
  
"Yes, Detective?"  
  
"It's such a little thing--and to get a write-up over it! That's something that could affect my pay and future promotion...sir." Mihoshi tried to reason with Sergeant Katzaar.  
  
"You should have thought of that, Detective, before you turned off your viewscreens," he said pontifically. "I would think you'd be more careful, considering your record...and your partner's." If any voice dripped contempt, Sergeant Katzaar's did.  
  
Huddled beneath the console's right foot well, Tris forgot about his aching noggin and listened. He would have liked to spend five minutes alone with that bastard, Katzaar. It was obvious that Mihoshi was being penalized for something that otherwise would have gone unremarked. It was a strong indicator of the lack of esteem in which Mihoshi--and Kiyone--were held. Tris knew now this was not going to be a happy visit to Headquarters for either Kiyone or Mihoshi--and probably not for him, either.  
  
"That's not fair...sir." Mihoshi showed some spirit now. She didn't like anyone showing disrespect for Kiyone. "Please leave my partner out of this."  
  
"She's equally responsible for what occurs on your ship and she gets written up, the same as you, Detective."  
  
"Written up? But she's not even here!" In her consternation, Mihoshi had forgotten to add the vital word "sir."  
  
"Again, you show a lack of courtesy, Detective Kuramitsu. I must now officially warn you that you are on the verge of commiting insubordination."  
  
Mihoshi's face paled. Insubordination! That was a court-martial offense!  
  
"I...I..." Mihoshi gulped. "I apologize, sir."  
  
"Very well. But I shall have to write you up for lack of respect shown to an officer of superior rank. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes...yes, sir." Mihoshi sounded defeated. She was.  
  
Huddled underneath the console, Tris understood as well. The gloves were off. Any excuse--any excuse--Mihoshi and Kiyone's superiors (some of them, anyway) could latch on to worsen their already bad records would be used. The two of them had the proverbial sword of Damocles dangling over their heads by a string...and there were lots of bastards out there with scissors.  
  
"Now, as to the reason I contacted you," Sergeant Katzaar said officiously. "I read again your reason for requesting PT. I do not like such specious reasons."  
  
"What...what do you mean, sir?"  
  
"Your partner said you two needed to attend to private matters. That is too broad. I want specifics."  
  
"But our PT was approved...sir."  
  
"I can disapprove it--and will--unless I am given a satisfactory reason to grant it."  
  
Mihoshi's face reddened with aggravation. Sergeant Katzaar had already approved their PT! But she also knew that the Sergeant could change his mind, too. Mihoshi realized she had no choice but to cooperate. It wss vital that they get to Headquarters. She wished desperately that Kiyone were with her now.  
  
"We...we need to see to our apartments and talk to our landlady, whom we rent our apartments from," Mihoshi said. "Sir."  
  
"Really? And why is that so urgent?"  
  
"We want to sublet our apartments, sir. We haven't for a long while."  
  
"Detective, I don't see the urgency."  
  
"We really need to sublet, sir. We're...we're just about broke." Mihoshi's voice quavered.  
  
From where he crouched, Tris could hear the tears in Mihoshi's voice. This was humiliating for her. And didn't that sergeant know it, just! Just two minutes, he growled to himself. Two minutes with that bastard...that was all he wanted.  
  
"That is disgraceful! You are charged as commissioned officers to keep your finances above reproach." Katzaar's officious voice didn't hide his obvious satisfaction. "Very well. We cannot have you embarrassing the service with your deadbeat ways. PT reaffirmed. Nevertheless, I shall have to bring the sorry state of your finances to Lieutenant Zay're's attention. It may lead to further disciplinary action or at least remedial financial responsibility training--and if you start sobbing now, Detective--!"  
  
"I-I won't...sir." But it was clearly taking an extraordinary effort for Mihoshi to hold back the tears.  
  
"See that you don't. You become emotional far too easily. You have no proper constabulary bearing, Detective Kuramitsu. I despair of you--and that's official. Sergeant Katzaar out."  
  
Mihoshi was silent.  
  
Knowing the comm link had been broken, Tris scrambled to his feet.  
  
Mihoshi sat there in her pilot's chair. Tears streamed from her face. Her expression was tragic. Tris could guess why. That little tête-à-tête with the sergeant could have been the end. Poor Mihoshi! She already knew that many of her GP colleagues didn't like her and Kiyone anymore. But she hadn't really understood until now just how deep in the doghouse she was with the people who had such control over her career. It had to be crushing to her simple, sweet spirit, Tris knew.  
  
There was only one thing to do. Mihoshi was a person who needed to be liked and accepted. Tris went to her and gently lifted her to her feet. He smiled at her.  
  
"You're the best, Mihoshi--don't let anyone tell you different," he said. "That jerk of a sergeant is off his rocker, and--"  
  
Mihoshi looked at him, teary-eyed. Then she threw her arms around him and bawled...simply bawled.  
  
"It's all right, Mihoshi," Tris said. "Don't worry about that Sergeant Meathead. He's an idiot. He doesn't know you and he doesn't know Kiyone. You two are going to crack a big case and help Ayeka and make him look sick."  
  
"Do you...think so?" Mihoshi sniffled.  
  
"I know so."  
  
"Tris." Mihoshi held him closer. "I don't know...we might just fail. If we do..."  
  
"You won't."  
  
"She won't what? What are you two doing? Tris!"  
  
It was Kiyone's voice.  
  
Tris groaned. What perfect timing!  
  
Kiyone strode up to them. "Tris! What are you doing in front of the console! I ordered you--I told you--!"  
  
"It's my fault, Kiyone!" Mihoshi wailed. "It's all my fault!"  
  
"What the hell...!" Kiyone stared at Mihoshi, who now regained some control of herself. She released Tris.  
  
"I did a bad thing, Kiyone--a couple bad things. But I didn't know they'd be so mean!"  
  
"Huh?" Kiyone now looked at Tris.  
  
"It's not good, Kiyone," Tris said. "Not good at all."  
  
"What's not good, damn it?"  
  
Tris looked at Mihoshi. The blonde Galaxy Police officer slumped back into her seat. She stared at the console. Then she told Kiyone everything. She left nothing out.  
  
Ashen faced, Kiyone now dropped on her own seat, stunned.  
  
"Mihoshi...I could just kill you!" she rasped. "I ought to. Then I'd be free of you!"  
  
Mihoshi began to weep again.  
  
Tris wanted to remonstrate with Kiyone, but he knew he would only make matters worse. "I'll go back to the rec room," he muttered. "I'm sorry, Kiyone."  
  
"It's not your fault," Kiyone said. "I told you to obey this--this ditz!"  
  
Tris scuttled away.  
  
For a while Kiyone sat, listening to Mihoshi's soft sobbing. She thought and thought. She rested her face in her hands for a moment. Then she rubbed her temples. Although she had taken a nice long nap, she felt very tired again.  
  
Finally, she sighed. Then she said, "Please stop crying, Mihoshi."  
  
"You hate me!"  
  
"No, I don't. I couldn't hate my best friend."  
  
Mihoshi stopped crying. She stared at Kiyone.  
  
"Your...best friend, Kiyone?"  
  
"Yes. You are, aren't you?"  
  
"Oh, yes. Yes, Kiyone!"  
  
Kiyone turned and looked at her partner. "I know you disobeyed me, but you had a reason. Shutting off the viewscreens is no big deal. Lots of officers do it and no one says anything. They're just out to get us, Mihoshi. If you had committed some other tiny infraction, they would have written us up for that. At least you did what you did because you were trying to be nice to Tris. How could I hate you for that?"  
  
"Oh, Kiyone!"  
  
"Don't start crying again!"  
  
"I won't."  
  
"Good." Kiyone set her jaw. "The thing is...they've made me mad now. That rotten Katzaar! He's just a lapdog for that persnickety poof Zay're. And Zay're's engaged to Mitsuki. It's all very clear." Kiyone's hands balled into fists. "It's one thing to belittle us and laugh at us behind our backs--but to write us up on ridiculous tiny violations and scare you half to death in the bargain--that's it! I won't take it from them! We're going to nail that bastard Klove and then we're going to rub those staff pukes' noses in it. They're going to be sorry they messed with me--and you."  
  
"Yeah, Kiyone!" Mihoshi said spiritedly. She wiped her eyes. "They won't make me cry again. I promise!"  
  
"Okay, partner. I'll hold you to that. I'm depending on you, now."  
  
"Yes, Kiyone."  
  
Kiyone sat quietly for a moment. Then she said, "As far as what I said to you before..." She pointed to Trissy who still sat at Mihoshi's feet. "Hand that mutt over."  
  
Mystified, Mihoshi complied. Kiyone petted Trissy several times. "That's my penance, Mihoshi. Every time I say something mean to you, I'll pet Trissy. All right?"  
  
"Sure! I want you to like Trissy!"  
  
"Well..." Kiyone made a show of examining Trissy. "At least she's better looking than that lug, Katzaar."  
  
Mihoshi laughed gaily.  
  
"Seriously, I'm sorry I said those things, Mihoshi. I don't know why I still can't control my temper. I thought I had gotten it under control, too."  
  
"I know why." A voice spoke behind them.  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi turned their heads. It was Tris's voice, but he wasn't on the bridge. Yet, the doors were still open. He had to be standing just outside the entrance. It was obvious that he had been listening.  
  
"Huh?" Kiyone said.  
  
"It's all because," Tris's voice replied, "your Mama don't dance--and your Daddy don't rock and roll!"  
  
They heard his laughter...then his footsteps as he walked away.  
  
Mihoshi bent over laughing, nearly banging her head on the console.  
  
Kiyone groaned, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. Two ditzes...two ding-dongs...two...wasn't one enough? Wasn't one too much, already? But she was stuck with both of them.  
  
She stood up and handed Trissy back to Mihoshi.  
  
"I'll be back, partner," Kiyone said. "I just need to go tell Tris something."  
  
"Aw, please don't hurt him, Kiyone."  
  
"Hurt him? Me? Mihoshi...what a thing to say."  
  
Kiyone chuckled. She walked out of the bridge, still chucking. Oh, yeah--she had something to say to Tris, all right!  
  
------  
  
All the while, the Yagami rocketed silently and efficiently through deep space. The red starship was close, and getting closer, to Galaxy Police Headquarters. Soon it would be there. The three souls traveling in the Yagami could not have known it, but the cold reception they would receive at the Headquarters would be nothing compared to the bitter shock that also awaited them there.  
  
____________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) The Japanese system of bathing rooms and toilet rooms is often quite surprising to us who are accustomed to having showers and bathtubs and toilets in one room. The Japanese benjo, or toilet, is a porcelain trench upon which one must squat to relieve oneself. It is located in a different room than the bathtub or shower stall. Kiyone and Mihoshi's low-rent apartment in Okayama City had a benjo only--they had to cleanse themselves in a nearby public bathhouse. The Koreans also use the word "benjo" to describe their system of open sewer ditches.  
  
(2) Actually, Nobuyuki likely came across that idiom in the famous collection of Japanese idioms, "Nihongo-Eigo No Kotowaza Jiten." A good translation of it was recently published by Trey Roper. 


	16. CHAPTER 15: No Need For A Loan

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
  
No Need For A Loan  
  
__________________  
  
Nobuyuki sat in his home office-cum-bedroom. He had been tapping at his computer keyboard for a solid half hour, but he was still not satisfied with the results on the screen.  
  
He rose and opened the door. He walked to the stairwell and looked down.  
  
He saw Princess Ayeka carefully polishing one of the sideboards. She was using a paste containing beeswax, which was much harder to apply and polish off than newer compounds. But she loved the glow of the wood that resulted from her efforts. The sideboard was English, from the Edwardian era, a present from Nobuyuki's parents, who had been world travelers in their younger days.  
  
It was pleasant to watch Ayeka polishing the sideboard. The Princess appeared to be alone, but Sasami was in the kitchen keeping an eye on her, Nobuyuki knew. He thought such vigilance might be a bit overdone, since the Princess's bad dreams had ended and nothing untoward had happened since the incident with the wardrobes. But Nobuyuki had deep respect for his father-in-law and his hunches. He waited a moment and then spoke, "Princess?"  
  
Ayeka put down her polishing cloth and turned to look up the stairs. She smiled at him. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"I'm sorry to bother you."  
  
"It is no bother at all."  
  
"I was wondering if you could ask Washuu to come up and see me."  
  
Ayeka kept her face carefully neutral. She disliked having to clump through the utility closet to enter Miss Washuu's sub-dimensional lair. But this was for Tenchi's father and Ayeka would have faced much worse to help the poor man.  
  
"Of course. At once."  
  
"Thank you, Princess."  
  
Nobuyuki returned to his office. He sat down and stared frowningly at the screen. No, he just was not able to phrase it properly...and it was a vital thing.  
  
He sighed. Being home in the middle of the morning on a workday. It was strange and depressing. He felt the lack of employment more keenly than ever, despite the wonderful support everyone had shown him. Tenchi had delivered his version of a pep talk that morning after breakfast, just before he departed to attend to both his and Tris's chores. It had been a prideful thing to witness, Tenchi trying to boost his Dad's spirits, but his son's naiveté about the situation had tended to dilute any pep that resulted from the talk. For the fact remained that Nobuyuki had been fired for cause. This was practically leprosy to most prospective employers. Accordingly, Nobuyuki had been trying to draft a cover letter for his resume and vainly attempting to find a neutral way to phrase his description of his sudden termination. Perhaps Washuu could assist.  
  
"Hi there, Dad."  
  
Nobuyuki looked up. It was Washuu, standing in the open doorway. She grinned at him with her usual good humor.  
  
Nobuyuki smiled at the great scientist. Washuu's cheeriness was as much a tonic as Mihoshi's innate happiness. He was a bit surprised to see how Washuu was dressed. Instead of the rather rigidly constructed, faintly military-looking outfits she usually wore, today the petite redhead was wearing a peach-colored cotton short-sleeved blouse and rather tight maroon slacks. She had brushed her usually spiky hair into a softer style. The great scientist looked rather more mature...and attractive. Nobuyuki instantly pushed the thought from his mind. He had worked hard to re-establish his credibility with the women and he was not going to lose it now, not if he could help it.  
  
"Hi, there, Washuu. Nice of you to come up. By the way, thanks so much for the job listings your sent to my computer. Lots of good leads there."  
  
Washuu regarded him knowingly. She stepped into the room and slid the door shut behind her.  
  
"Look, Dad, it's a grand thing to keep everyone else's spirits up with that stuff, but you can level with me," she said. "I've kept my eye on things on this planet for a long time. I've made a study of the employment situation and your career field ever since it became obvious those folks you worked for were putting the screws to you. I should have said something to you ages ago, but I was hoping I was wrong. Anyway, I want to help you and I will help you, but I can't help much if you won't level with me. Okay?"  
  
Nobuyuki smiled ruefully. He had to remind himself that this youngish-looking woman was many centuries old and an extraordinary genius to boot.  
  
"All right, Washuu. The fact is, I've seen a number of job openings, but they want young people and certainly not someone who has been fired for cause."  
  
"That's better!" Washuu said. "Now that we're dealing with reality, we can get to work."  
  
"It's kind of discouraging, I'll admit." Nobuyuki's shoulders drooped a bit.  
  
"Put a sock in that! We're going to fight and fight hard." Washuu stood with her hands on her hips. "It's the only way, Dad. You've worked your not-bad-looking behind off to keep that lousy job. Now you've got to be willing to work just as hard to get another one. To hell with how it looks! It could look wonderful and you might still be pounding the pavement a month from now."  
  
"That's true."  
  
"Okay." Washuu smiled at him. "I think you're a fighter, not a quitter. You're Tenchi's father and that hunky guy got some of his good stuff from you. You're going to need that good stuff now." Washuu walked over and sat on the edge of the desk that held the Apple. "Let's drop the job listings for now. Something occurred to me after reading some stuff on a human resources Web site. Did you ever get a employee's handbook from that company that axed you?"  
  
Nobuyuki had to smile at Washuu's blunt words. But they were good to hear, somehow. "Yes...I recall getting one." He rose from his chair and walked over to his file cabinet. "Got a copy here somewhere." Nobuyuki opened a file drawer and rummaged around. "Ah. Here it is."  
  
"Hand it over."  
  
Nobuyuki complied. Washuu flipped through the cheaply copied and stapled handbook. "Didn't waste money on fancy looks," she muttered. "Good. Maybe they don't pay much attention to it...just put out boilerplate to satisfy some human resources drone. Hmmmm...hey, hey, hey!" She grinned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"How did they fire you, again?"  
  
"Well, the boss..."  
  
"What boss?" Washuu asked.  
  
"Oh, the manager of the Okayama office."  
  
"There's a central office?"  
  
"Yes, in Hiroshima," Nobuyuki answered.  
  
"Better and better. Continue."  
  
"The boss yelled at me for about fifteen solid minutes about making personal calls on company time. He used it as an excuse to fire me."  
  
"Yeah, I saw that stuff about personal calls in the handbook. What a crock! Just something to zap the employees with when the bosses feel the need. So he just verbally told you that you were fired. Then what?"  
  
"They gave me a few minutes to collect my stuff," Nobuyuki explained, his cheeks flushing as he recalled the humiliating scene. "The secretary, Reiko, and my friend, Seji, helped me. They had a security guard breathing down my neck the whole time. I turned in my keys and my company charge card to him. I was out of there so fast I could feel the breeze."  
  
"Typical...and typically stupid of them."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Washuu grinned. "It says in the handbook that all employees must notify the company in writing if they plan to leave and that they will also be notified of termination in writing. You didn't receive anything on paper, did you?"  
  
"Well...no."  
  
"Hah!" Washuu stood up. "Got 'em! You signed for that handbook-- there's still a carbon copy in there where you signed. It's a legally binding contract, then. Got 'em, good!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We need Ryoko."  
  
"But she's asleep."  
  
"Not for long!" Washuu rubbed her hands. "This is gonna be a pleasure!" She walked to the door and opened it. "Ayeka!" she called out.  
  
"Yes, Miss Washuu?" they both heard the Princess's voice from downstairs.  
  
"I need Ryoko. Now."  
  
"But...Miss Washuu?"  
  
"It's to help Dad here."  
  
"Oh, very well."  
  
Washuu turned to Nobuyuki. "Type out a resignation letter. Nothing fancy. Just say you quit and that the firm's policies offer you no recourse. I need it in five minutes."  
  
"Right!" Nobuyuki had a glimmering of what Washuu was getting at. He walked to his Apple, switched on his Canon printer, and began typing furiously.  
  
"Keep typing," Washuu told him. "I just want to point out--Ayeka is the First Princess of the most powerful dynasty in the galaxy. And she just let me treat her like a servant. That's only because she wants to help you. You've got a lot of friends here, Dad."  
  
Nobuyuki finished the brief missive. He used his mouse to activate the print function on his Word Perfect program. "I know," he said. He told Washuu about the marked-up newspaper he found on his bed that morning.  
  
"Good. About time this family pulled together. You know, everything was getting so dull and lifeless around here, I was planning to leave."  
  
"Really?" Nobuyuki pulled the printed letter from the printer's tray.  
  
"Yup. But that cutie, Tris, showed up and things started popping. Bless that boy!" Washuu smiled at Nobuyuki. "Now we've got a fight on with that Klove guy and you're showing the right stuff. I wouldn't leave now for the presidency of the Royal Science Academy...not that they'd ever offer it to me again, of course."  
  
"I'm glad, Washuu. That you're staying, that is." He handed her the printed letter. "I know I'd miss you a lot and so would the others."  
  
"Why, you sweet guy, you." Washuu scanned the letter. "Not bad. It'll do." Washuu handed it back to him. "Sign it, date it yesterday, and put it in an envelope addressed to your old firm."  
  
"Right away." Nobuyuki rushed to comply.  
  
Suddenly Ryoko passed through the wall. She looked a bit sleepy. "Hey, what's up?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"You, that's what," Washuu answered her with a grin. "Want to stick it to the bums who fired Dad here?"  
  
Ryoko suddenly lost all signs of sleepiness. "Would I!"  
  
"Okay. Now, you're going to have to travel fast. Can you find a street address in Okayama City?"  
  
"I can find anything!"  
  
"All right. You need to carry a letter to the office whose address is on the envelope I'm going to give you. You need to pass through the office and go to where the secretary, a woman named Reiko, sits. Then you need to drop the letter in her in-basket when she's not looking. Finally, you need to hang around and make sure she reads it and notifies someone. Naturally, you can't let anyone see you doing all that."  
  
"Piece of cake. But that's all? No fireballs up someone's behind?" Ryoko looked disappointed.  
  
"Nope. But do this right, Ryoko, and this will be loads more painful to those bozos than any fireball!"  
  
"Sweet!" Ryoko grinned. "Sir, you can count on your future daughter- in-law!"  
  
Nobuyuki smiled a bit uncertainly. He handed the envelope to Washuu.  
  
"Can the commercial, Ryoko," said Washuu. "Here's the letter. Scoot!"  
  
Ryoko took the envelope. "I'm gone!" She suddenly became airborne and vanished via teleport.  
  
Nobuyuki shook his head. "You know, I think I'll never get used to how she can just appear and disappear at will."  
  
"You may have to, Dad," Washuu pointed out. "Tenchi may pick her, you know."  
  
"I know. Well, this has proven a productive morning."  
  
"Well, let's not get too excited. All we did was prevent your former boss from saying officially that he fired you. Maybe." Washuu told him. "Got a lawyer?"  
  
"Uh-huh. An old college pal."  
  
"Any good?"  
  
"He's good," Nobuyuki affirmed.  
  
"All right. Call him up and tell him you were verbally fired--but not in writing as your employee handbook specifies and that you left a letter of resignation in the secretary's in-basket. Tell him you don't want to sue, but you will if the firm claims you were fired."  
  
"Right! Should I call him now?"  
  
"Yes, now. By the time he moves his legal butt, Ryoko will have that letter delivered. Then...the fireworks will fly!"  
  
"Great! It feels great to fight back." Newly enthused, Nobuyuki hastily picked up the telephone on his desk and dialed the office of his lawyer friend, Ryoei. As he waited for the phone to be picked up at the other end, he said, "Washuu...you're the best."  
  
"Of course I am. It's about time you noticed, Dad." Washuu smiled at him.  
  
------  
  
The Yagami was entering the final approach to Galaxy Police Headquarters. Tris, thanks to Kiyone's thoughtfulness, was able to watch it from the huge video screen in the recreation room. It was just too dangerous now to have him on the bridge, even hidden from the viewscreens.  
  
The Headquarters was an immense structure floating in space, rotating to keep constant artificial gravity. It was a mass of gleaming silver structural loops, loops that somehow formed a rickety-looking, but obviously very substantial space station. Kiyone had told Tris that the offices were at the structure's top and middle, with the spacecraft docking areas at the bottom. Tiny transparent tubes ran up and down the height of the massive space station...elevators of some sort. Its walls were dotted with tiny glowing holes...windows, or the equivalent of the same. Kiyone had told him that around 15,000 people worked at the Headquarters. Tris could well believe it. He thought about the attempts at a space station his planet had made--most recently, the International Space Station. This Headquarters was what Earth's scientists needed to be shooting for. Something functional and something with a real purpose.  
  
Tris also saw the glowing bluish-green surface of the planet Vestra looming beyond the Headquarters. That was where Kiyone and Mihoshi lived--had lived--and would live at again once they earned back their rank. The thought bothered him a bit. He mentally thrust it aside.  
  
"Tris," he heard Kiyone's voice on the intercom. "We've received final clearance to enter a docking bay. We'll ease into one of those openings at the bottom of the Headquarters station and once inside, the bay doors will close and the bay will fill with artificial atmosphere. But you won't be able to leave, not just yet. Mihoshi and I will have to check in first. And I can't talk to you from this point on. Please just wait there in the rec room for us. Okay?"  
  
Tris went to one of the lighted panels located next to the rec room's door and spoke into it, as previously instructed by Kiyone. "Okay, Blue Eyes. This is your show--and what a show!"  
  
"Thanks. See you soon, Tris. Out." Kiyone's voice was affectionate, but there was a palpable tenseness underlying it. This was zero hour, Tris knew. Evading notice had been simple before (and still he and Mihoshi had almost bungled it). Now Tris was going to go out among the inhabitants--the elite inhabitants--of an alien environment. It was going to be touch-and-go at best. For a moment, Tris considered just telling Kiyone he'd stay holed up in the Yagami while she and Mihoshi attended to their business. But Kiyone would be very disappointed in him if he did. She had gone to all this trouble and risk. No...he'd follow the script.  
  
Slowly, the gently revolving Headquarters came closer and closer on the screen. Now the view dipped down, as the Yagami headed for the open docking bays at the equivalent of the basement level of the space station. There was, suddenly, a huge, yawning black space-- that must be their docking bay. The black space grew bigger and bigger. Soon, it was all Tris could see on the screen.  
  
Here we go, he thought. Into the belly of the beast. He smiled at the absurd notion. Actually, they were going into the oversized parking garage of this huge, orbiting bureaucratic Headquarters. Only, the bureaucrats inside it carried deadly weapons--and to them, he was the alien intruder. It was an intriguing thought, although hardly a comforting one.  
  
------  
  
"So what did the lawyer say, Dad?" Tenchi asked his father as the latter hung up the telephone in his home office.  
  
Nobuyuki looked at his son...and at Washuu, Ayeka, Ryoko (who had made it back just a half hour ago) and Lord Yosho. Sasami was in the kitchen preparing lunch, or she would have been there, too. Ryo- Ohki was also present, somehow looking as interested and excited as all the others.  
  
Then Nobuyuki smiled. "Skunked them, by God!"  
  
Lord Yosho laughed heartily. The women showed their relief and delight by either laughing, too, or by looking extremely pleased and pretty. Tenchi impulsively walked up to his father and gave him a quick hug.  
  
"I knew it," Washuu said. "When that postman came walking up to the house, I suspected there was a special delivery letter for you. Good thing everyone knew better than to answer the door."  
  
"Yeah." Tenchi grinned. "When I saw the postman come up the walk while I was mowing, I just hit the dirt, like Tris says, and lay still. He didn't see me. I watched him ring the bell a few times, and then he left, still carrying that letter."  
  
"So, no delivery, and no notification," Washuu concluded.  
  
"That's right," Nobuyuki confirmed. "Ryoei, my lawyer friend, said when he called the office, the boss wouldn't take his call. So he called the central office in Hiroshima. They evidently called my old office and then they called Ryoei back. They acknowledged receiving my letter of resignation. Ryoei said he warned them that he would have investigators calling up to check on the reference they give me. They promised it will be neutral, just that I worked there so many years and resigned, but that's okay."  
  
"Of course, that's okay," Yosho said with a trace of irony in his voice. "One could hardly expect them to say anything about your years of faithful service to them. That's rather gone out of style these days."  
  
"That's the truth, Grandpa," Washuu agreed.  
  
"But that is...just despicable!" Ayeka said. "That is simply as wrong as wrong can be. Besides, how can they expect loyalty when they show none themselves?"  
  
"Because they're idiots, Ayeka," Washuu said. "They're going to find out just how idiotic they are someday. Right now, though, they think they're being clever."  
  
"Oohhhh--!" Ayeka wished that, for just a few minutes, she could be First Princess of Earth.  
  
"Well, we burned their butts a little anyway, Princess," Ryoko said.  
  
"You certainly did, Ryoko." Ayeka turned to regard the space pirate. "I...I am proud of you!"  
  
"Wow!" Ryoko exclaimed, eyes wide. She hadn't expected that from the Princess!  
  
"We all are, Ryoko," Tenchi said. "You saved the day, along with Washuu."  
  
Ryoko grinned. "I sure did, didn't I?"  
  
"Yes, you did, and I'm very grateful, Ryoko," Nobuyuki told her.  
  
"Anytime, sir. You just call on me."  
  
"I will!" Nobuyuki grinned.  
  
"Yes, Ryoko, you certainly excelled today," Lord Yosho told her. "Professor Washuu, what has really been accomplished up to now?"  
  
Washuu looked at Nobuyuki. "Want me to sugar-coat it or just tell them straight?"  
  
"Tell them straight," Nobuyuki answered.  
  
"Okay. Dad here is a lot more employable now. That "being fired" stigma is gone, so a lot of doors won't close in his face automatically. But with all the job listings we've seen, there are still problems. He's too old and overqualified for about eighty percent of them. He can't afford to go back to a journeyman's salary, even if someone would hire him for a job beneath his expertise. Right, Dad?"  
  
"Right enough."  
  
"There's terrific competition for the twenty percent of job opportunities remaining. So there's no reason to despair but it's going to be a struggle. That's my read on it, anyway."  
  
"You're reading it right, Washuu," Nobuyuki said somberly.  
  
"This family has faced many struggles...and we've overcome them all," Yosho pointed out. "This one will prove no different. In fact--" He stopped.  
  
Tenchi smiled. "You were about to say that sometimes good things come from bad things, right, Grandfather?"  
  
"Yes I was, Tenchi." Lord Yosho shrugged. "It seems that I am truly becoming an old man and repeating myself incessantly."  
  
"If something is true, Lord Yosho," Ayeka said quietly, "it is well worth repeating."  
  
"That's right, Grandfather," Tenchi agreed.  
  
Lord Yosho looked pleased.  
  
"Hey up there! It's lunch!" The group heard Sasami call from downstairs.  
  
"Excellent!" Lord Yosho said. "Let's enjoy Sasami's wonderful cooking and all of this will look much better."  
  
"Good idea, father-in-law," Nobuyuki said. "I'd just like to add that with all of your support it all looks better--much better-- already."  
  
Now everyone looked pleased. Ryo-Ohki rubbed against Nobuyuki's ankles. She knew how to do her part.  
  
------  
  
Alone in the starship's recreation room, Tris had gotten bored with playing tapes of strange alien music and watching disks of weird alien soap operas and game shows. One show seemed to be about three blobby-looking creatures apparently trying to un-stick themselves from each other and go their separate ways. They failed continually, and the laugh track indicated that this was supposed to be funny. It rather reminded Tris too much of his three aunts for him to find it humorous.  
  
So he engaged in a favorite pastime--taking songs and fitting his own lyrics into them for grins. He had just taken that old Dean Martin standard, "That's Amore," which his Dad had sung to his Mom when they made pizza together (lots of sauce and oregano), and made up some new lyrics for it. Thus:  
  
When the fist  
Hits your eye  
Like a big  
Pizza pie,  
That's Ki-yo-ne...(1)  
  
Tris laughed. He would have to shoot that one past Tenchi when he got back. He liked it so much that he sang it again.  
  
"Ahem."  
  
Startled, Tris quickly turned to look behind him.  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi stood there, still in uniform, carrying their travel bags. Mihoshi was covering her mouth with her free hand and looking as if she might explode with laughter. Kiyone looked a bit explosive, too.  
  
"Hi, Blue Eyes," Tris said, sheepishly. "Hi, Mihoshi."  
  
"Hi, Tris," Mihoshi squeaked. Then she laughed helplessly.  
  
"Pizza pie, huh?" asked Kiyone.  
  
"Just brushing up for when you two take me to that kareoke bar."  
  
"Have you packed your things yet?" Kiyone asked him flatly.  
  
"Ummm...no."  
  
"Pack 'em."  
  
"Right." Tris walked toward the entrance, keeping his distance from Kiyone.  
  
She put her travel bag down. "I'll help you."  
  
"No need."  
  
"Yes there is!"  
  
"Oh."  
  
They were both gone by the time Mihoshi finally stopped laughing. She caught her breath and wiped her eyes. She loved it when Tris did silly things like that, even though he paid dearly for doing them, the poor boy. Then she thought about his song...pizza pie...yum...she would have to ask Sasami to make one when they got back to Earth.  
  
------  
  
After luncheon, Sasami sat at the now cleared dining room table. She was frowning as she wrote slowly on a writing pad, crossed out what she wrote, then wrote again. She had dishes soaking in soapy water in the kitchen to finish washing, but she wanted to try to get at least a rough draft down. Mindful of her daytime duty now, she had been looking into the living room every so often to check up on Ayeka. Her big sister appeared to be in a happy mood as she cleaned and seemed entirely herself. Come to think of that--  
  
"Ayeka," she called.  
  
Her big sister bustled into the dining room. "What is it, dear?"  
  
"Please take a look at this." Sasami indicated the writing pad.  
  
Ayeka obligingly walked over to where Sasami sat at the low table and looked over her shoulder at the writing pad.  
  
"You have two different rows of foodstuffs in two columns," Ayeka murmured. "Oh...you have each column totaled in terms of cost...and sample menus. I see. You're working on our food budget."  
  
"Uh-huh. I wanted to find out where we could cut back a bit on our food budget," Sasami explained. "Lord Yosho and Tenchi's father have been very generous with the amount we spend on food."  
  
Ayeka smiled. "That is because they like to eat well...as do we all, dear."  
  
"I know. But there's lots of room to cut back. For example, shrimp is very expensive. We can make that just an occasional treat."  
  
Ayeka nodded slowly, looking over her little sister's handiwork. "Yes, indeed. Your proposed food budget amounts to quite a savings. Of course, it means the variety of our meals will be altered quite noticeably."  
  
"Uh-huh," Sasami said uncertainly. "That's why I want your opinion. Do you think this will go over with everyone?"  
  
Ayeka regarded her little sister with deep fondness. "I would like to say, first, that you have done a very important thing here, Sasami. This will go far toward helping our household keep to a stricter budget. I am proud of you, dear."  
  
"Thank you, Ayeka." Sasami smiled, gratified by her big sister's praise.  
  
"As for the reaction, I think your revised menus are quite acceptable. The meals will still be appetizing and nutritious. It will hardly call for any real sacrifice and I know everyone will be happy to be saving money. Well, almost everybody..." Ayeka suddenly covered her mouth with a hand, but a laugh escapred nonetheless.  
  
"What is it, Ayeka?"  
  
"Oh dear, I should not be so derisive...but I could not help but think of Mihoshi's face when she learns we cut back on the food budget!" Now the Princess laughed heartily.  
  
Sasami laughed, too. Mihoshi was her very dear friend now, but it was funny--poor Mihoshi would be crushed! Absolutely crushed! She could picture Mihoshi's woeful face now.  
  
"It is a good thing she is gone for the moment," Ayeka said, quelling her laughter. "I think we can get unanimous approval of your menus now...without anyone bawling!" She laughed again. "Oh, it just terrible of me to laugh at Mihoshi. I am so ashamed!" But she didn't stop laughing. Neither did Sasami.  
  
"I know it's wrong," Sasami said. She smiled, feeling cheerful in the afterglow of a good laugh. "But it's not so very wrong is it...if we love her all the same?"  
  
"Of course not, dear. We just must not make a habit of it. We must not forget that she is a Galaxy Police officer and even now she and Kiyone are risking quite a bit to help us."  
  
"That's right..." Sasami pondered, chewing at the end of her pen.  
  
"Don't do that, dear."  
  
"What? Oh..." Sasami put the pen down. "I can't help thinking about them. I miss them and I'm worried for them. It's a big risk, taking Tris with them, isn't it?"  
  
Ayeka sighed. She sat down beside her little sister. "Yes, I think it is. I do not know what possessed Kiyone to do that. Well...I do know. But I am still not happy about it, I must admit."  
  
"I think I know, too. I know you don't like what Kiyone did, but I think it's kind of sweet...and romantic."  
  
Ayeka smiled at Sasami affectionately. "At your age, I would have thought so, too. But Kiyone has rather put her feelings on a platter by doing this. I really do like Tristram, but I do not know his intentions toward Kiyone. Not all men are like Lord Tenchi, dear. You must learn that."  
  
"But Tris is so nice. We know his intentions are good."  
  
"Do we? We know he has enjoyed the company of a very attractive and quite exceptional young woman. A young woman, I may add, who is not terribly experienced with men. That is what worries me so. And if they get caught...that is the end of Kiyone's career, dear. Then what will she have?"  
  
"Tris?" Sasami asked.  
  
"My, you are a romantic! But we do not know that. He could very well go back to college, find other women, women much more suitable for him, and--"  
  
"But I don't believe he'd do that!" Sasami objected.  
  
"Men do that all the time, dear. It is the way they are, mostly. You have to be very, very certain where you stand before you dare risk-- well, everything."  
  
"But, Ayeka, forgive me, but you still don't know where you really stand with Tenchi--and it's been a long time, too. Papa says you could lose the throne."  
  
The Princess smiled ironically. "That is exactly what Kiyone said to me. I did not have a good answer then, but I do now. Lord Tenchi is a man of the highest principles. He is not trifling with either Ryoko or myself. He has told us that he will choose between just the two of us. I am willing to wait for that choice. You see, Lord Tenchi truly has made a commitment--in a very real sense--to me. But Tristram has made no such commitment. It could be Kiyone today, some Earth woman tomorrow. He is in this country only temporarily. This is not his home."  
  
Sasami felt troubled by her big sister's words. "But I thought, maybe, this was his home now. What other home does he have?"  
  
Ayeka looked pensive. "I have always thought young men like Tristram have no need for a real home. That they simply go from one place that interests them to another...completely rootless."  
  
"But that's no way to live," Sasami objected. "I really don't think Tris is like that. I think he is looking for a home...and a family, too. I thought he had found both of them here, with us. I don't want him to go. I thought nobody else did, either. Not any more."  
  
"Nobody does, dear. Certainly, I do not and even Ryoko has warmed up to him--as much as she can!" Ayeka shook her head. "I am just not certain about him and I know Kiyone cannot be certain about him, either. The risk seems immense, considering Kiyone's absolute dedication to her career. I am fearful she could lose both her career and...well, whatever those two have together. That is why I wish she had simply taken Mihoshi and gone to her Headquarters without taking Tristram along as well."  
  
"She didn't want to be away from him," Sasami said. "I know that much, big sister. I'm also sure he didn't want to be away from her. And I have a feeling that it will work out all right."  
  
Ayeka smiled. "I hope you are right, dear. It is too late to dwell on it now, I suppose."  
  
"Uh-huh. I wonder where they are, right now?" Sasami mused.  
  
------  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi were now ready to leave the Yagami with Tris. All of them carried their bags. Kiyone had prevailed on Mihoshi to leave Trissy behind "to guard the ship." Mihoshi had been amused by the notion and agreed.  
  
They stood in front of a large hatchway door. This was the entrance and exit (one of them, anyway) in and out of the Yagami when the starship was docked.  
  
"Okay, you," Kiyone was saying to Tris. She was still convinced she hadn't gotten back at him sufficiently for that "pizza pie" bit, although he did look a bit more subdued than usual and he also limped a bit from where she had tapped his shin with her foot...not too hard, though. She would just have to mull on that for a while. "Here's how it works. Mihoshi and I have already checked in and signed in, so we're within regulations as far as that goes. I also got a visitor badge for you that you need to wear while in the Headquarters, and--"  
  
"Badges? Badges?" Tris grinned. "I don't need no stinkin' badges!"(2)  
  
Mihoshi giggled.  
  
"You want to try walking with two sore ankles?" Kiyone asked him.  
  
"Ummm...no."  
  
"Then shut up! And listen!"  
  
"Yes, Officer."  
  
Kiyone walked up to him and affixed a bright yellow card on his polo shirt. She had told him to leave the A-2 jacket behind...it was too conspicuous. "This visitor badge allows you into the Headquarters proper. It does not allow you into the docking bay or in the ship, for that matter. So we have to get you out of the docking bay unseen."  
  
"And there are guards, right?"  
  
Mihoshi giggled again. Even Kiyone chuckled.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Well...there are guards. But they're really just Galaxy Police Academy cadets who volunteer for the duty to get some training credits. Mihoshi and I did the very same thing when we were at the Academy. Right, Mihoshi?"  
  
"Right!" Mihoshi's face was flushed with deep amusement. "Actually, we didn't know what we were doing, no one told us much, and we got bored real quick. It's a silly duty now, really. No one can steal a ship since they're all keyed to our genetic signatures now. Yagami scans us constantly when we're on the bridge piloting her. She won't accept commands from anyone but us, unless it's a senior officer who has been pre-scanned by her. The ships are safe. They can't be stolen. So, there's nothing to guard!"  
  
"Well, there used to be, before we went to full genetic authentication," Kiyone amended her partner's statement. She recalled all too well how a pair of young hoodlums had stolen the Yagami right from under her and Mihoshi's noses during their involvement in the Kagato affray. That episode had prompted the GP to adopt stringent operator authentication. "And the ships can be damaged, although I wouldn't want to try it. The alarms would sound instantly and there'd be a whole phalanx of real GP security guards here in a heartbeat--armed to the teeth. Anyway, the so-called dockside guard detail is pretty nominal. Usually, there's just one cadet wandering around outside in the dock staging area. We'll just have to distract whoever it is. I just hope it's a male cadet."  
  
Mihoshi smiled in anticipation. Tris shook his head. There were times when he despaired for his whole sex.  
  
Kiyone waved her hand over a panel. With a soft swooshing sound, the hatch slid open. "Let's go."  
  
The three of them walked into what appeared to be a sizeable tunnel composed of the transparent material that covered a portion of the Yagami's bulkhead. The tunnel had the now familiar marble-like floor. Tris could see the interior of the docking bay as he walked. It was a huge structure, rather bare and unadorned, with the mammoth opening at the far end firmly closed. He noted that around the Yagami were banks of strange-looking machinery equipped with probes and tubes and hoses. Lights blinked busily on the machines. Those were likely robotic maintenance units that would service and refuel the Yagami while the three of them were gone.  
  
They reached a closed doorway at the end of the transparent tube.  
  
"This door leads to the dock staging area. No other ships have docked here recently, so it's likely to have just the poor, bored Academy cadet wandering around in it. Tris, I want you to stay here and keep quiet!" Kiyone's voice brooked no argument. Tris could see she was nervous. Mihoshi was also, but she turned and smiled encouragingly at Tris.  
  
Kiyone waved her hand in front of a panel again. The door opened. She stuck her head out briefly. Then she stepped back and let the door close.  
  
"Thank goodness...it's a guy out there. Mihoshi, do your stuff."  
  
"Okay, Kiyone. Is it a cute guy?"  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
"Well, it's more fun with a cute guy." Mihoshi grinned at Tris. Then she waved her hand over the panel, waited until the door opened, and stepped into the reception area. The door shut behind her.  
  
"We'll wait until our ding-dong has that guy vamped good. Then she'll keep him from looking at the door and we'll slip out of the staging area and into the main reception area. That's an authorized visitor area and we'll be safe." Kiyone looked apologetic. "Tris, I'm sorry, but I'm getting cold feet. We'll have to skip any tour of GP Headquarters...too risky, and there's just too many other officers around who don't like Mihoshi and me. They may try to discover whom you really are." Kiyone sounded disgruntled. "That business with Sergeant Katzaar really opened my eyes. Things are worse than even I thought. We'll just take you to my apartment and you'll have to amuse yourself there until we finish our business." Her hand took his. "I'm sorry, Tris." She was clearly disappointed and upset with the situation.  
  
Tris was disappointed, too. He had really wanted to see more of this space station marvel. But he knew that Kiyone was right. Mihoshi's run-in with that Katzaar guy proved how precarious this whole venture had become. "That's all right, Blue Eyes. You don't have any stone walkways you want me to trim, do you?"  
  
"No..." Kiyone looked at him, smiling, her eyes warm. "You idiot."  
  
"So, hanging around your pad is a step up for me. I'm looking forward to it." He grinned.  
  
"Well, you ought to, you darling, because when I get back home--" She stopped. She and Tris heard soft laughter, male and female laughter, from behind the door.  
  
"Bless that Mihoshi. I'll just take a peek..."  
  
Kiyone opened the door and peered out. She turned to Tris as the door shut again.  
  
"Okay, Mihoshi has that guy tied up in knots a long way away now. His back is to us. Let's go--and quietly!"  
  
Kiyone waved her hand at the panel. The door slid open. She took Tris's hand and they walked silently out.  
  
The staging area was large and spacious with amazingly high ceilings. It was lit fully, again with no evidence of overhead lighting. Tris reminded himself that he really needed to ask Kiyone about that. There were couches and chairs along the unadorned walls. Floating monitors were scattered here and there, informing anyone who cared of the status of incoming and outgoing vessels.  
  
Tris spotted Mihoshi at the far end. She was facing him and Kiyone. She was talking animatedly with the male cadet whose back faced them. He was dressed in a sort of jumpsuit with a small, funny-looking cap on his head. His ears were pointed, somewhat like Mihoshi's, and he was bald. His skin had a muddy, grayish cast. That was all Tris saw of him, because Kiyone's hand pulled him away and toward a large open doorway. As they passed into what had to be the main reception area, Tris could hear both the alien guy and Mihoshi exchanging more laughter.  
  
He grinned. That Mihoshi! He didn't reckon any male could resist her when she was working hard to be irresistible.  
  
------  
  
Back on planet Earth, another female was trying her darndest to be irresistible, too.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be asleep? You're supposed to watch Ayeka again tonight, you know," Tenchi said to Ryoko.  
  
"Aw, I got some sleep, sweetums. I'll be all right. But it's so sweet of you to worry about me," Ryoko replied happily.  
  
Tenchi was in the garden shed, putting away the hoe. He had just finishing weeding the vegetable garden again. The garden was especially important now, what with finances so tight, and he wanted to ensure it was weeded thoroughly. The spring weather was still unseasonably warm and after so much hard work, Tenchi just wanted to go to the house and get a cold drink. Grandfather would be expecting him soon for Shintaido Bojutsu practice.  
  
But then, suddenly, Ryoko had slipped into the garden shed with him.  
  
For her part, Ryoko was feeling particularly sharp and sassy. She had been jazzed by the quick trip to Mr. Masaki's former office and the praise she had received made her very contented indeed. She really did want to make a contribution, as long as it didn't involve boring old housework. Speaking of housework, Ryoko had already planned that she and Tenchi would have a maid after they were married. And a cook. She and her sweetums would have much better things to do than mopping floors and standing over stoves and ovens. Now she thought she might even take a job. What that Reiko woman did at that office hadn't looked so hard. Ryoko could wear smart-looking outfits and be a real career woman, like Kiyone--and have Tenchi, too. The thought galvanized her.  
  
"Of course I worry about you, Ryoko," Tenchi said.  
  
"That's music to my ears, sweetums. Why don't we make some music together, right now?"  
  
Tenchi shook his head. "You know better than that, Ryoko. I'm going into the house for a cold drink, and then I've got to meet Grandfather for practice."  
  
"I'll bring you your cold drink out here. All it will cost is a kiss."  
  
Tenchi grinned. He couldn't help it. "No, I want to go to the house anyway. I want to see how everyone's doing and also see what Dad's up to."  
  
"Everyone is doing fine. And Washuu is with your Dad again, so I'm really sure they're both doing just dandy." Ryoko gave Tenchi a sly look.  
  
"Yeah? What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"I think Washuu is getting sweet on your Dad."  
  
"What!" Tenchi was caught off guard with that one. "Com'on, Ryoko!"  
  
"You come on. Haven't you noticed that Washuu is out of that hole of hers, all the time now? She and your Dad spend hours together...just hours."  
  
"She's helping Dad. You know that. You were a part of it." Tenchi turned and left the shed. Ryoko floated after him.  
  
"Oh, you don't need to remind me how I saved the day...but it is so sweet of you to mention it, Tenchi," Ryoko said meltingly. "I wasn't going to bring it up, really I wasn't."  
  
"Okay, okay, you were wonderful, Ryoko." Tenchi was making a beeline to the house. "But spreading rumors about Washuu and Dad--!"  
  
"Rumors? Listen, Tenchi...a girl knows. You men are dense as bricks sometimes, but we girls know."  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"Know when Washuu dresses up nice--well, nicer--and makes her hair look less awful, and even wears a little makeup that she's interested in some guy."  
  
"So she's dressed a little differently, and so she's wearing makeup. So what? You do it, yourself."  
  
"Yes, and why do I do it?" Ryoko laughed. "Think about it, Tenchi."  
  
"I won't think about it. It's crazy."  
  
"Okay...whatever you say. You'll find out I'm right, though."  
  
Ryoko floated to the ground. She walked beside Tenchi as they approached the house. She tried to hold hands with him, but he pretended not to notice the attempt. She wasn't hurt. It was what she expected.  
  
Staring lovingly at Tenchi, Ryoko saw that he was sweaty from his labors--his short black hair was soaked. It titillated her. The poor boy needed to have his face wiped and someone to sponge him down...yes, and to change that pullover shirt and to bring him  
  
something cold to drink, too. It was wrong that he had a woman who loved him and he lived like some lame bachelor because he didn't want to hurt Princess Pain-In-The-Patoot's feelings. Someday, somehow, she had to find a way to make him wake up to his real feelings so that they could start their lives together. That "fair fight" pledge with Ayeka was a real drag sometimes.  
  
Tenchi was not thinking such amorous thoughts. He was wondering if there was even a speck of truth in what Ryoko had said about his Dad and Washuu. Couldn't be! Then he wondered if Tris was all right. Tenchi had traveled in space, of course, and ended up receiving a royal welcome on Jurai. But he had still felt strange, all the same. It may have been his ancestral base, but it wasn't his home, no matter how exotic and wildly beautiful Jurai had been. It was an old bromide, but it had been true...Tenchi had been like a fish out of water on Jurai. He had been happy to return to Earth, although not happy to leave Ayeka and Sasami behind. Tris was in that same alien environment now and no one would be welcoming him, boy--just the opposite. It was perturbing.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Ryoko asked, as they reached the house. "You seem worried about something."  
  
"Huh? Oh...about Tris. I am kind of worried," Tenchi admitted.  
  
"Hah! With Kiyone and Mihoshi to look out after him? He's getting the grand tour, seeing everything, and those two are catering to him, no doubt, hand and foot."  
  
Tenchi shook his head firmly. He stopped at the front door. "Now I know you're dreaming up that stuff about Dad and Washuu. If you think those two girls are catering to Tris...! He'll need to watch himself every minute, or wham!"  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "That might be the way they act--Kiyone acts--around us. But now she has Tris all to herself. All she has to do is find a place to dump Mihoshi and she'll cater to Tris, plenty. She's really stuck on him! Of course, Mihoshi has her own plans about Tris, I'll bet."  
  
"That's just plain crazy, Ryoko." Tenchi was getting annoyed. "Mihoshi and Kiyone are at their Headquarters to find out everything they can about that Professor Klove. That's what they're doing right now, I'll bet. Tris will have to keep his head down and stay out of their way, so they can work. He's only going to get to see what they can safely show him. They're all coming back as soon as they get the information we need. And Mihoshi won't deliberately do anything to upset Kiyone...ever. You're building air castles, Ryoko."  
  
"You think so, huh?" Now Ryoko seemed annoyed, a little. "Well, Mihoshi sure has had eyes for Tris, ever since he got here."  
  
"You thought she had eyes for me," Tenchi reminded her.  
  
"She did! She does! But she knows better now." Ryoko looked absolutely dangerous for a moment. "The Princess and I made sure of that!"  
  
"Mihoshi treats me like a brother. You two aren't fair to her."  
  
"She has three brothers already! She wants a man," Ryoko insisted. "I don't blame her for that. As long as she observes the boundaries."  
  
Tenchi shook his head. Ryoko got notions in her head sometimes and nothing could shake them. He slid open the front door. He stood aside. "Coming in?"  
  
"Why, thank you, sir!" Ryoko smiled and swept inside.  
  
Tenchi paused at the open door to brush some stray strands of weed from his trousers. Just as he started to follow Ryoko inside, he heard:  
  
"Take your shoes off, Ryoko! Why must I keep reminding you? This is not some pirate cave!"  
  
"Aw, I was just about to. Don't blow a gasket, Princess."  
  
Tenchi sighed. He was tempted to turn around and go on to the utility building/dojo and wait for Grandfather. But he was terribly thirsty and he knew Sasami kept a pitcher of cold tea handy in the refrigerator. Cold tea was something Tenchi had developed a taste for. He went inside.  
  
------  
  
Tenchi couldn't have known it, but he had been dead right about Tris's "tour" of GP Headquarters in particular and of planet Vestra in general. Tenchi's Dad had mentioned the "bum's rush"--that was about how Mihoshi and Kiyone had conducted Tris through their Headquarters. The term "flying visit" hardly covered it.  
  
Once safely past the staging area, Mihoshi and Kiyone positioned themselves on either side of Tris and all but goose-stepped him through the main reception area. The huge hall was filled with crowds of uniformed personnel going about their business. Quickly, Tris, Kiyone, and Mihoshi reached a bank of transparent tubes that Tris deduced were more or less elevators...but elevators with no visible machinery. Operating the tubes was simplicity itself, Tris learned--one simply stepped onto them, spoke the destination, and the tubes lifted or dropped to that destination, quickly and silently, with a spectacular view of outer space and the planet Vestra as a bonus. As they traveled down the tube, Kiyone was especially sweet to him:  
  
"If you say one word along the way--one word, Tris--I'll clobber you!"  
  
"Aw, Kiyone," Mihoshi protested.  
  
"And you hush too, Mihoshi. Tris has to dummy up and we've got to get out of here, pronto. I'm just surprised that our friends Mitsuki and Katzaar haven't assigned someone to follow us around."  
  
"They did," Tris told her. "I'm secretly in their pay, and--ow!"  
  
"Dummy up, I said!"  
  
Upon leaving the tube, they entered a low ceilinged (the first low ceiling Tris had seen since beginning the trip) area with lots of folks milling around, constant notifications blinking seemingly in thin air, and hovering monitor screens on every side. It was noisy, crowded, and chaotic--just like any terminus on Earth.  
  
"This is one of the Headquarters access and egress points where we can take a shuttle ship down to Vestra," Kiyone whispered to him. "We don't have to buy tickets for it, which is one of the few breaks we get. Since you're with us, they won't ask you for a ticket either. We take the shuttle over there. Good...there's only a small line."  
  
"That makes sense," Mihoshi said. "It's the main duty time and everyone is coming up from Vestra instead of going down to it."  
  
"Yeah," Kiyone agreed sourly. "Well, Mihoshi, if we do get fired, this is what it will be like--having no place to go while everyone else does."  
  
"Oh, Kiyone...you worry too much. This is great! We have Tris with us and we're going to have a good time. You'll see."  
  
"I'll believe it when I see it."  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi hustled Tris over to the waiting area for the designated shuttle ship. An attendant stood behind a small floating module. She glanced at them with a bored expression. The attendant appeared amazingly thin and her eyes seemed to bulge somewhat. Otherwise, she looked humanoid enough. The other passengers waiting for the shuttle, seemingly older that the three of them and dressed in nondescript clothing, paid them no attention; they just stared at a large door on the opposite wall. That door obviously led to the shuttle ship. There were benches, fabricated of some molded plastic- like material. Tris, Kiyone, and Mihoshi sat down on one.  
  
"Those folks are the maintenance crew for the Headquarters, Tris," Kiyone murmured to him, indicating the other passengers. "Can you believe those drones are actually paid more than me and Mihoshi?"  
  
Tris knew she did not expect or want an answer.  
  
"But they have to pay them a lot, Kiyone," Mihoshi murmured back. "It's hard to recruit good technical people to come here. This is really out of the main spaceways, you know. There's not much around here but the Headquarters."  
  
"I know, I know...but it gripes me anyway. This isn't exactly a pleasure planet for us either, Mihoshi."  
  
"That's so true." Mihoshi sighed. "I'm getting depressed already, Kiyone. It was bad enough around here when we were treated okay."  
  
"I know. But this is where we need to be if we don't want to end up as old lieutenants stuck in some Command Post somewhere. It's not supposed to be fun."  
  
"But life should be fun, Kiyone...at least, sometimes."  
  
"Fun? You haven't learned a thing in all this time, have you, Mihoshi?"  
  
"Yes, I have," Mihoshi insisted. "I learned I love having nice people around me and being a part of a family in addition to my own. I learned that at Tenchi's."  
  
"Hush! Don't mention that name. Please just sit quietly now."  
  
"Okay." Mihoshi lapsed into what seemed a somewhat hurt silence.  
  
Sitting between them, Tris had the impression that this was a conversation the two women had engaged in many times before. In a way, he felt a bit sorry for them. They were part of a hard service, one that made no provisions for single people and one that made life in its lower ranks a constant struggle in terms of finances and morale. Now that they were pariahs, their situation was miserable.  
  
Kiyone wanted silence from him and that was what she got. She also got silence from Mihoshi. Without a word, the three of them rose and stepped through the sliding door when it opened, walked through a sort of tunnel, and then piled into a small, boxy spaceship that barely had enough uncomfortable benches for them and the other passengers, and sat down. The other passengers also seated themselves and engaged in low-volume conversation. No one glanced out the portholes, even after the ship shuddered in take-off (no smooth exits such as on the Yagami) and those portholes were suddenly filled with stars. It was a trip those people had made countless times. Space travel was old hat to them, just like underground train travel was to commuters on Earth. Such nonchalance to what Tris as an Earthling found marvelous and astounding served to remind him just how alien all this was...more so than any of the other fantastic things he had seen. In a way, he was the caveman, still ecstatic about fire, sitting among the bored jet- setters.  
  
He felt Kiyone relax against him. He knew she had been very tense all the way. He wanted to comfort her, to hold her, but dared not.  
  
Kiyone almost yielded to the desire to hold Tris's hand, but stopped herself. Someone who knew her might observe it. These maintenance people were all over the Headquarters, and, out of pure boredom, they gossiped like fishwives. Kiyone had a reputation for staying strictly unattached. If the word got out that she was observed holding hands with a strange man...it didn't bear thinking about.  
  
She prayed silently that Mihoshi wouldn't do something foolish like lay her head on Tris's shoulder and doze off. Mihoshi was tired, Kiyone knew, tired from all the aggravation she had taken earlier, tired from having no sleep because she refused to leave the bridge since Sergeant Katzaar might have called again with more abuse and she wanted to back up her partner, tired because she felt unhappy. But Mihoshi just maintained a stony silence, smiled at Tris occasionally, but otherwise acted all right. Kiyone was vastly relieved.  
  
When the shuttle ship shuddered again, everyone, even Tris, knew it had landed on Vestra. Kiyone's strong hands kept Tris in his seat until the shuttle had emptied out. Then she relaxed her grip and all three of them rose, picked up their bags, and exited the craft. Outside, they found themselves in a small antechamber, again filled with folks, one that seemed even more unornamented than the shuttle takeoff and landing terminus at GP Headquarters. Tris could see that a number of sliding doors dotted the dingy walls, each door with a printed destination affixed on a panel above it. High-tech it wasn't.  
  
"This is property owned by the Vestrans." Kiyone seemed to sense the unasked question in Tris's mind. "They were pretty backward when they joined the Union. They still are and they don't spend an extra Jurai on frills, believe me. All they've really learned is how to gouge GP Headquarters personnel."  
  
"Some of them are nice, Kiyone," Mihoshi insisted.  
  
"Yeah...as long as you have money!"  
  
"Kiyone, that's not fair--"  
  
"Look, let's just get to where we're going, okay? We both have a lot to do before the day is over." Kiyone started walking at a fast pace toward the doorways.  
  
Mihoshi again grew silent as she and Tris followed Kiyone. Tris was certain this time she was stung, at least a bit, by Kiyone's manner.  
  
"We're taking that tube over there." Kiyone pointed out one of the doorways. "We just step into it and the moving floor zips us there, fast. It's kind of like your moving sidewalks, but a lot faster. Be warned! We'll wind up in an access tunnel in the Compound and then we'll just take a tube up to our apartments."  
  
"Kiyone," Mihoshi said.  
  
"What is it, Mihoshi?"  
  
"It's only a few blocks from here to the Compound. Why don't we walk?"  
  
"Because this way is faster, that's why."  
  
"But..." Mihoshi hesitated, then pressed on. "Tris hasn't seen anything of Vestra. He's hardly even seen the Headquarters. I know we have to give up showing him the Headquarters, but can't he at least see a little of Vestra? It's not very pretty, but it's something new for him. He's come all this way and we haven't shown him hardly anything. Please?"  
  
Tris smiled fondly at Mihoshi. For her, it was almost like crossing the Rubicon to stand up to Kiyone like that.  
  
Kiyone stopped walking. She glared at Mihoshi a moment. Then her expression softened. She looked at Tris. Her beautiful violet blue eyes were apologetic.  
  
"Okay. I guess it has been pretty rugged for you, Tris. Mihoshi is right. You might as well get a look at Vestra--even though you're not going to be impressed!"  
  
"Thank you, Kiyone," Mihoshi said, smiling.  
  
"Come on." Kiyone was obviously still in a hurry to get Tris safely tucked away.  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi both took Tris's hands. They led him away from the tube entrances and toward a large pair of transparent sliding doors. As they approached this obvious exit, the doors opened so slowly that one would almost suspect they were hand cranked. The three of them stepped outside. The doors creaked back together sluggishly.  
  
"Those Vestrans!" Kiyone muttered. "Is that what we pay for? Sloppy and backward and money-hungry. Those are the people you think are nice, Mihoshi. We're lucky those doors didn't close on us!"  
  
Mihoshi said nothing, although it was clear from her expression that she did not entirely agree with Kiyone's assessment of the planet's native inhabitants.  
  
Tris eagerly looked around. Tenchi had amazed him with descriptions of the fabulous planet Jurai. Alas, Kiyone was right. Vestra was not impressive. It was, well...Kansas.  
  
The landscape was flat, and it seemed filled with tall, square structures of various colors. The structures did boast large transparent panels and looked somewhat futuristic, but they certainly weren't quite out of "The Jetsons"...yet, they weren't by any means out of "The Flintstones," either, Tris concluded. There was no visible grass or vegetation in sight. Everything was paved over. Tris could see no roads or streets and, obviously, no private land- based vehicles. The inhabitants either walked or, better yet, used the enclosed transparent tubes with the rapidly moving floors to get around. Yes, it was an urban Kansas.  
  
But also a Kansas with flying shuttle ships, and other airborne, hovering vessels without propellers or visible jets that may have been local police and emergency vessels. And a Kansas populated with beings of quite varying skin tones, builds, and facial structures milling about (the variance was much greater than seen on Earth, indicating different planets rather than just different continents). The most consistently represented of these were folks who appeared to be built low to the ground, were rather dumpy in figure, and almost entirely bald, even the females. Their skin was the same muddy gray color as that of the hapless cadet Mihoshi had so facilely distracted back at GP Headquarters.  
  
"Those people with the gray skin are Vestrans," Kiyone said. "Their skin color is due to the weak sunlight this planet gets."  
  
It was true. Although the planet's sun was been directly overheard, denoting midday, it seemed like early twilight. That sun was pale yellow and seemed smaller than Earth's solar powerhouse. The sky itself was a greenish blue. Tris regarded it a bit worriedly.  
  
Mihoshi noticed. She laughed.  
  
"Don't worry, Tris! That color is just the extra chlorophyll in the atmosphere...I think. Anyway, it's not something bad for you or anything. Vestra is a Category H--a Category Haurubi--planet, so it's safe and all."  
  
"So they tell us," Kiyone said. "By the way, Tris, you can go ahead and talk now. I don't anyone will hear us...and I'm getting fed up with all this skulking around, anyway."  
  
"Me, too," Mihoshi affirmed.  
  
"Me, three." Tris made it unanimous.  
  
"So...what do you think of Vestra, Tris?" Mihoshi asked him.  
  
"It smells kind of funny," Tris replied. "Truthfully."  
  
"Yeah, well, you'll get used to it--or, actually you won't have to, I guess," Kiyone said. "Consider yourself lucky. That smell is supposed to be the remnants of some substance the Vestrans burned as fuel for centuries."  
  
"Like coal?" Tris asked.  
  
"No. Worse. I told you the Vestrans weren't exactly advanced."  
  
"This is a funny planet," Mihoshi said thoughtfully. "It's mostly all ocean. There's very little land mass, really. You'd think it'd have a lot of nice beaches, but most of the shoreline is ragged and rocky. Besides, it doesn't get very warm here. So it could never be like a pleasure planet or anything."  
  
"Yes, what a lovely spot to plant GP Headquarters at!" Kiyone said. "The lack of land means there isn't a lot of space for housing and stores and support facilities. Ergo, rents are high, prices are high, and the living standard is low. What a dump!"  
  
"Yes, it's not very nice," Mihoshi agreed somberly.  
  
"That's being too kind! I'll tell you one thing, Tris. Being on a planet like Earth with its wonderful sweet air and beautiful blue sky and warm sun--it's really kind of a paradise. It really is, Tris." Kiyone squeezed Tris's hand. "Now you know why we love Earth."  
  
"That's right!" Mihoshi said. "We really love Earth!"  
  
Well...! Score one for the home team, Tris thought.  
  
"Why did they put the Headquarters here, then?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, supposedly because they didn't want to deal with the insecurity of a major spaceway with all its congestion and traffic. But more likely, somebody paid off some bigwigs...the usual way," Kiyone said cynically. "The Vestrans have to own everything here according to the laws of their planet, but they have a lot of silent partners behind them. Those are the real profiteers. Some of them are even rumored to be Juraian aristocracy--making a real killing."  
  
"Not Princess Ayeka or the royal family?" Tris asked.  
  
"Oh, no, not our Princess," Kiyone assured him. "She's a straight arrow and so are the rest of the inner royal family. But their relatives and hangers-on...they're not so squeamish. They like to make money like anyone else."  
  
"I don't think money means anything to Ayeka," Mihoshi mused. "I don't think she ever carried money or spent money directly until she came to Earth. Anything she wants is just bought for her...at least, it was."  
  
"Yeah, and now she has to budget like the dickens just to buy stuff for the house like cleaning supplies and light bulbs," Kiyone agreed. "Coming back here makes you realize just how crazy the situation back at Tenchi's really is."  
  
Despite the funny smell, it was rather pleasant to be walking hand- in-hand with Kiyone and Mihoshi among the massive buildings that loomed over the fauna-less landscape. Com'on, stupid, Tris told himself. Wake up! He was on another planet! It was rather heady. Even though this new world wasn't Jurai or anywhere in Jurai's league, from what Tenchi had told him.  
  
Tris noticed that some of the inhabitants scurrying around were eyeing the three of them with frank curiosity. He was amused by the sudden realization that anyone seeing them would likely conclude that he was in the custody of the two Galaxy Police officers. And, in a very real sense, he was.  
  
Now they paused before a simply huge structure, one that must have been sixty stories high. It was gray-greenish in color and the transparent window-like apertures--called portieres, Kiyone told him--were significantly smaller than on the other Vestran buildings Tris had seen.  
  
"Here we are...the Compound. Home, sweet, home," Kiyone announced.  
  
"This place never seemed like home to me," Mihoshi said.  
  
"Well, it is, partner. We pay enough to live here, don't we?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Tris, I'm sorry, but you'll have to dummy up again. Until we get inside, anyway," Kiyone told him.  
  
"That's okay. I'm used to it. I'm even getting to like it."  
  
"Oh, Tris!" Mihoshi laughed shortly. Kiyone smiled.  
  
Hand-in-hand, Kiyone and Mihoshi led him inside, to a bank of tubes in a Spartan lobby. They entered a tube and within seconds they ascended to the indicated floor. They left the tube and walked down a brightly lit corridor. The walls of the corridor were bare and the floor uncarpeted. The decor was evidently done by Monsieur No Frills.  
  
Halfway down the corridor, they stopped at a closed door.  
  
"Okay, Mihoshi, we'll drop you off here," Kiyone said. "Remember, you need to contact our landlady and get that old witch to sublet our apartments. Since we're willing to do it at cost, it should be easy for her to accomplish. If you would, please bring some food over to my place around nineteen hundred. We'll all have dinner together. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, Kiyone." Mihoshi smiled. But her face was drawn and pale in the bright light.  
  
"Get some sleep first, Mihoshi. I don't know how you've stayed on your feet for so long. Just don't sleep all day...okay?"  
  
"Okay." Mihoshi looked at Tris.  
  
"See you later, Mihoshi," Tris grinned. He took her hand and squeezed it gently.  
  
"See you later, Tris." Mihoshi looked a bit disappointed. But she pressed her hand against a panel and the door of her flat swooshed open. She stepped in and the door swooshed shut behind her.  
  
"Rats. I wanted to see Mihoshi's apartment," Tris said. "I'll bet it's something."  
  
"It's the same as mine, only with lots of pink everywhere," Kiyone said. "Yuck." She looked at Tris. "You really should have hugged her, Tris."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Look, idiot, she's kind of stuck on you. Nothing serious. She knows you're my boyfriend and everything is okay there. I've had a long talk with her. Again! But when she's been through a lot, she needs a hug. So give her one next time. I won't mind...much."  
  
"Man...I kind of feel like an ass. I didn't pick up on that at all."  
  
"Don't feel bad. I should have told you earlier." Kiyone took his hand. "Let's go to my place now. I need a hug, too."  
  
And a hug was just about all they had time for when Kiyone and he reached her apartment. She dropped off her bag, showed him the entryway security system, shared that hug and a long kiss, and then she was gone. Kiyone explained that she had a lot of work to do, chasing Professor Klove through the secure GP data network, a chase that might take some time at a secure data console in GP Headquarters. She promised to be back before Mihoshi arrived with their dinner.  
  
Kiyone's apartment really wasn't much bigger than Tris's and Tenchi's dorm room back at Okayama U. One could barely swing a cat--cabbit?-- in it, as Tris's Brit friends used to say. The living room was barely able to hold an old and obviously hand-me-down sofa and two chairs and a worse-for-wear serving table. Kiyone had told him she often just ate there, rather than at the small dining table shoehorned into a corner along with an array of meal preparation devices (again, they somewhat resembled microwave ovens, but weren't). Just one cabinet-- one--and a tiny sink and disposal made kitchen work possible, but not enjoyable. There just wasn't enough space.  
  
But the apartment was definitely the product of advanced technology. The temperature inside the abode was very comfortable and there seemed to be a refreshingly soft air flow, yet there were no heating or air-conditioning vents in sight. And every corner of the apartment was so well lit that one could read a book anywhere in it without eyestrain. It was due to that intriguing diffused-light setup that Tris, again, meant to query Kiyone about. Finally, the rooms were dead quiet although there had to be people moving about outside and the walls appeared quite thin. Some sort of advanced noise suppressor?  
  
A doorway led to Kiyone's bedroom, where a severely utilitarian resting couch (it didn't look like a bed should look, Tris thought, too narrow and it was slightly contoured, to boot) squatted. A couch- side table, a Bauhaus-plain bureau, a small metallic hamper, and a sliding door no doubt leading to a closet filled the remaining space. Another door led to the "necessity" room...the least said about, the better. Kiyone had informed him the complex had communal baths, one on every floor. Utlitarian, indeed.  
  
But all the walls of the marginal living space were festooned with picture-posters (mostly of Earth locales) that somehow hung on those cream-colored walls without visible stays, and Kiyone had found other ways to insert color into her environment--a striped throw rug here, a sky blue tasseled pillow there--whenever possible. It was really an efficiency-plus apartment, rented by a young woman of very limited means who would never ask her parents or older brother for financial help. That was significantly alluded to by the fact that there was only one group picture of her family on the wall, and all four of them stared rather stonily at the photographer, or whoever or whatever had taken the image. Kiyone's mother looked very much like her...just a bit too pinch-faced and stern looking, Tris decided. Kiyone's father and brother were younger and older versions of the same prototype, tall, slim, and very august-looking individuals. None of them were smiling in the image. Tris wondered if there was a funny bone in any of them besides Kiyone. He rather doubted it.  
  
Tris knew his late mother would have cried to see Kiyone's apartment. It bespoke a life of severely applied self-discipline, self-denial, and austerity...leavened only slightly with splashes of color. (No wonder Tenchi's home seemed like a mansion to her and Mihoshi!) Tris again wished his mother could have lived to meet Kiyone. She would have taken to her immediately, he was certain. Mom had been an Air Force officer, a major, a fact that interested and pleased Kiyone. Major Amanda Coffin had managed to achieve respectable rank, hold down command jobs, and still bring up a bumptious, brash boy and ride herd on her once-gadabout pilot husband. Tris was sure his mother would have found a kindred spirit in Kiyone and the two would have been fast friends. And his mother would have been a strong influence on Kiyone not to cut herself off from the pleasures of life simply to concentrate totally on career. Yes, it was a tragic shame his mother hadn't lived longer, in many more ways than one.  
  
He sighed and sat down on the couch. It was lumpy, of course. He opened his overnight bag and rummaged in it. Tris finally found what he was looking for in his bag (he had left all the noodle cups back in the Yagami's galley, of course).  
  
Tris had packed some magazines to read on the trip that he brought back from that flying visit to Okayama U. he and Tenchi had taken a week or so back...it seemed almost like a month ago, so much had happened since then. Good thing he had! Kiyone could not afford to rent (much less buy) an audio-video entertainment modular console-- the galactic equivalent of a TV, video, and stereo system. Kiyone had admitted to him that usually after a long hard day at the Headquarters she just ate a meal and collapsed into bed. So Tris really needed the reading material to pass the time. The magazine he chose was a little fanzine called "Horror-Wood," (a pun on "Hollywood") which covered classic and cult fright flicks, something Tris had a long-time casual interest in.(3)  
  
Yet no sooner had Tris began skimming through the American fanzine than he heard a soft, melodious tone. He looked up. A green diode flashed on the security panel located by the door. That mean a visitor outside was pressing the outside access panel which served the same purpose as a doorbell on Earth--except that the access panel also scanned the visitor's fingerprints, pore pattern, and hand lines to determine if entry would be allowed. If not, it simply sent a video and audio signal inside the apartment. The apartment's security system, in turn, recorded the visit and projected an image of the visitor on a viewscreen embedded in the security panel itself.  
  
Curious, Tris walked up to the front door and checked out the security panel. Kiyone had explained that the panel's viewscreen was one way, so Tris would be able to see who was at the door, but the visitor couldn't see who, if anyone, was home...a nice, secure setup. Tris, of course, was under strict orders to neither let strangers in nor to communicate with strangers who came calling. Glancing at the display, Tris was concerned at first that the visitor might be Kiyone's landlady, the "witch." If so, he was in deep trouble, since the landlady could and would gain entrance to the apartment at any time. However, he doubted that the person he was observing now in the security panel's viewscreen was the landlady. For one thing, she didn't look like a witch. For another, she was wearing a Galaxy Police uniform.  
  
The visitor was trim and competent-looking in her GP uniform, a young woman who was, perhaps, a bit shorter than Kiyone and Mihoshi, but no less attractive. Her pretty face had a rather bemused expression as she pressed again at the access panel. Tris then noticed her red hair. He wondered...could it be...no...couldn't be. But she did fit Kiyone's description of Mitsuki.  
  
Galaxy Police Sergeant Mitsuki Sakakibara...formerly Kiyone's fellow cadet and best friend...now Kiyone's bitter enemy and (presumably) the architect of Kiyone's and Mihoshi's fall from grace. If this visitor was Mitsuki, what would she be doing here? Checking up on Kiyone personally? Why? She could delegate one of her cronies to do that much more discretely. Did Mitsuki suspect that Kiyone was here on more than personal business? Or did she have another motive? Certainly, she didn't look happy to be here; in fact she looked rather...pensive. It was quite puzzling.  
  
After pressing the access panel a few more times, the GP officer shrugged. Tris thought she looked almost relieved. Then she left.  
  
Tris stared at the now-blank viewscreen for a few minutes. He thought hard about what the visit might portend. Then, unable to reach a conclusion, he returned to the couch and his fanzine.  
  
------  
  
When Tenchi walked inside the house, he was surprised to hear voices issuing from within the dining room. He saw Ayeka and Ryoko, both standing just outside the dining room.  
  
Ayeka motioned to him to come into the dining room. She appeard to be upset about something. Ryoko just stared at the Princess, seemingly as surprised as he was.  
  
Tenchi quickly changed from shoes to house slippers and followed the two women into the dining room.  
  
He found everyone sitting around the low dining table...even Washuu. Ryoko and Ayeka had already seated themselves. Tenchi took his accustomed place between them. Sasami had made tea and everyone was sipping at their cups and looking at Nobuyuki. Tenchi noticed that his Dad and Washuu were sitting next to each other...and, yes, Washuu certainly had taken some pains with her appearance.  
  
Sasami poured him a cup of tea. He smiled his thanks and drank it gratefully. It quenched his thirst well enough.  
  
"Dad? Grandfather? What's happened?" he asked.  
  
"Something we did not count on, Tenchi," Lord Yosho told him.  
  
"Huh?" Tenchi set the teacup down. "Not more bad news?"  
  
"Well, yes, son," Nobuyuki replied. "It's doesn't directly affect us, but it's bad news all the same."  
  
"It is dreadful," Ayeka said softly. "Just dreadful."  
  
"Those poor people," her little sister added, her eyes downcast.  
  
"Hey, is someone gonna tell us what's going on?" Ryoko said, a bit nettled by all the mystery.  
  
Nobuyuki nodded. "I've just gotten a call from Reiko. She's the secretary at my old firm...or was."  
  
Tenchi felt his heart sink. "Dad...!"  
  
"That's right, son. Not long after my old boss was forced to back down in my case, he fired my friend, Seji. This time, he did it right. He handed Seji a letter of dismissal that he forced him to sign. Then Seji got the same bum's rush I got. Out the door in ten minutes flat."  
  
"Oh, no, Dad! What was the reason this time?"  
  
"Same reason as with me. Personal calls on company time."  
  
"Of course that poor man calls home," Ayeka said angrily. "He has three little daughters and his wife has to work, too! This is shameful!"  
  
"It's rotten, all right," Ryoko agreed.  
  
"And Reiko?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Well...I suppose poor Seji rather lost his composure. He pleaded and there were tears in his eyes, Reiko told me. Well, that great humanitarian of a boss just jeered at him. Reiko was so upset that she gave that cretin a piece of her mind. So she was fired, too, for insubordination. Another letter of dismissal was handed to her, one that was suspiciously handy, by the way."  
  
"I don't believe it..." Tenchi was shaken by the news.  
  
"Believe it, Tenchi," Washuu said. "It all fits the pattern. They're cleaning house of all their expensive senior people to make way for younger newhires who will do the same work for a lot less pay."  
  
Sasami shook her head uncomprehendingly. "I just can't believe they're so mean to people they've known for so long. Don't they have any goodwill at all?"  
  
"There's not much goodwill in business these days," Nobuyuki told the little Princess. "Unfortunately."  
  
"There can be and should be, however," Yosho said. "There are better ways to run a business than this. Your old firm is throwing away prime assets--good people--for a temporary profit. And they are deliberately doing it in such a way that these people have no financial cushion."  
  
"I suppose you could blame the recession," Nobuyuki mused.  
  
"I think that's just an excuse, not a reason," Yosho told his son-in- law. "Certainly, cutbacks are necessary in some cases and truly unproductive or divisive people must be fired. But it can be done in a manner that affords people some dignity and provides them some temporary support. The cost of doing that is minimal and the impact on the people affected is great."  
  
"You're right, father-in-law. There's no excuse for the treatment any of us three received."  
  
"Well, I'm thankful you got out without being fired, Dad," Tenchi said, glancing gratefully at both Washuu and Ryoko. "That poor Mr. Horibuchi. He's stuck in that same leaky boat you were almost in, Dad. Can't we help him somehow...and Reiko, too?"  
  
Nobuyuki shook his head. "Washuu and I have discussed it. Frankly, neither of us can come up with anything."  
  
"The firings are according to Hoyle--that is, according to the employee handbook," Washuu explained. "Those bums learned from their mistake with your Dad, Tenchi. I understand that there's a board run by your labor ministry they can appeal to, but..."  
  
"But there's nothing to appeal, technically," Nobuyuki finished for her glumly. "They were fired for cause and the causes are legitimate."  
  
"That's terrible," said Sasami. "It's awful when you can't help people."  
  
"It is a terrible shame," Ayeka agreed. "They are not part of our family but I feel that they may have suffered because of our actions. Not that we were wrong in what what we did, of course. Still..."  
  
"I know exactly how you feel, Princess," Nobuyuki agreed. "I did suspect that Seji would get the axe next, but that doesn't make the fact of it any easier to accept."  
  
"Listen. I know you folks are kind of squeamish about direct action but how about just one butt-roasting? I could be there and back real quick," Ryoko said earnestly. "At least one bastard won't be able to sit down for a week!"  
  
"Ryoko..." Tenchi admonished her, but not vehemently. He was too depressed. He had met both Reiko and Mr. Horibuchi years ago, before the women had come. He had really liked them both.  
  
"I'd almost say yes, Ryoko, at this point," Nobuyuki admitted.  
  
"Why, son-in-law?" Lord Yosho asked.  
  
"Well, you know, to get back at them...a little, anyway."  
  
"But the best way to "get back" at those who wound you deliberately is to carry on and not allow their actions to stop you," Yosho said. Light glinted off the lenses of his glasses as he turned to regard his son-in-law.  
  
"Yes, but father-in-law, Reiko and Seji are stopped...or, at least, they're in a pretty bad way."  
  
Lord Yosho smiled apologetically. "I know my use of this truism has likely worn out its welcome around here, but...sometimes good things do come out of bad things. And I'll tax your patience with another aphorism: When one door closes, another opens."  
  
"I don't get it, father-in-law," Nobuyuki admitted.  
  
"No? Let us use reverse logic, then. The down side is that these two fine people have lost jobs they have held for a long time and their source of income is cut off. Agreed?"  
  
"Agreed." Nobuyuki replied.  
  
"But that is taking a victim's point of view, son-in-law. That leads to certain failure. Now, let us take another point of view. We have two talented people, a senior architect and a capable, competent secretary, who are free from the bondage of what had become a daily misery. Their good friend, another senior architect, has also been freed from this misery. Does that make sense to you?"  
  
"Yes," Nobuyuki said. "I can see that. I was happy when I was just designing houses for folks, and so was Seji. When we were booted into senior slots and had to work construction projects as well as home building, the fun stopped."  
  
"So you have told me, many times. Additionally, haven't you said that you three often held down that office? That you three have routinely salvaged job orders and contracts that were in danger of being lost due to the mishandling of senior management?"  
  
"Sure I have. And it's true."  
  
"Indeed? Then, why don't you--I borrow this phrase from Tristram--"do the math," son-in-law?"  
  
Suddenly Washuu's face lit up. She gripped Nobuyuki's hand. "Why, Grandpa! What a notion! I'm ashamed I didn't think of that myself!"  
  
Tenchi also grasped his grandfather's meaning. "Wow..."  
  
"You mean...?" Nobuyuki seemed startled. "You're suggesting...?"  
  
"I am." Lord Yosho smiled.  
  
"Will someone please explain what we're all supposed to be getting?" Ryoko asked, her voice irritated. "Because I still don't get it."  
  
"I...I think I do. And it is marvelous!" Ayeka said, clasping her hands together.  
  
"I think so, too," Sasami agreed, her eyes aglow with comprehension.  
  
"Now, listen--" Ryoko began, clearly fed up with being in the dark.  
  
"Do not blow a gasket, Ryoko," Ayeka said, pleased to be able to zing the space pirate back with her own pet phrase. "What Lord Yosho has suggested is that Lord Tenchi's father and the two people who were let go today form their own enterprise!"  
  
"You mean--start their own business?" Ryoko's eyes widened.  
  
"You have it exactly, Ryoko."  
  
"But can you?" Ryoko asked, looking at Nobuyuki.  
  
The middle-aged man was smiling. His eyes gleamed beneath his glasses. And Washuu still held his hand.  
  
"Why not?" he said. "Why the hell not? I've been a salaryman all my life and where has it gotten me? Time for a change!"(4)  
  
"That's the spirit, Nobie!" Washuu told him.  
  
"Nobie"? Tenchi thought. Holding hands...pet names...could Ryoko have been right? No...no, of course not!  
  
"Indeed it is," Lord Yosho agreed. "The warrior spirit."  
  
"Do you really think you can do it, Dad?" Tenchi asked, hopeful but a bit uncertain. It was a big step--a giant step, really, for his father.  
  
"Tenchi, son, I've been slaving for years and years, virtually running an architectural firm--well, a branch office if it, anyway-- handling contracts and projects worth millions, and being paid peanuts for it. The bosses kept tossing contract management at me, because it's considered grunt work and no fun. Well, it's not much fun, I'll admit, but it's the way building and renovating are done these days. And I know the ins and outs of it now."  
  
Yosho nodded. "That's the way to look at it, son-in-law. They gave you a drudgery--they thought. Now you can make it an asset."  
  
"Sure, father-in-law. Sure, I can!" Nobuyuki spoke with enthusiasm. "I know contracts, I know contractors, and I have good rapport with suppliers and inspectors. I know my way around bureaucracy and red tape. New projects are advertised in periodicals I get at home. You bet I can! We can! Seji and Reiko and I!"  
  
"But Dad, competing against the big firms, like that place where you used to work..." Tenchi played Devil's advocate only with reluctance. But it was vital that his Dad not take this step without first considering all the possible pitfalls.  
  
"That's the beauty of it, son. Thanks to the recession, the major construction jobs are pretty darned scarce. That's where the big companies shine. Now customers just want to renovate and add on, and do it one job at a time. That's where a small firm, with low overhead, can step in, underbid the bigger fish, and still make a tidy profit," Nobuyuki explained. He looked at Washuu. "Right, Washuu?"  
  
"Right!" Washuu nodded. "That's how I see the construction market now."  
  
Tenchi felt relieved. Plainly, his Dad was going into this venture with a clear vision of what he faced and how he could turn it to his advantage. "It's really a big change, Dad," he said. "But I'm all for it!"  
  
"Thank you, son." His father smiled. Tenchi had not seen him so animated in quite a while. His father was pumped! It was a wonderful thing to see after all the gloom before.  
  
"That's the way to turn apparent defeat into victory," Yosho said. "It now makes no difference how Seji Horibuchi and Reiko Takanawa lost their former positions. It's irrelevant. No one will care. As long as the customer gets value for money."  
  
"That's exactly it, father-in-law. As long as we can deliver and at the price we quote. I've been "sharpening" that damned "pencil" so long, I'm a past master at it. Seji has a genius for creatively utilizing limited space and resources. And Reiko knows everything about contract administration as well as quality assurance and everyone in the business really likes her. She told me folks have been calling her all day, offering their condolences."  
  
"Well, now they can offer her--and you--their business," Lord Yosho said.  
  
"Right! We'll need a small office in Okayama City...nothing big, but well located. All of us have the software and the basic office supplies we need, since we all were forced to bring work home. My lawyer friend, Ryoei, will get us incorporated for almost nothing--he refused to charge me for the work he did today. In fact, another pal has some office space I know he'll sublease reasonably as long as I do his design work for gratis. That's no burden and it would be worth it."  
  
"Isn't it odd," Lord Yosho observed. "Even in the cut-throat world of business, friendship still counts for so much."  
  
"It sure does, father-in-law," Nobuyuki agreed.  
  
"Dad, this sounds great!" Tenchi was now enthused himself.  
  
Washuu smiled at Nobuyuki. Was there, perhaps, just the slightest smidgen of...well, ardor...in that typically cheery smile? Tenchi wasn't sure.  
  
"This is so cool," Sasami said, beaming. "Working for yourself-- being your own boss. Now you can really show them, sir!"  
  
"I'll certainly try, Sasami."  
  
Ryoko nodded. "I get it. I get it! The three of you doing your own thing...partners, right?"  
  
"That's right, Ryoko," Nobuyuki replied. "Equal partners. That's the only way."  
  
Now Lord Yosho nodded, looking very pleased with his son-in-law.  
  
"I know Reiko and Mr. Horibuchi are in a bad way now," Tenchi said. "But are you sure they'll go for this, Dad?"  
  
"Pretty sure, son. It's a gamble, but they both will know it's a better gamble than trying to compete in the current job market."  
  
"A dinner at a fine restaurant with both of them would be one way to broach the subject," Lord Yosho suggested. "It would then become rather like a victory dinner when they agree."  
  
"Good idea! Would you consent to come along, father-in-law?"  
  
"I?" Lord Yosho appeared surprised by the request.  
  
"Yes. They both honor and respect you and I think it would add some gravity to what I'll be proposing."  
  
"Hmmmm..." Lord Yosho mulled the proposition over. "Yes, I will, and thank you. I'll be honored to be present at the launch of your new business, son-in-law."  
  
"Dad...how will you get the finances for the start-up?" Tenchi had to bring the subject up, although he didn't want to throw a damper on his father's wonderful spirit and enthusiasm.  
  
"Oh, there's plenty of small business loans, co-sponsored by the government," Nobuyuki said. "I'll find one that applies to a firm like ours will be. Of course, we'll have to put up the house and the property as collateral." He frowned a bit, obviously not liking that notion much.  
  
"You will do no such thing, sir!" Ayeka interjected.  
  
The others turned to stare at the Princess...except for Washuu, who smiled quietly and with no small satisfaction.  
  
"Why, what do you mean, Princess?" Nobuyuki asked.  
  
"I did not mean to sound quite so sharp," Ayeka said, smiling. "I apologize. But I simply cannot stand by and watch this wonderful venture being financed by strangers. If your other friends will assist you, sir, in this enterprise, why not let a friend finance you as well?"  
  
"But who would that be, Ayeka?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Why...myself, of course."  
  
"Ohhh, yes, Ayeka!" Sasami cried happily.  
  
"But you've tried to help out financially before, Ayeka," Tenchi pointed out. "It didn't work out."  
  
Ayeka looked at Washuu. She inclined her head toward the great scientist. "But before, I did not ask Miss Washuu to assist...using an idea Kiyone and Mihoshi gave me, albeit unknowingly."  
  
"Huh?" Ryoko asked. "Talk sense, Princess."  
  
"I am talking perfect sense, Ryoko," Ayeka asserted. "Kiyone and Mihoshi paid the rent for their apartment and bought necessities the first time they were here by converting part of their salaries to yen. They utilized the currency exchange firms on Planet Pheadra. At my behest, Miss Washuu just recently contacted those firms for me."  
  
Ryoko looked at Washuu. The space pirate raised an eyebrow. "You contacted those sharks?"  
  
"Yup," Washuu said. "Sure did. They were more than willing to open an account for the First Princess of Jurai. Seems the pesky Galaxy Police have been nosing around their operation and they can use some high-class clientele." She grinned. "Anyway, it turns out the Princess's personal account at the Galactic Depository is convertible to Jurais. She was given bad advice the last time she had someone check into it. Jurais are convertible to other currencies--even an exotic Earth currency like yen. Of course, those money-changers will  
  
add a hefty commission for their services."  
  
"That does not disturb me a particle," Ayeka said. "It is well worth it to be able to help my friends...my very dear friends whom I feel as close to as my own family."  
  
Sasami nodded. "That's how we both feel!"  
  
The Princess gazed fondly at her little sister. "Of course, dear."  
  
"Naturally, we'll need a certain space pirate to go get the dough-- and not get caught." Washuu glanced ironically at Ryoko.  
  
"A certain space pirate is ready and willing," Ryoko told her, grinning. "Anytime."  
  
"So, sir," Ayeka said to Nobuyuki. "I shall advance a loan to you. My terms are firm. Pay me back when it is convenient...and zero percent interest."  
  
Nobuyuki appeared--and was--quite taken by surprise.  
  
For so long, he had considered the Princess and the other women as guests. And it was a centuries-old tradition of his culture that one never accepted payment of any kind from guests. But truly, the women were family now. He had said so himself...and meant it. He knew that Princess Ayeka would be very hurt if he did not allow her to help him. He saw that his son was smiling encouragingly at him. He looked at his father-in-law. Lord Yosho nodded genially.  
  
Washuu patted his hand again. "It's a heck of a good deal, Nobie," she said. "Don't you think so?"  
  
"Yes, I do." Nobuyuki smiled at Washuu. Then he turned to Ayeka. "I accept your generous and gracious offer with the deepest thanks, Princess. I never really knew what a Princess was all about, until you came to us. You have shown me that nobility is more than just a word."  
  
The Princess smiled dazzlingly...and blinked a few times. She quickly wiped her eyes. "I am just glad that I can help," she murmured.  
  
"That's all right, Princess," Ryoko said with genuine warmth. "That is just all right!"  
  
Tenchi stood up from the table. He stepped behind Ayeka. "Please stand up, Ayeka," he requested.  
  
"Yes?" Ayeka queried, surprised. But she stood.  
  
Tenchi smiled tenderly at her. Then, without preamble, he put his arms around her and embraced her deeply. "That's for being so wonderful, Ayeka," he told her.  
  
Ayeka just stared at Tenchi. She glowed...absolutely glowed. Her adoring look would have melted titanium. "Oh...Lord Tenchi..."  
  
"How about me?" Ryoko asked, miffed. "Who has to go out and collect the cash, huh?"  
  
"Okay, Ryoko. You're right. Please stand up," Tenchi said.  
  
Ryoko did so with alacrity. Tenchi embraced her, too.  
  
Now he was being lovingly regarded by two of the most powerful--and beautiful--women in the galaxy. Nobuyuki and Yosho smiled. Sasami seemed enchanted by the sight.  
  
Surprisingly, Washuu didn't observe the scene with her usual detached amusement. She sat with her arms folded. "No hugs for the greatest scientist in the galaxy, I guess," she muttered.  
  
Tenchi grinned. "Okay, Washuu..."  
  
Now Nobuyuki stood up. "I'll handle this son. Stand up, please, Washuu."  
  
"Well, now..." Washuu scrambled to her feet. Nobuyuki and she embraced.  
  
Nearly everyone else stared with surprise at the couple--even Ryoko, who actually hadn't been all that certain about Tenchi's Dad and Washuu. Not Lord Yosho, however. He regarded the sight of his son- in-law and Washuu in each other's arms calmly. He contemplated the future and was thankful it could still be full of surprises.  
  
------  
  
Speaking of embraces, Kiyone was very glad she had gotten a nice big hug from Tris. It proved, at least, that someone liked her and cared for her. Now, inside Galaxy Police Headquarters, she was getting the opposite impression. She had known it would be rocky...but not this rocky.  
  
From the time she stepped out of the shuttle-ship that carried her back from planet Vestra to Galaxy Police Headquarters, she had encountered nasty looks, supercilious looks, outright cutting-dead looks--where she was ignored altogether by her fellow officers even in the close confines of an elevator tube--and a few, a very few, fleeting looks of sympathy. To Kiyone's proud spirit, the sympathetic glances were just about as hurtful as the intentionally cutting ones. They were all hurtful, really; her fellow officers and even the staff support civilians were laying it on especially thick to let her know she was now an unwelcome presence in the very Headquarters where once she had been looked up to and admired.  
  
Mitsuki, Lieutenant Zay're, and that Sergeant Katzaar--and their clique--had done their work well. Both she and Mihoshi were virtual outcasts now. Kiyone prayed that Mihoshi would contact their landlady from her apartment and eat at the canteen by the Compound and not venture into Headquarters for a visit. For, if she did, she would doubtless be crushed...again.  
  
Kiyone was feeling a bit crushed herself. But, as she had said to her partner, she was mostly mad as hell about the unfair treatment and was resolved to do something about it. She was also buoyed by the thought that she was about to get the dope on that Professor Klove. That would lead to an arrest, the dismantling of whatever was being used to mentally torture poor Ayeka, and triumphantly close a case that involved the all-important and all-powerful Jurai royal family. That would earn her and Mihoshi their credibility back as competent officers, which would in turn lead to ultimate vindication and reversal of their demotion, Kiyone was certain. Finally...there was Tris. Kiyone was learning that having someone dear to you who supported you was not a disruptive influence, was not a hindrance to a career, but actually the opposite.  
  
So she would just ignore all the ill treatment (nothing overt, of course) with a stiff upper lip, get the low-down on that Professor Klove, and return to Earth where she and Mihoshi and Washuu and the others would plan their strategy and ferret out their villian. The final triumph--and the last laugh--would be hers.  
  
There was one thing she had to admit, wryly. She had achieved one goal. Everyone at Headquarters seemed to have heard about Galaxy Police Officer Kiyone Makibi! Only, it wasn't the sort of recognition she sought, that was for sure! Kiyone found it rather dismal to pass the areas of Headquarters she had known so well...the muster annex, the Reikon commissary, Conference Room Zeta (where she had held many triumphant meetings with her own staff), the gymnasium...and the suite of rooms where her former office was located. Kiyone found herself walking especially slowly past those areas. But she forced herself to keep walking until she reached the Records Depository, a huge database "farm," and found the room that had been set aside for GP officers to peruse official records.  
  
Kiyone entered the room. It was filled with desk modules and data viewers. Info panels on the walls presented scrolling advisories, warning of the sensitivity of information and the penalties for the misuse of classified data. Hardly anyone was in the room, Kiyone noted with some relief. Just a rather feline-looking Alakisain officer digging through records. She recognized the officer, a logistics type she had worked with before. The officer chose not to recognize Kiyone. With the old familiar anger welling within her, Kiyone walked to the front desk, where a GP staff officer, an old lieutenant named Ketquaraz, stood, checking off invoices of new records added to the central depository database. It was a never- ending task, and a rotten task for an officer--the kind of task that Kiyone knew she could end up having herself someday unless she salvaged her professional reputation.  
  
Kiyone stopped before the high-banked desk module that Lieutenant Zuun Ketquaraz, Chief of Records Management, stood behind. "Greetings, Lieutenant," she said, forcing a smile.  
  
Lieutenant Ketquaraz looked up from his task. He was a grumpy old guy; as always, his mottle-faced visage (he hailed from a planet of simply unlovely souls) was less than welcoming. But that was the public face he showed to everyone, unless they ranked pretty high-- then he tried to be amiable, which was even more unappetizing than his normal choleric state. Kiyone could understand his attitude. Due to some professional mishap, Ketquaraz would never rise above lieutenant, the minimum rank one had to achieve to qualify for a pension. That was his whole professional career now--being useful so he would eventually get his pension. Looking at him, Kiyone prayed that she wasn't seeing into her own future.  
  
"Makibi? What the hell are you doing here? Didn't they boot you out to some backwater?" As always, Lieutenant Ketquaraz was the soul of hospitality.  
  
"I am patrolling Earth sector again, yes. But I'm on PT now," Kiyone replied, forcing herself to remember that this old has-been was a lieutenant and could and would bust her in a heartbeat. "Sir."  
  
"You're a little slow on the "sir," part, Makibi."  
  
"Sorry, sir."  
  
"Okay. Just watch it. Lots of people around here want you off the force. They just need one excuse to pee in your record. You savvy?"  
  
Kiyone savvy'ed. She was surprised, though. Not at what the crusty old Lieutenant had said--rude and crude, that was Ketquaraz--but that he was actually trying to help her. Amazing. It seemed she had another friend at Headquarters, besides Chief Bodai. Although he was hardly prepossessing, Ketquaraz had been around a long time, knew where all the bodies were buried, and heard everything that passed through the grapevine. In that respect, he would be invaluable as an ally. It gave her a quick surge of hope.  
  
"Yes, sir." She smiled at him with geniune feeling this time.  
  
"One more thing. When that Mitsuki marries that drip Zay're, she's going to have more pull than a black hole around here. Your partner will survive, thanks to her grandfather, but you...if you're going to do anything to help yourself, you'd better do it quick."  
  
"Yes, sir. Thank...thank you, sir."  
  
"Don't thank me. I was a good officer, a hotshot, like you, once. I was blind-sided and got a permanent reprimand in my record. That was it for me. I'd like to see someone overcome that before I'm put out to pasture. I assume you're here on your PT to help yourself. What do you need?"  
  
Kiyone told him. Lieutenant Ketquaraz shook his head.  
  
"You have the necessary clearance, of course, but that case file has been marked as sensitive. I'll have to log your session specially and flag it. That means it'll stick out in the log records like a sore thumb. Those damned Jurai cases! I'm sorry. But I can mis-file it. You know what a forgetful old worthless bastard I am. That'll give you a little time before someone will notice it and maybe call you on the carpet for an explanation. Best I can do, Kiyone."  
  
"It's...it's the best, sir, period. Thank you." Kiyone was deeply moved by the selfless show of understanding and assistance in the midst of so much hostility, and from someone she had treated as a bad joke before. Lieutenant Ketquaraz had also, finally, called her by her first name.  
  
"Okay." Lieutenant Ketquaraz efficiently key-padded his control panel. "Module Seven. I hope this helps you."  
  
"So do I, sir."  
  
Kiyone turned from him. She walked to the desk module and molded seat that, as a unit, was numbered seven. She noticed that it was the newest and cleanest-looking module in the room. She smiled gratefully at Lieutenant Ketquaraz, who pretended not to notice. Then Kiyone sat down, entered her authentication password, pressed her hand on the screen for a full genetic scan, and began reading the deeply-indexed records concerning a certain Professor Klove and his one-time progressive educational establishment on planet Jurai called the Lyceum.  
  
Unfortunately, the good feeling from her encounter with Lieutenant Ketquaraz soon evaporated as Kiyone read...and read...  
  
It was devastating. The worse. Her big case, her triumphant arrest of a high-profile villain, her vindication...that was all over. The color slowly drained from Kiyone's face as she drilled deeper and deeper into the official confidential records of Professor Klove and his activities. As she did, Kiyone had to stifle a cry of despair several times.  
  
She wasn't entirely successful. Lieutenant Ketquaraz looked at her sympathetically. He figured she had encountered some sort of dead end. He knew that situation all too well.  
  
The other GP officer in the room also regarded the disgraced and now obviously upset Detective First Class. The Alakisain officer smiled, cat-like. That pushy, bossy bitch, Makibi, had evidently messed up again. Good. The officer couldn't wait to tell Mitsuki about it.  
  
Some time later, Kiyone finally departed the Records Depository. She walked slowly, her face still pale. She was stunned and despondent. She said nothing to Lieutenant Ketquaraz. The latter looked after the departing young officer, his mottled face etched with concern.  
  
Kiyone left the Headquarters and shuttled back to Vestra. In the shuttle ship, she sat and brooded. It would be a long time before she was re-assigned to Headquarters, she felt certain now. And when she was, she'd likely get a dead-end job like Lieutenant Ketquaraz had. It was a bleak outlook on a bleak future. About as bleak as the support planet she was headed for...the planet she had once called home.  
  
____________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) In case you don't know it, here is the original first stanza to "That's Amore":  
  
When the moon Hits your eye Like a big Pizza pie, That's Amore  
  
(2) Yes, that familiar phrase is from the Humphrey Bogart classic, "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre." Bogie did not utter that line in the film, however.  
  
(3) Actually, "Horror-Wood" is only a Web magazine (or e-zine) at this point in its existance. It can be viewed at www.horror-wood.com if you're interested.  
  
(4) A "salaryman" is a slang term for one of the millions of loyal Japanese employees who work for a salary and devote their lives to their company. The current recession has almost knocked the props out from under that long-running social contract between management and labor in Japan. 


	17. CHAPTER 16: No Need For a Suspect

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER SIXTEEN  
  
No Need For a Suspect  
  
_____________________  
  
Mihoshi woke up in her tiny apartment at the Compound. Despite her long slumber, she felt groggy and somewhat disoriented. It never  
  
became very bright during the day on Vestra, but the dimness outside her apartment's portieres told her it was late in the afternoon. Late afternoon...wasn't she supposed to--  
  
Gosh! She fairly leaped from her bed. Standing, she groaned as her feet protested at her...and her left side, too. She should not have gone to bed still wearing her uniform, especially her regulation boots and her shoulder holster and sidearm. Now she ached in those places. But she had been so sleepy, so overwhelmingly sleepy, that once she had entered her bedroom to undress, all she could do was stretch out on the bed and sack out. Now she felt kind of grungy in her uniform and her mouth tasted funny. She had not eaten either. She was achy, hungry, and grungy. Oh, gosh...  
  
But Mihoshi also remembered that she was supposed to contact her and Kiyone's landlady, that Mrs. Uleana, about sub-leasing their apartments. And she needed to do it while Mrs. Uleana was still in the office she maintained in a nearby building she also owned. Otherwise, Mihoshi would have to call the woman at home, which was a bad idea--Mrs. Uleana had yelled at her once for doing so. Mihoshi hated to be yelled at.  
  
So, although Mihoshi dearly wanted to undress and take a bath and put on something comfortable and pretty, she knew she should contact Mrs. Uleana first. Sighing, the blonde Galaxy Police officer sat on her bed and slipped off her boots. Her feet were a little happier now. She also un-slung her shoulder holster and deposited it and the heavy blaster pistol on a tiny chair beside her dressing table. The chair had a pink cushion, and the dressing table was cream white with little pink flowers. Mihoshi just loved pink.  
  
She also loved the people whose pictures adorned that dressing table: her father, her three brothers...and Tenchi. Actually, that last picture was originally of Tenchi flanked by Princess Ayeka and Ryoko (both of them had insisted in getting in the picture, too). Mihoshi simply had the Princess and the space pirate cropped from the picture afterward. She loved them both, but she didn't particularly want to have them on her dressing table. Besides, some visitor might have recognized Ryoko, and, anyway, their expressions as they had looked at her taking the picture had been kind of funny.  
  
Looking at those she loved most particularly always boosted Mihoshi's spirits. Now she would need to add Tris's picture to the table. She would have to find a way. But Kiyone, her best friend, wasn't like Ayeka and Ryoko. Kiyone would let her take a picture of Tris by himself. Kiyone understood...well, mostly.  
  
Mihoshi couldn't help but feel a pang as she stared at Tenchi's picture. She had been obliged to give up any notion of being Tenchi's girlfriend long ago and just be his good friend, which had been hard, because she loved him. Now, although she loved Tris in much the same way, she would also have to treat him like another friend. It seemed so unfair, but Mihoshi knew it was nobody's fault. Kiyone told her often that someday she would fall in love with a boy and he would be all hers. In the meantime, she could still be close to Tenchi and now Tris, and that was something, anyway. She suddenly wished she had brought Trissy to her apartment...she wanted to hug her plush pooch, very much.  
  
Now she smiled happily as she looked at the pictures of her Daddy and her three big brothers. They were so handsome! She was so proud of them all. It was kind of odd, she supposed, what with her Grandfather being Grand Marshall of the GP, that neither her Daddy nor her brothers were in the GP. But they were fiercely independent, real men, and Mihoshi sure understood that. Daddy (actually, he was a Lord, but Mihoshi never used those silly titles) was Counselor to her planet's ruling tribunal, and her brothers also held high positions in the tribunal's bureaucracy. Being of their planet's landed aristocracy, they could have all just lived off their wealth, but her men would never had done that. Two of her brothers were married and her youngest brother, Mezim, was engaged to be married. Her eldest brother, Takei, and his wife were expecting a child shortly. Soon Mihoshi would be an aunt! She loved the idea. Nieces and nephews to love and spoil...it would be wonderful! Of course, she wanted her own babies, eventually, but that would come in time.  
  
Spoiled. Mihoshi remembered how Ryoko had accused her of being spoiled by her Daddy and her brothers. Although Mihoshi had denied the charge, privately she had to admit...maybe it was true. After her Mommy died, Daddy and her brothers had closed ranks around her. They had tried to give her the love and support they imagined she missed from not having Mommy around anymore. They could not replace Mommy, but they sure tried hard! Mihoshi recalled how, because she was kind of slow in school, the older boys teased her and pushed her on the ground a lot. She never told on them, but, somehow, her brothers had found out and the mean boys had let her alone. Trouble was, all the boys left her alone after that, even boys she had liked and had wished would walk her home from school and take her to parties.  
  
The girls her age had also treated her differently, because of her brothers and the fact she had that silly title. She'd had only a few close girlfriends, not many, and the friendships hadn't lasted. Mihoshi believed it had been her fault. She always forced herself to be happy around people, even when she wasn't happy inside, so they'd like her. It was an ingrained habit now. Maybe her childhood friends hadn't liked that about her. Maybe she had not seemed very sincere to them. Mihoshi still didn't know and it hurt to think about it.  
  
At any rate, when she had left planet Kawaiidan with its lovely warm sun and lush greenery (Mihoshi had been a sun-worshipper and had acquired a permanent tan as a result) to attend the Galaxy Police Academy, the only ones to see her off were Daddy and her brothers. It had been so sad, but at least she had had her four men...and still did. Now she had lots of real friends--Kiyone and sweet little Sasami, and even Ryoko and Ayeka and Washuu. She felt very close to Tenchi's Daddy and Tenchi's wonderful wise grandfather and Juraian Prince, Lord Yosho. And there were Tenchi and Tris. They liked her a lot, she knew, and that was kind of wonderful.  
  
Mihoshi smiled at her reflection in the mirror of her dressing table. And it all happened because she and Kiyone had fought and she had angrily and weepily left her partner to go chase that most-wanted space pirate, Ryoko...chase her all the way to a real noplace called Earth.  
  
Gosh! She had to contact the landlady! Mihoshi hurried to her living room (it took about four steps in that tiny place) and stood before her front door security panel. She checked the visitor indicator. No, no one had stopped by. It was silly, but she had kind of hoped Tris would have, although that would have been strictly against Kiyone's orders and foolish besides. But Tris could be a foolish boy sometimes--which made him so endearing to Mihoshi. She sighed and tapped a few touchpads on the panel. The security panel suddenly began serving its other function, as a comm device. The viewscreen now no longer showed the hallway outside Mihoshi's front door. It was filled with the fat, dumpy, gray face of Mrs. Uleana. The Vestran landlady did not appear happy to see Mihoshi.  
  
"Yes, girl, what do you want?" Mrs. Uleana asked.  
  
Mihoshi couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of irritation. She was a Galaxy Police officer and a grown woman--yet Mrs. Uleana treated her like some errant schoolgirl. But she smiled her brightest smile and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am. Kiyone and I just came in--"  
  
"Yes, yes, I know. Building Security told me. Not fired yet, eh? Good. Now, what do you want?"  
  
It was hard to keep smiling. There was no getting around about it. Mrs. Uleana was kind of mean.  
  
"Kiyone and I...we'd like to sublease our apartments, please."  
  
Mrs. Uleana laughed, snortingly. "So that pushy little friend of yours finally sees reality, eh? About time!" It was awful how the Vestrans knew everything that went on in GP Headquarters, Mihoshi reflected. The Vestrans seemed to have no respect for the people they lived off of...only contempt. "Look, why don't you silly girls just give up the apartments, eh? I'll cancel the lease right now. Lots of people with real jobs at the Headquarters need a place to stay and don't want to chance the insecurity of subleasing. How about it?"  
  
Mihoshi hesitated. Mean as she might be, Mrs. Uleana was talking sense now. It was foolish to keep apartments they had no use for. Even if this Klove case got them their rank back, there was no guarantee that they would be re-assigned to Headquarters. There were plenty of Sergeant jobs that would send them all over the galaxy. Although Mihoshi respected Kiyone terribly, she knew that her partner was living a kind of pipe dream, really. Certainly, judging from the way that mean Sergeant Katzaar acted, hardly anyone at Headquarters wanted them back.  
  
Yet...Mihoshi knew how much the hope of returning to Headquarters meant to Kiyone. There was no way Mihoshi would spoil that hope.  
  
"No, ma'am, not right now. Maybe later. But we'd sure like to sublease now."  
  
Mrs. Uleana looked at her with disbelief though the viewscreen. "You let yourself be guided by that big-mouthed partner of yours. Why not just give up your lease and let her go hang? You ought to, girl. With your grandfather, you have some standing around here and you could end up being re-assigned here. I'll find you a place to stay, never fear, if you are. But that partner of yours...I hear a lot and she's headed for the scrap heap. Mark my words, girl. She's poison to herself and anyone around her."  
  
Tears formed in Mihoshi's eyes. The awful gossip! All the Vestrans did was gossip about folks in the GP, it seemed...and now they gossiped about Kiyone. She resolutely blinked her tears away. It was vital--absolutely vital--that they sublease their apartments. Tenchi's father needed the money, awfully. Hotly defending Kiyone, no matter how she ached to do it, would just antagonize Mrs. Uleana and the landlady would just terminate the connection. So, with a supreme effort, Mihoshi only said:  
  
"I'll...I'll mark your words, ma'am. Thank you. But I'm with Kiyone still, so for the time being we'd still like to sublease."  
  
"Very well. Just don't say I didn't warn you. As it happens, two newly arrived officers need a place to stay and can't be picky about the lease terms. You two be out of your apartments by day after tomorrow and I'll move them in. You want your stuff put in storage?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."  
  
"And you're willing to sublease just for the amount of your lease?"  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
Mrs. Uleana snorted. "So foolish! I could squeeze a few more Jurais out of them if you'd be willing to wait."  
  
"I know, ma'am. But we can't wait."  
  
"Broke, are you?"  
  
"Ummmm...things are a little tight, ma'am." Mihoshi thought it best to be upfront with the landlady. Besides, Mrs. Uleana probably knew their financial situation anyway. She had access to credit reports on both her and Kiyone.  
  
"That partner of yours! Poison! And here you are, Lady Mihoshi of Kawaiidan." Mrs. Uleana always found out everything she could about her tenants. She would have been a superb GP officer. "Does your father, Lord Botaki, know about your situation? I won't even ask whether your poor grandfather knows."  
  
There went Mrs. Uleana again, treating her like a baby! "That really is my business, ma'am. Thank you for subleasing our apartments. Will you have our allotments stopped, please?"  
  
"Yes, yes. Well, I tried to help you. You remember that, girl. Out."  
  
Mrs. Uleana's unattractive face vanished from the viewscreen.  
  
Mihoshi took a moment, and allowed the hurtful and angry tears to flow down her cheeks. She sobbed a little...just a little. Poor Kiyone! Her name was mud now. Mihoshi knew her grandfather would favor her breaking off from Kiyone. He had hinted as much after the demotion. But Mihoshi had insisted she be teamed with Kiyone still. But now, if even Mrs. Uleana was spreading dirt about Kiyone, it wouldn't be long until Grandfather would insist that she have a new partner. It would break Mihoshi's heart but it would also salvage her GP career and that was an unassailable fact. It was also a nasty, mean fact. Mihoshi thrust it aside. She and Kiyone would make an arrest in that Klove case--she just knew they would--and that would lead to their vindication. So there! Now it was time for that nice bath.  
  
As the tanned, blue-eyed, blonde-haired GP officer undressed, she perked up enough to hum a little tune. It was the tune to "The Brady Bunch" of all things. Mihoshi smiled as she thought of how the little girl with the pigtails in that show kind of resembled Sasami.  
  
If she had known then what Kiyone had discovered in the Records Depository at GP Headquarters, Mihoshi would not have hummed at all. In fact, she may not have even bothered to get out of bed.  
  
------  
  
"So your father's taking those people to a real quality joint, huh?" Ryoko asked Tenchi. The two of them were sitting on a couch in the living room, watching television after dinner. At least, Tenchi was trying to watch television.  
  
The program on the tube was "Chibi Maruko-chan," an anime that was a ratings smash according to Video Research (Japan's equivalent of the Nielsen ratings) on Fuji TV. Everyone talked about it. Tenchi thought the storyline--about an irritating little girl who bedeviled her poor grandfather and lived a selfishly riotous life with her cronies--was pretty hard going. Ryoko thought it was cute, but Tenchi was cuter.  
  
Tenchi gave up on "Maruki"--he hit the "mute" button on the remote control. "Yeah. It's a really nice restaurant. Dad and Grandfather will be meeting Mr. Horibuchi and Mrs. Takanawa there. I hope they like Dad's idea. He needs both of them to get the new business off the ground."  
  
"Oh, with your Grandfather there, your Dad'll do fine. A few homey platitudes from Lord Yosho and he'll have those Earthlings eating from his hand. You know that."  
  
"I don't know that, Ryoko, and I'm an Earthling too...remember?"  
  
"Oh, but you're special. You're Lord Tenchi, from Jurai." Ryoko snuggled against him. "And you're the sweetest boy around."  
  
"I'm Lord Tenchi by happenstance. I'm not from Jurai. Anyway, Mr. Horibuchi and Mrs. Takanawa are very nice people. If they throw in with Dad, we're lucky."  
  
"Okay, okay. But they will. It's a good deal for them. Hey, let's watch wrestling...what do you say?"  
  
"I say--you have a nerve, Ryoko!"  
  
It wasn't Tenchi speaking, but Ayeka, who had just stepped into the room.  
  
"Great. Here come the sermon," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"I turn my back for five minutes to help Sasami in the kitchen...and you have poor Lord Tenchi watching rubbish on television and now you want him to watch worse rubbish!" Ayeka seemed to be working herself up into a good scold.  
  
"Um...Ayeka, I picked this show," Tenchi told the Princess gently.  
  
"Yeah! So nuts to you!" Ryoko added ungently.  
  
"But...Lord Tenchi, really. Anime! That is what I expect Sasami and Mihoshi to watch." Ayeka realized her flub but decided to hold her ground. Lord Tenchi would have to learn to watch programs that did not demean him.  
  
"Not all anime is "Pokemon," Ayeka. Some of it is for adults," Tenchi said.  
  
"Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka looked shocked.  
  
"Oh, I didn't mean that!"  
  
Ryoko laughed. This was better than wrestling!  
  
"I just meant that the storylines and plots in anime reflect real life sometimes, even if the backgrounds are fantastic." Tenchi knew Ayeka meant well, but she was narrow-minded at times, and she should not try to impose her values on him. It was not the first time she had tried to do just that. He was not a high school kid anymore and he neither required nor wanted Ayeka's monitoring, even if her intentions were good.  
  
"As you say, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka retreated in her usual diffident manner. In doing so, she gave the distinct impression that she was sacrificing the truth to keep the peace. Tenchi had always found that pose irritating. Tonight he found it especially irritating.  
  
"Ayeka, if you agree with me, that's fine. But if you don't, say so. I won't get mad and frankly I'd like it better." Tenchi tried to keep his voice even, but a little of his irritation came through.  
  
"I..." Ayeka seemed at a loss. "I suppose I had better go see if Sasami still needs help in the kitchen."  
  
Just as the Princess turned, Sasami walked into the living room. "I don't need any more help, Ayeka. The dishes are all done now. Thanks, anyway. What are you all watching? Oohhhh, it's anime! Is it good, Tenchi?"  
  
"Some of us think so," Ryoko said, looking at Ayeka. "And some of us don't."  
  
"She didn't ask you, Ryoko," Tenchi told her.  
  
"Yes, sweetums."  
  
"In fact, it's very highly rated." Tenchi pushed the "mute" button. The television responded with sound. "Why don't you watch it with us? You deserve a break, Sasami."  
  
"Can I? Great!" Sasami walked over and sat on the couch with Tenchi and Ryoko. Ayeka looked at them with a helpless expression. She turned her back to them, so they couldn't see her face. It was a typical move on her part.  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi said. "Will you stay here and watch TV with Sasami?"  
  
"Yeah, sure, sweetums. You know I like the Junior Princess."  
  
"Thanks, Ryoko," Sasami said happily.  
  
An aggravated noise issued from Ayeka, but no spoken words. Her back was still turned to them.  
  
"Okay, I'll hold you to it." Tenchi stood up. "Ayeka. Let's go outside for a moment. Okay?"  
  
Ayeka quivered, almost imperceptibly. But she answered, "Yes, Lord Tenchi."  
  
Tenchi walked to the front door and opened it. He waited for the Princess. Ayeka silently walked to the genkan, removed her house slippers, slipped into her sandals, and stepped into the gloom of evening. Tenchi followed suit after donning his street shoes, sliding the door closed behind them.  
  
"What's up? Where are they going?" Sasami asked worriedly.  
  
"Awww...Tenchi's going to tell your big sister a thing or two. She was being a pain. Again."  
  
"Oh," Sasami said. "I understand."  
  
"I know you do. That's why I like you, kiddo."  
  
"I'm glad you do, Ryoko. If I tell you something...you won't get mad at me, will you?"  
  
Now Ryoko punched the "mute" button. "Naw, I can take it--from you, anyway. Fire away."  
  
"Ryoko, I think Ayeka is still awfully embarrassed and humiliated over all that business with Professor Klove. He made her look real vulnerable, you know? I think she thinks Tenchi sees her as maybe being...well, unstable. Meanwhile, you've been just fine, Ryoko. I think Ayeka feels she's on the verge of losing Tenchi forever and, well...you shouldn't be so hard on her."  
  
"Hard on her? She gives as good as she gets!"  
  
"Does she, Ryoko? Lately?"  
  
"Well..." Ryoko mulled over Sasami's words. It wasn't in her best interest to ease up on the Princess. But Ayeka had been made to look pretty marginal lately and it wasn't her fault. Maybe she should cut the Princess some slack, just a little, until this Klove business was finished. Then the gloves could come off again. That was only fighting fair...and Tenchi would appreciate it, Ryoko knew.  
  
"No, she's been pretty swamped, I guess. Okay, Sasami. I'll keep what you said in mind."  
  
"I'm glad." Sasami sounded relieved.  
  
"Hey...this little Maruki chick is something else! Look at her tear into those dumb guys. Reminds me of me when I was growing up." Ryoko punched the "mute" button again and they both could hear the show now as well as view it.  
  
Sasami watched the TV screen. "Uh-huh. But she should treat her grandfather nicer. Poor man."  
  
"Awww, Junior Princess. You think everybody should treat everybody nice."  
  
"Yes, I do," Sasami said seriously.  
  
------  
  
Many light years away, Tris didn't have the option of watching what passed for television in the Galactic Union. But the reading material he had brought proved to be a more than acceptable alternative.  
  
He had finished "Horror-Wood," and was trying to plow thorough "Popular-ongaku Kenkyu" magazine, an annual journal that covered Japanese pop music, a topic that interested him. His reading skills in Japanese were still not very advanced and he found himself re-reading segments repeatedly to ensure he had grasped their meaning. It didn't help that the prose was the usual academic Japanese--example: "The unique beauties of poetry and music respectively make for a successful marriage, and create a new aesthetic value, and an original poetic beauty for the song"--the song was one composed by Prevert, for goodness sake!  
  
Suddenly Tris again heard the tones that informed him that the front door panel was being pressed outside. He rose from the couch and walked over to the front door security panel. He peered into the viewscreen. Kiyone stood there in the hallway. What? She was back already?  
  
He grinned. He pressed a touchpad that Kiyone had foolishly shown him earlier.  
  
The tone sounded again...and again.  
  
In the hallway, Kiyone was getting damned impatient. She didn't want to just walk in on Tris, but she would if he didn't open the damned door.  
  
Tris didn't open the damned door. Kiyone growled to herself. She pressed her hand fully on the panel...that would open the door.  
  
But it didn't.  
  
Then Kiyone understood. She had showed Tris the lockout tab that would prevent anyone, except the landlady, from opening the door. It was a little-used security enhancement--and Tris had used it.  
  
"Tris!" Kiyone said. "Open the door." Her voice carried clearly into her apartment via the security panel, thanks to the outside audio inputs.  
  
"Forget it, Detective Split Ends," Tris said into the panel, which broadcast his voice into the hallway. "You're too mean."  
  
"Arrrrgghhh--"  
  
"See?"  
  
"Tris!"  
  
"Okay...but say the password first."  
  
"What password? Listen, you--"  
  
"Hey, my girlfriend told me how important security is. She thinks everybody is out to get her. So you may be a Kiyone look-alike, a spy trying to see if Kiyone makes her bed or something. So you have to say the password."  
  
"I'm in no mood for this!"  
  
"Nope. That's not the password."  
  
"Okay. I'm gonna count to ten...and if you don't open that door, I'll knock you silly--even sillier than you are--"  
  
"Gee, you sure sound like Kiyone, I'll admit that. Hey, I know! Smile."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Smile for me, strange lady. My Kiyone has the prettiest and nicest smile in the galaxy. That's because she's wonderful, even though she does get mad awful easy."  
  
Standing outside the door, Kiyone fumed for a second or two. Then she gave up. Besides, Tris did say something really sweet. It did kind of perk her up and she needed perking up in the worst way. She smiled.  
  
"Ahhh, that's my Kiyone all right. No faking that smile."  
  
The door slid open.  
  
Still smiling, Kiyone walked in. Tris stood there. She jabbed him in the chest.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"When I say open the door--open it!"  
  
"Uh-huh...you just gave me plenty of incentive to do that," Tris told her. "Sure I'll open the door next time."  
  
Kiyone turned and punched the security panel touchpad to close the door. As the door slid shut, her eyes fell on the indicator. "Hey, we had a visitor. Who was it?"  
  
"Not sure." Rubbing his chest tenderly, Tris briefly sketched out a description of the visitor. "She sort of looked like that Mitsuki, from what you've told me about her."  
  
"Mitsuki!" Kiyone stopped smiling. "Sure it was her--that bitch! Checking up on me!"  
  
"You think so? She could send someone else to do that. Why be so obvious about it?"  
  
"Well..." Kiyone had to admit that Mitsuki would hardly check up on her personally. That was a job for a flunky. "Then why did she come by--and it was her, no doubt. There's no one else on the GP staff who looks like her."  
  
"No other ravishing redheads, huh?"  
  
"Ravishing?" Kiyone eyed him narrowly. "You found her attractive?"  
  
"She's a doll."  
  
"Hah! Then go date her!"  
  
"Can't. My jealous girlfriend holds me prisoner in her apartment."  
  
"You--!" Kiyone began to swing at him, but Tris dodged. Then she laughed. "You big dummy!"  
  
"No, that's when I'm outside this apartment. Remember?"  
  
Kiyone grinned. Her anger and irritation had vanished. "Okay, Tris, you got me good and maybe I kind of deserved it. But, seriously--why do you think Mitsuki came by?"  
  
"You're asking me?"  
  
"Of course I'm asking you, clown! There's no one else here." Kiyone was becoming nettled again.  
  
"Well, gosh, pretty lady, since you value my opinion all that much..."  
  
"Just answer the question!"  
  
"Okay. But you're going to think I'm crazy."  
  
"I already think you're crazy. Spill it."  
  
"Maybe she wanted to...just talk," Tris ventured hesitantly.  
  
"Talk? To me? You're dreaming."  
  
"Huh-uh. If I was dreaming, we wouldn't be standing here talking, boy." Tris waggled his eyebrows at her.  
  
"Get your mind back on the subject! Talk about what?"  
  
"Talk about what she did to you and Mihoshi...and maybe how to make things right without deep-sixing her own career." Tris looked at Kiyone meaningfully.  
  
"That's a laugh! Tris, you're like Mihoshi sometimes. You think people are willing to do the right thing. I'm a cop and I know they aren't. You have to force them." Kiyone's expression was dour. "And Mitsuki would need a blaster put to her head to tell the truth. She has too much to lose now."  
  
"Well, maybe a blaster at her head beats what's going on inside her now. Do the words "guilt" and "remorse" mean anything to you, Officer?"  
  
"Yes they do, Tris. But I don't think they mean much to Mitsuki."  
  
"All the same, perhaps you two should try to talk."  
  
"Forget it," Kiyone said firmly. "Somehow, the truth will come out and that bitch will get hung up to dry. That's what I'm looking forward to." Kiyone saw Tris's expression and relented. "Well...I'm not looking forward to that, exactly. Just vindication, and my rank back."  
  
"This Klove case ought to accomplish that, right?"  
  
"No, it won't." Kiyone's voice and expression were grim. "That hope is dashed, Tris. That's why I'm home so soon. Just one record check and a few comm calls and the whole thing fell apart."  
  
"Really? What happened, Blue Eyes?"  
  
Tris's voice was soft and sympathetic and he had used his pet name for her. Kiyone felt she was unraveling from being bound up too tightly. She slipped her arms around Tris and held him close. Tris slipped his arms around her. She pressed her face against his shoulder  
  
"Hoo-boy...!" Kiyone's voice was muffled from his shoulder. "What a rotten day! First, I get the cold shoulder from nearly everyone at Headquarters. Then I read the record on the Klove case. I couldn't believe it, Tris. The investigation is hopeless at this end and probably hopeless, period. We may not be able to help Ayeka at all."  
  
"What did the record say?" Tris asked quietly.  
  
"Is it okay if I wait until Mihoshi comes with the food? I don't want to have to say it twice. Once will be bad enough!"  
  
"It's okay. I'm sorry you had such a tough time."  
  
Kiyone raised her head from his shoulder. "You're a darling. You haven't kissed me yet, you know."  
  
"You're right." Tris remedied that. Kiyone clung to him and kissed him back, long and deep.  
  
"Tris," she murmured when they came up for air. "Let me slip out of this uniform and into something a little less starchy. I'll be back in two shakes, okay?"  
  
"Okay. Need any help?"  
  
Kiyone laughed. "No, you clown!"  
  
Still smiling--the goofball had made her feel a little better, already--Kiyone walked to her bedroom...and firmly closed the door behind her.  
  
------  
  
It was the most lovely of spring evenings outside the Masaki home. The sun had set, so that eventide's deep purple fell, not only over sleepy garden walls, but all over the landscape as well. The air was warm and pleasant and perfumed with emerging flowers. It was rather as if a gentle and thoughtful Keeper had covered the birdcage called Earth with a dark veil, allowing all the fluttering and chirping--- and bird-brained--beings in the cage a chance for a night's sweet repose. Except that the insects weren't cooperating. Led by the cicadas, they had set up their usual evening's combination aerial display, light show, and concert.  
  
Standing sturdily at their posts beside the gate and observing the Princess standing outside the house with Lord Tenchi, Azaka II and Kamidake II both blinked with interest, but otherwise continued their sotto-voce discussion as to why cicadas buzzed so darned much.  
  
Tenchi and Ayeka had walked just beyond the house and then had stopped, with the Princess in the lead. Tenchi now looked at Ayeka's back. He noticed the rather large bow she tied off the sash of her robed gown with. It was formal and pretty...like Ayeka. He decided to start the conversation.  
  
"Ayeka. I want to apologize."  
  
"Apologize?" Ayeka was surprised. She was prepared for a dressing- down for being a scold, not for being apologized to...not by Lord Tenchi. She turned to face him. "Whatever for, Lord Tenchi?"  
  
"I was too abrupt with you in there, Ayeka. I did mean what I said. But I could have said it...well, nicer I guess. I know you were brought up a certain way and that you have been raised to avoid quarreling and making scenes."  
  
"Yes. It is the way I am...and I cannot change."  
  
Tenchi stepped closer to her. "You can change a little, Ayeka. You have, you know, since you first came here."  
  
"Have I, Lord Tenchi?"  
  
"I think you have. You don't fight quite so often with Ryoko and when you do, it's low-key--if not low-volume!"  
  
"I am quite ashamed of my past behavior with that woman, Lord Tenchi. It was unseemly. I have made that clear, I hope." Ayeka did not like being reminded of her firefights with the space pirate. It was humiliating now to think of how she must have seemed to Lord Tenchi and Lord Yosho and all the rest--using her scared Juraian powers to try to restrain that Ryoko. Even little Sasami, no matter how provoked, would never had done such things. It was Ayeka's love for Lord Tenchi that had caused her to go a bit...wild...back then. But that was no excuse.  
  
"Ayeka, I'm not dredging up the past. I'm just saying you've changed and you can keep changing, a little. You've really taken us under your wing. You're the mistress of our home, without a doubt. You and Sasami clean, cook our meals, and look after us. Those aren't the things a stuck-up, snooty Princess would do, despite what Ryoko says sometimes. We all know that. I know that."  
  
"Oh, Lord Tenchi. Do you feel that way...truly?" Ayeka stared up at Tenchi, her expression hopeful but uncertain.  
  
"Yes, I do. And if you can change the way you have, you can learn to assert yourself with me. Really, I don't mean let's argue, but if you don't agree with me, let's discuss it. Don't carry the conversation up to a certain point, and then just retreat into politeness. I might be wrong about what we're talking about, you know. If so, you need to set me straight."  
  
"I think I understand. I suppose it is better to settle something rather than to leave it unsettled."  
  
"Sure it is. Like tonight. If you had sat down and watched that program with us and afterwards you still thought it was unsuitable viewing for grownups, then you could have said so, and at least you would have watched it first. Do you see?"  
  
Ayeka smiled ruefully. "Yes, indeed, I do see, Lord Tenchi. I wonder why that did not occur to me."  
  
Tenchi touched Ayeka's arm gently. "Don't dwell on that. Just let it occur to you the next time."  
  
Ayeka colored at Tenchi's touch. "Is that...all you wished to discuss with me?"  
  
"Sure. What else?"  
  
"Ohhhh--I am so glad!" Ayeka burst out. She turned her head.  
  
"Ayeka..." Tenchi gently touched her face and turned it toward him. Ayeka was crying. "Whoa, now! You didn't think I was...Ayeka!"  
  
"Well, I have been so...infirm, lately...and not very nice to be around. I thought you might ask me to..."  
  
"Not a chance." Tenchi was firm. "You don't get away that easy!"  
  
Ayeka smiled tentatively through her tears. She had no intention of getting away...not now.  
  
"I'll make my choice as I've promised you two and then we'll see," Tenchi told her firmly. "You'll always be part of our family, Ayeka. You remember that, okay?"  
  
"Yes...I mean, okay, Lord Tenchi."  
  
"And if you think this problem with that Professor Klove has lowered you in my eyes, you're just plain wrong. You were a helpless little girl back then and he victimized you. But nothing he or anyone else can do can defeat you, Ayeka. You've proven that. You've helped Dad bounce back and gave us all hope for the future. You did that, Ayeka, even after you were attacked. No matter how things end up...you'll always be First Princess to me."  
  
In response, Ayeka's ruby eyes shimmered and more tears flowed. But they were tears of joy. Tenchi took out his handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears. Ayeka sighed, suddenly happy and contented.  
  
"I guess we'd better go back inside," Tenchi said, taking Ayeka by the hand. "No doubt Ryoko's switched the channel to wrestling by now."  
  
"If she has done that, with Sasami there--!" Ayeka began angrily. Then she looked at Tenchi. She laughed, and he joined her. "Well, we can find something more suitable to watch, can we not?"  
  
"Sure," said Tenchi. "Maybe that violent cop show where they crash half a dozen cars every episode."  
  
"Ohhhh! Lord Tenchi, what shall I do with you?" It was purely a rhetorical question, of course. Ayeka knew exactly what she would do with Lord Tenchi. She would love him to the day she died.  
  
Azaka II and Kamidake II watched the Princess and Lord Tenchi walk, hand-in-hand, back to the house.  
  
"I wish Lord Tenchi would hurry up and marry the Princess," Azaka II commented. "I would not mind staying on this planet...even despite all these cicadas."  
  
"It is incomprehensible why humans do not attend to such matters with more dispatch," Kamidake II replied. "But they do seem to take some enjoyment in the process itself. It is no matter, though. The Princess is safe and she is happy."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
------  
  
Tris had just sat down on the couch after packing his magazines back into his overnight bag when the door of Kiyone's bedroom opened, and Kiyone stepped out. Tris dropped the overnight bag. He stood up and stared at her.  
  
It was quite a change from Kiyone's stiff and formal uniform look. She was wearing a soft lavender short-sleeved v-neck sweater, tight pants of some glossy navy-blue material, and she was barefoot. To the proper and formal-minded Kiyone, the height of kicking back and relaxing was being able to take off shoes or boots and go barefoot. It was an indication of her deep regard for Tris that she did so in his presence.  
  
"I just put on my lay-around clothes," Kiyone told him, although she certainly appreciated the way he looked at her. She had also quickly brushed her long, glossy teal hair so that it hung softly down her shoulders and she had added a smidgen of lip gloss to her lips. That was all, but that was enough.  
  
"I like the way you lay around, then," Tris said.  
  
"Clown! Let's sit down on the couch."  
  
Tris sat down with dispatch. Kiyone sat down next to him, so that not even an air molecule separated them. She slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, so that she was resting her head against the bolster on the couch's padded arm. It was a most comfortable and convenient position for some serious necking, which was what Kiyone intended.  
  
She kissed Tris's silly, cute nose and then kissed his cheeks softly. She whispered, "I don't know about you...but I think we ought to get caught up on all the kissing we were cheated out of by all those interruptions back on Earth. What do you think?"  
  
"I think," Tris murmured, "that's one darned fine idea."  
  
"Good boy..."  
  
They kissed, slowly, exploringly...then they began to melt against each other...their lips meshed together, again and again. Kiyone held Tris closer. Their kiss deepened. It took a long time to conclude that kiss, and when they did, they plunged right in again. Tris and Kiyone kissed slowly and dreamily. They really were making up for lost time.  
  
Kissing Kiyone was absolutely intoxicating to Tris. He couldn't recall ever having a woman so warm and soft, so sweet and giving, press against him and merge with him, somehow. It wasn't just desire, he knew, although there was certainly plenty of that smoldering around.  
  
Suddenly, Tris felt Kiyone's mouth press more insistently against his...he felt her lips part against his...then...he felt her tongue, very timidly, slip into his mouth. His tongue met hers. Now his head was really spinning. They both moaned a little. Their tongues intermingled softly, in their fused mouths.  
  
Tris was woozy when they broke off what had become a pretty torrid French kiss.  
  
"Oh, Tris...I hope you don't think that I'm...kind of wanton," Kiyone whispered.  
  
"I don't. I didn't know the people from your world--you know-- French-kissed."  
  
"Well, we don't call it that. But we do kiss that way...if we feel very deeply about whom we're kissing."  
  
"Feeling deeply is right," Tris said. "Wow!"  
  
"I've wanted to kiss you like that for a while now," Kiyone told him. "I just didn't have the nerve...until now."  
  
Tris softly stroked Kiyone's silken teal hair. "Why now...not that I'm complaining."  
  
"Everything just seemed to crash and burn today. You're one thing that's good in my life, Tris. I just wanted to show you how I feel."  
  
"You have lots of good things in your life, Kiyone."  
  
"You think so? I don't."  
  
"I know so. Even if this Klove thing is a washout, there'll be other cases. Your chance will come again. Just don't go postal or anything, and it'll be all right. Really."  
  
"Maybe you're right. I feel awfully good now, I'll admit." Kiyone began to kiss Tris's face again, lingering on his nose. "I can't stop kissing you. I don't want to stop kissing you. Let's just stay like this and Mihoshi can have our dinner."  
  
"Hey...aren't you hungry?"  
  
"Yes, I am." Kiyone's lips now found his ear. She whispered, "But it's not food I'm hungry for, darling. You know what I mean...don't you?"  
  
Tris had a hell of a good idea what Kiyone meant. "Kiyone! Yow! Don't tease a guy like that--!"  
  
"I'm not teasing," Kiyone whispered in his ear. "Now, I'll call Mihoshi and tell her to stay at her place and then we'll--"  
  
It was not to be. The familiar tones sounded, indicating a visitor at the door.  
  
"Damn it!" Kiyone cried. "Oh, damn it, Mihoshi. You would come now!"  
  
"It may not be Mihoshi," Tris reminded her.  
  
"Yipes!" Kiyone sprang from the couch and sprinted to the foyer. She stared at the security panel's viewscreen. "Phew! Yes, it's our ding-dong. Thank goodness! She's carrying a bag...probably with our food. Hey, she's also carrying her travel bag. What the hell?"  
  
"You better let her in and then find out what the hell," Tris said. He groaned to himself. Boy...to get all hot and bothered, and then--!  
  
"You don't mind?" Kiyone looked at him solicitously.  
  
"Sure I do. But we can wait. Mihoshi's stomach can't."  
  
The door's tones sounded again.  
  
"You're right." Kiyone gave him an ardent and apologetic look. "I guess we're having dinner after all."  
  
------  
  
When Nobuyuki and Lord Yosho returned home from their own dinner with Seji and Reiko, both were all smiles.  
  
"Success, right?" Tenchi guessed, grinning.  
  
"That's right, son. Success!"  
  
"It was a most productive dinner...and tasty as well," Lord Yosho added.  
  
"All right!" Ryoko said. "Now you're in business."  
  
"Just about. A few details still to work out," Nobuyuki said. He and his father-in-law moved deeper into the living room, away from the genkan. Nobuyuki wore a business suit, as expected...and Lord Yosho had exchanged his Shinto priest robes on this one occasion for a suit as well. Lord Yosho had worn the suit to ensure his son-in- law's prospective business partners would be entirely at their ease around him. He looked quite distinguished in a Cambridge gray suit and red silk foulard tie. Ayeka, in particular, seemed to find him rather fascinating, dressed in that fashion.  
  
"But they agreed--didn't they, sir?" Sasami asked.  
  
"Yes, Sasami. They agreed. It's all set," Nobuyuki assured the little Princess.  
  
"And they know they have financing?" Ayeka queried.  
  
"They do. They don't know where from, but they're happy to have a business loan already approved." Nobuyuki smiled at Ayeka.  
  
Yosho chuckled. "That's well said, son-in-law."  
  
"Thanks, father-in-law. Where's Washuu?"  
  
"In her lab. Go get her, Ryoko," Tenchi said.  
  
"Okay." Ryoko began to turn around--and almost bumped into the great scientist herself.  
  
"No one has to get me...I'm here," Washuu said unnecessarily. "I heard you all come in." She walked to Nobuyuki. "You pulled it off, didn't you, Nobie?"  
  
"Father-in-law and I did, Washuu."  
  
"Oh, I just ate and listened," Yosho insisted. "My son-in-law got their enthusiasm high, built up their egos, and sold them on the venture. Quite a performance."  
  
"It doesn't surprise me a bit...Nobie." Washuu smiled up at Nobuyuki. "I told you that you had the right stuff in you."  
  
Tenchi noted that his father and Washuu were gazing into each other's eyes. Uh-oh. He'd have to have a long talk with his Dad about that sometime real soon...  
  
"So the Mach Five didn't poop out on you, huh?" he asked his father and grandfather, referring to the family's ancient Subaru wagon.  
  
Nobuyuki chuckled. "I doubt if Tristram would have approved of the car's performance tonight. But the old girl got us to the train station and back." Neither he nor Yosho had wanted to take the bus to the train this time around.  
  
"That is a faithful old car," Yosho commented. "It's rather like Tristram's car, in that respect."  
  
Nobuyuki grinned. "Imagine, father-in-law--if we had shown up at the restaurant in Tristram's wonderful old car! Would we have impressed them, or what?"  
  
Lord Yosho smiled. "At the very least, we would have surprised them."  
  
"Say!" Sasami interjected. "I know we've all eaten. But doesn't a cup of tea sound good?"  
  
"It sure does, Sasami," Nobuyuki said. "Then we can sit at the dining table and father-in-law and I can tell you all about it."  
  
"That's a deal, Dad," Tenchi said.  
  
All of them--Lord Yosho, Nobuyuki, Tenchi, Washuu, Ayeka, Ryoko, and Sasami--walked to the dining room, talking and laughing, as if they had all achieved a triumph that evening. And, in a way, they had.  
  
------  
  
Dinner at Kiyone's apartment on the planet Vestra found its three participants feeling less than triumphant, however...especially after Kiyone told Mihoshi and Tris what the Galaxy Police's "close-hold" records about the Klove affair had revealed.  
  
"Gosh...no suspect...no case...gosh, Kiyone." Sitting at Kiyone's tiny dining table, Mihoshi was blinking back tears. Not for herself, but for her partner. She remembered what mean old Mrs. Uleana had said. They needed a good case like that to crack and soon or Mihoshi might be reassigned to another partner. And Kiyone might then be pressured to resign.  
  
So upset was Mihoshi that most of her food remained on her plate. It was a shame. She had shopped at the corner store so carefully for yummy things she felt certain Tris and Kiyone would like. Now no one really had any appetite.  
  
"Please don't cry, Mihoshi," Kiyone said sadly. "Or I might start crying, too."  
  
Tris looked down at the translucent dinner dish that contained several yellow globs that actually smelled appetizing. He poked at them with some chopsticks that Mihoshi had brought from her private collection at her apartment. He was certainly upset with what he had heard...and puzzled too. He knew he had to do something to try to dispel all the doom and gloom that seemed to shroud Kiyone and Mihoshi. He had an idea how to do it. But it was risky. It could backfire on him, big time.  
  
"Hmmmm," he said. "Kiyone, please let me try to summarize all this so I can get it straight. It might help. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, Tris." He felt one of her bare feet gently press on his foot beneath the table. Kiyone appreciated his trying to help although it was unlikely he could.  
  
"Let's see. First of all, this King Asuza of Jurai got upset over little Ayeka's bad dreams. He was smart enough to connect it to this Professor Klove's Lyceum. So, he raised hell and the GP raided the Lyceum. And they found?"  
  
"Nothing!" Kiyone said. "Just a nice building with nice furnishings. There were classrooms and auditoriums. The place was set up for audio broadcasts and the lighting was very intricate and designed for single-user operation. That proved to be significant later on."  
  
"Uh-huh. So, they raided his house. And again found?"  
  
"Nothing--damn it!" Kiyone said sourly. "Some research of the kind that Washuu found in that old Royal Science Academy database was laying around...the association of brain wave patterns to the quality of dreams, that stuff...but nothing else. There were a lot of record disks, but they had all been wiped clean. No amount of recovery software used by the GP could reclaim the data."  
  
"Kind of suggestive, but really nothing, I guess. So, they rounded up the Lyceum staff. And, once more with feeling, the GP found?"  
  
"Nothing again! The staff were just local folks, either maintenance drones or accredited teachers...not a scientist in the bunch. They knew nothing of any experiments by Professor Klove. They just knew that Klove sometimes took over the classes and sent the teachers off to have a break."  
  
"Now, are we sure they were telling the truth?" Tris probed.  
  
Kiyone looked at him grimly. "Tris, I told you. Those were local folks from Jurai. As soon as the GP released them, the King's Royal Yeomen, those secret police types, went to work on them. Believe me, they didn't use very nice methods of interrogation on those poor people. There was nothing like your Bill of Rights on Jurai back then or even the Galactic Union Charter. Even so, the Yeoman couldn't find anything. The people Klove hired were just stooges. Besides, they're all dead now, so they can't be part of any revenge scheme."  
  
"All dead?"  
  
"All dead."  
  
"Damned convenient!" Tris said meaningfully.  
  
"Maybe so...but it's not evidence."  
  
"Yeah. Okay, so the GP finally got a clue and had some qualified mentalists--what I would call psychiatrists--examine all the kids, including little Ayeka. That's where the truth came out."  
  
"Right--and don't pick on the GP, you--they did their best!" Kiyone snapped at him. It was bad enough reciting the hopeless case without Tris disparaging her service. "Anyway, the kids resisted interrogation, which was pretty strange. So the mentalists really went to town and found the children were resisting due to what you called a post-hypnotic suggestion. The mentalists couldn't break it, but they gathered enough information from the staff's description of  
  
school activities--including the mandatory nap time--to piece together a theory about what had happened."  
  
"Which was: The children were hypnotized, given various suggestions, went home and had bad dreams, and Klove recorded their brain wave patterns somehow with some device, which your GP never found." Tris again seemed to be coming down on the Galaxy Police. Kiyone bristled.  
  
"How come they never found that device, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked, sounding puzzled. "Professor Klove didn't know he was going to be raided, did he?"  
  
"No, of course not, Mihoshi. You know how we operate."  
  
"Like storm troopers, it sounds like," Tris commented dryly. "Thank God for the Founding Fathers and the Constitution. I haven't felt this patriotic in ages."  
  
"We have the Galactic Union Charter now! We have rights!" Kiyone told him crossly.  
  
"Too bad those poor school staff people in Jurai didn't have it back then. Maybe they died under interrogation--you ever think of that?" Tris was not holding back his contempt now.  
  
"They did not. It was probably rough for them, I'll grant you. But they died years later, and in their beds. I checked thoroughly." Kiyone was clearly getting steamed at Tris.  
  
"In their beds, huh? Maybe that's significant."  
  
"Maybe...but again, it's not evidence, Tris. Will you please stick to the subject?"  
  
"I thought I was. And Mihoshi asked a hell of a good question just now." Tris pointed out.  
  
"I did?" Mihoshi smiled.  
  
"You sure did, Mihoshi. Just how come your GP couldn't find the alleged brain wave recording device?"  
  
"It wasn't alleged!" Kiyone tossed her head angrily. "Its presence fits in with the research that Klove was doing. He had to have such a device to do what he did to those children. I don't know why it never turned up. It just never did."  
  
"But it should have," Tris insisted.  
  
"Well, it didn't," Kiyone replied. "That's that."  
  
"But that's not that, Kiyone," Mihoshi said. "It might mean something."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I don't know. But something." Mihoshi poked at her food. She still wasn't hungry. She wasn't aware of it, of course, but she had just repeated the frustrated words uttered by a king long ago.  
  
"Well, when you find out you tell me." Kiyone glared at her partner. "Don't bug me about this hopeless case, Mihoshi."  
  
Tris fortunately moved on. "So, okay, no device. They arrested this Klove and investigated his background. It turned out he was a real loner. He had no living relatives. His mother and father were killed in a fire that consumed them and their home but not Klove himself, somehow, back when Klove was a teenager. Right?"  
  
"Right." Kiyone had taken a deep breath and repressed her irritation.  
  
"And that's all the information you have on that orphan-making fire, huh?"  
  
"That's all."  
  
"Real convenient again. This case is chock full of convenient deaths, ain't it?"  
  
"So? It is. If there was more to those deaths it would have been in the files I checked," Kiyone insisted.  
  
"Uh-huh. So Klove somehow got over the trauma of losing his parents." Tris smiled ironically. "Maybe he joined a support group! Anyway, he went to your higher educational institutions, proved himself a genius in psychiatric research, wrote some papers on dreams and brain waves, was accepted by your Royal Science Academy, got a whopping big reputation--and opened the Lyceum on Jurai. We know nearly all of his research papers have all but vanished into thin air. Washuu already established that. No leads there, then."  
  
"No. No leads there." Kiyone was feeling she may have been too snappish with Tris...and Mihoshi. They were just as crestfallen at the information about Klove as she was. She resolved to be hold her temper.  
  
"And Klove himself didn't talk," Tris went on.  
  
"Not a damned word, that bastard," Kiyone said grumpily. "At least, not under interrogation, except to deny all the charges. His counselor--what you call a lawyer, Tris--advised him to keep mum and I think Klove was inclined to do that anyway. As you said, the evidence against him was suggestive, but not conclusive."  
  
"So he should have gotten off Scott-free," Tris pointed out. "No one could prove the kids were hypnotized and without the device, the theory that Klove was experimenting with the kids was just that, a theory. Right?"  
  
"Well..." Kiyone frowned. "Yeah, that's right."  
  
"But the almighty King of Jurai was involved, was making threatening noises, and no jury in your Galactic Union back then was willing to tick off the King. So Klove was convicted...correct?" Tris's tone was more challenging than interrogatory.  
  
"Correct," Kiyone gritted. Her resolve to ease up had vanished. "You don't have much respect for our legal process, do you?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Tris!" Mihoshi cried.  
  
"Sorry, Mihoshi. But I call 'em as I see 'em." Tris was now using a favorite phrase of Ryoko's. That didn't sweeten Kiyone's already aroused temper.  
  
"What's so great about your legal system, buster? Killers getting off with a slap on the wrist--burglars pulling the same sentence as armed robbers! God, and that O. J. Simpson case! That's your legal system at work. Remember, I told you I watched your Court TV."  
  
"Our system isn't perfect," Tris said. "But we don't have a King browbeating a jury in their deliberations, at least. We don't have a royal family that's so powerful, everyone kowtows to them...even the cops. Klove deserved prison, but not to be railroaded into it. No one deserves that."  
  
"That's true, Kiyone," Mihoshi said sadly.  
  
"I know it's true...but it's over and done with. We have the system we have. Damn it, Tris!" Kiyone blazed. "The Juraian royals--the exalted beings like King Asuza and Ayeka--are immensely powerful! They also have the Jurian military as well. We're just damned lucky that they not only uphold the Union Charter, but they helped write it, as well--"  
  
"Sure they follow the rules," Tris interrupted her brusquely. "Except when they don't want to go along with your Charter...then they just do as they please and you cops have to clean up afterwards, right?"  
  
Kiyone looked at him murderously. "It's not like that any more!"  
  
"But it was--that's obvious--and that's really what screwed up that Klove case. The King of Jurai made you cops move in when you should have investigated first and gotten the goods on Klove. Isn't that right?"  
  
"Yes--damn you!"  
  
Mihoshi began to quaver. "Kiyone--Tris--please don't--"  
  
"Mihoshi--shut up! And, Tris--!" Kiyone's furious expression spoke louder than any words could have. She rose. "Mihoshi, take this jerk back to your place. I don't want to see or hear him until--" She fumbled at her wrist to remove the gold ID bracelet.  
  
"No, Kiyone!" Tears streamed down Mihoshi's cheeks.  
  
"Damn it, Mihoshi, you do what I say--for once!"  
  
"Okay." Tris stood up. He folded his arms across his chest. "Now you're good and mad. Fine! You're not just sitting back and taking it anymore. Now what? You can sock me, say something else mean to Mihoshi--or take on this damned case and solve it. So...what's your pleasure, Blue Eyes?"  
  
And Tris smiled at her.  
  
Ohhhh-! Kiyone was boiling inside. She wanted to kick Tris, wanted to tell Mihoshi to knock off that bawling--  
  
--but most of all...she wanted to solve this bloody damned case. God help her...she did. Even if it seemed unsolvable. Kiyone realized now that Tris had deliberately inflamed her to get her to shake off her moroseness and get fighting mad--so she could and would fight. Damn him, anyway!  
  
Then Kiyone felt her rage evaporate. A new feeling of determination replaced it. So what if the case did seem impossible. Then by God she'd do the impossible! She was back--back to thinking like a police officer and not some hapless victim. Ayeka and the others back on Earth were counting on her. So were Mihoshi--and Tris. She hesitated a moment. Then her fingers re-affixed the ID bracelet to her wrist.  
  
"Think you're pretty smart...don't you?" Kiyone's voice had moderated greatly. Slowly, she resumed her seat.  
  
"Nope. I think you're pretty smart...and pretty." Tris sat back down, too. "There's a solution and you'll find it--you and Mihoshi-- if you stick to your guns." Tris unfolded his arms. "I'm sure of it, Kiyone. There's just too much unanswered about this case, and you know it. You may need Washuu and Lord Yosho and Tenchi and everyone else to assist, but that's okay. It's still your case and you'll solve it. Right?"  
  
"Right...you big clown." Kiyone stared at him wonderingly. "You know, I was about to either knock you into next Tuesday or never speak to you again, Tris. You took a big chance your little tactics would work."  
  
"I know. But better you get mad at me than just feel defeated and hopeless about this case. You have a lot of good reasons to, I'll admit, but there has to be an answer to whatever attacked Ayeka and a way to stop it. You agree?"  
  
"I agree. We're going to find that answer, whatever it is." Kiyone gave Tris a deceptively sweet look. "And we're going to have a nice long talk about your little tactics, buster...oh, yes, indeed we are."  
  
Tris winced in anticipation of that talk.  
  
Mihoshi beamed through her tears. Gosh...now everything was hopeful. And Kiyone was smiling again. Mihoshi wanted to hug Tris for what he had done.  
  
"So let's go through the rest of it, shall we?" Tris said.  
  
"Let's," Kiyone agreed. Beneath the table, her foot pressed against his again, briefly but significantly.  
  
"So anyway, the court convicted Professor Klove," Tris continued. "Suddenly he got real vocal."  
  
"He sure did," Kiyone confirmed. "At his sentencing, he started making speeches about the need to sacrifice for the good of science and about the power we all have inside us...just the most awful kind of gobbledygook." Kiyone grimaced. "You can imagine how that went over with the sentencing magistrate--like a lead balloon. He got life imprisonment."  
  
"Only, sentence wasn't exactly carried out...was it?"  
  
"No it wasn't," Kiyone said ruefully. "And that's why we're stymied. Professor Klove suddenly collapsed in his cell. He was rushed to an aid station. He was alive but completely comatose. He couldn't hear anything said to him and didn't respond to touch, sound, smell, or anything...and I can imagine they weren't exactly gentle with him. His motor functions worked--he breathed and his heart beat. But he was in a profoundly deep coma. He was brain scanned and--" Kiyone didn't like to say it. It was the worst part of all.  
  
"And he was brain dead," Tris said flatly.  
  
"Gosh." Mihoshi was still deeply moved by the revelation, even though she had heard that bit before.  
  
"Well, nearly brain dead. The brain scans found some brain wave activity. But it was completely chaotic...no patterns, so it wasn't thought or any rational process. Just the brain functioning without direction or control, kind of spinning its wheels, that's all. Brain dead is close enough, I guess," Kiyone explained without enthusiasm.  
  
"Yeah, close enough. He was brain scanned regularly, you said?"  
  
"Yes, for a long time. It was no use. The condition persisted. So he was bundled to a mental institution for criminals on a planet called Souiis--our favorite planet, right?" Kiyone smiled acidly.  
  
"Wrong," Mihoshi said. "That's where those awful boys and girls live--they called me Mop Head!"  
  
"I didn't mean...oh, never mind, Mihoshi." Kiyone shrugged. "Anyway, they have him there still, after all these years. They have to feed him with a tube, he has no control over his bodily functions--"  
  
"Oh, yuck," said Mihoshi. "Do we have to talk about that?"  
  
"No, we don't. Sorry, Mihoshi. The point is, once again, that he is in no condition to do anything--anything at all. Even if he was mentally alert, he has no access to any machinery or people outside the institution. The guards are rotated every three of Souiis's months and so are the attending physicians and nurses. All the support staff are contracted and the contract changes regularly. They make damned certain there's no chance any patient, even if alert, can form a relationship with any of the staff."  
  
"That's smart of them. So..." Tris mulled over the information. "We have only one possible suspect--and that suspect couldn't possibly do anything to anybody."  
  
"That's exactly it, Tris Coffin." Kiyone looked at him a bit peevishly. "Okay, you knocked me out of my funk--thank you for that-- but we still have this damned wall we're hitting. Solve this case? There's nothing to solve it with. We're like those cadets at Headquarters, guarding ships that can't be stolen."  
  
"Listen, Kiyone Makibi, something was messing with Ayeka in your bedroom. I still have the pulled muscles from having to move those damned wardrobes upright, you know. So you do have a case. Someone is interfering with our Princess--or was, at least."  
  
"Maybe Professor Klove had a confederate back then after all," Mihoshi speculated. "One that's doing bad things for him even now. Maybe Professor Klove wasn't the loner they say he was."  
  
"No. I just don't think so, Mihoshi," Kiyone said. "I told you most of the people involved with him are dead now. Even his lawyer and the presiding and sentencing magistrates, the prosecutor, all the jury--now, don't you give me that look, Tris Coffin! I know it smells to high heaven. But all their deaths were due to natural causes."  
  
"Yeah. They also died in their sleep too, no doubt," Tris said ironically.  
  
"They did, at that. Anyway, that's why I really doubt there's a confederate involved. Even if Klove had a distant disciple back then, there'd be some record of it somewhere. There is none. It was a long time ago, and the idea that someone could have remain hidden from all the ongoing investigations and yet have Klove's secret research and hidden machinery and then resume operations now...it's really far- fetched."  
  
"I guess so," Mihoshi said. "So it's probably someone new, someone who's doing Professor Klove's dirty work for some reason."  
  
Kiyone smiled at her partner. She was pleased that Mihoshi was taking an active part in their discussions.  
  
"Could be. But there's a timing problem with all this," Tris pointed out.  
  
Kiyone nodded. "Exactly. Why wait until now to attack Ayeka? Why let so many years go by? What is so special about now?"  
  
"Maybe..." Mihoshi's forehead was furrowed with thought. "I think maybe it's because Ayeka is on Earth now and living with us...with Lord Yosho and Tenchi...so she's really under their protection, right? And if something really awful happens to her, won't the King and the royals on Jurai kind of blame Lord Yosho and Tenchi?" Mihoshi looked at Kiyone and Tris, her expression hopeful.  
  
Now both Tris and Kiyone smiled at her. "That's a really good point, Mihoshi," Kiyone told her. "That's one very strong motive all right."  
  
"Really?" Mihoshi asked. "I mean...sure it is. Lord Yosho and Tenchi would be in deep trouble with the King if Ayeka were hurt. Gosh, I hate to think what would happen then!"  
  
"Yeah, me too. But," Kiyone added, "I have to put a snag in your theory, Mihoshi. This is Ayeka's second visit to Earth, you know. If harming Lord Yosho and Tenchi as well as Ayeka was the culprit's motive, why wait until now? Why didn't he make his move the first time Ayeka was living on Earth with the Masakis? He couldn't have known that Ayeka would return to Earth again. Even Ayeka didn't know that. Her split from Tenchi was supposed to be permanent."  
  
"Oh, yeah, that's right. Golly, I forgot, Kiyone." Mihoshi frowned and furrowed her brow again. "Then...maybe the culprit got hold of Professor Klove's notes and stuff only just recently. Maybe that's why he's attacking Ayeka only now and not earlier."  
  
"That's a possibility, Mihoshi," Kiyone admitted. "But that's pre- supposing this culprit sympathizes with Professor Klove or has a real strong gripe himself against the Jurai royal family."  
  
"Doesn't everybody?" Tris grinned.  
  
"No, they don't!" Then Kiyone grinned, too. "Oh, no you don't-- you're not getting me going again!"  
  
"I told you that you were smart," Tris said. "Anyway, you're right. This new player theory is pretty shaky. We can't dismiss it, though. It's really all we have to go on."  
  
"That's right. That was good thinking, Mihoshi," Kiyone said. "It's a working hypothesis, anyway. It's more than we had before."  
  
"Thanks!" Mihoshi smiled happily. She picked up her chopsticks and attacked her food now. "Gosh, I'm hungry!"  
  
Kiyone and Tris looked at each other and smiled. They watched Mihoshi eat with gusto while they both managed to eat a little, too.  
  
When they finished, Mihoshi helped Kiyone clean up what few dishes there were, while Tris watched them. The two of them were bent over the tiny kitchen counter, talking about Mihoshi's success with subleasing their apartments. For a moment, they seemed like sisters to Tris, not two strangers thrown together by profession. Kiyone was smiling at Mihoshi and making it clear she was proud of her partner for getting them off the hook financially for their expensive residences on planet Vestra. Kiyone's approval made Mihoshi radiant with happiness.  
  
Finished with the dishes, Mihoshi walked up to Tris. "Tris?" she asked, somewhat shyly. "Would it be okay if I took your picture?"  
  
Kiyone shook her head and rolled her eyes heavenward. But she kept silent.  
  
"Uh...sure, Mihoshi. If you don't mind risking your camera or whatever it is you use."  
  
"What? Oh...you silly." Mihoshi laughed softly.  
  
"You take that picture when we get back to Earth, Mihoshi," Kiyone told her. "I don't want this dump in anybody's picture."  
  
"Okay. But your place is not a dump, Kiyone."  
  
"Hah!" Kiyone now yawned, hugely. "Oh...God! I'm sorry. I'm just so sleepy all of a sudden."  
  
"That's because you hardly got any sleep on your ship and none here," Tris said. "It's beddy-bye for you, my girl."  
  
"Yeah," Kiyone agreed. "Bed sounds awfully good. First, I'll get you some blankets and a pillow or two for the couch, Tris."  
  
"Thanks." Rats! So much for their enchanted evening together! Oh, well...  
  
"Mihoshi, you go on home now, and--" Kiyone began. She stopped. Mihoshi was looking down at the floor.  
  
"Kiyone..." Mihoshi said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can I...stay with you and Tris tonight?"  
  
"What!"  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Mihoshi!"  
  
Mihoshi continued to inspect the floor.  
  
Tris thought he understood. For a long time now, Mihoshi had been sleeping in a room with four other women...well, three women and a little girl. She hated to be alone and she felt secure and safe with others around her.  
  
Kiyone looked at her partner with a peeved but hopeless expression. So that was why Mihoshi had arrived with her travel bag. She had intended to stay with them, the scheming little ding-dong! Couldn't stand to be alone one night, the big baby! And Kiyone had wanted to have a little more time alone with Tris...well, that was shot to hell now. Mihoshi would make a big weepy fuss if Kiyone tried to make her go and Tris was such a big-hearted goof that he'd take Mihoshi's side even though he wanted to be alone with Kiyone, too. Well, hell--might as well not fight the inevitable.  
  
Tris shrugged at Kiyone. "I can sleep in the tub, I guess."  
  
"You will not! You'll sleep on the couch. I have a futon that came with the apartment, as Mihoshi well knows. She'll sleep on that...in my bedroom, of course." Kiyone shook her head, resignedly.  
  
"I...I can stay?" Mihoshi raised her blonde head. "Yay!"  
  
"Yeah," said Kiyone flatly. "Yay."  
  
"It'll be fun!" Mihoshi clapped her hands. "Like a slumber party!"  
  
"A slumber party?" Kiyone exclaimed in disbelief. "Now you listen here, Mihoshi Kuramitsu--"  
  
"Gosh, we can put on our pajamas, and tell scary stories, and eat the rest of those komakai yummy sweets I brought, and talk about--"  
  
"And talk about boys?" Kiyone finished for her. "What do you think Tris here is? Your maiden aunt? Get a grip! Besides, I want to get some sleep!"  
  
"Aw...just one scary story?"  
  
"I don't know any scary stories. And you don't either. I know you're dying to tell Tris that dumb story of yours about us capturing that wacko woman who kidnapped that guy. It's a bunch of hooey, the way you tell it."  
  
"It is not, Kiyone!"  
  
"It is, too. Before I found you again, you told Tenchi and the others that I was killed in that raid. Do I look dead to you?"  
  
"But they just misunderstood me. I thought at first you were killed, Kiyone...until you made it back to Headquarters. Besides, you were almost killed."  
  
"I was not! You knocked me into that reactor and I got burned a little--that's all! And you captured that crazy woman only because she was laughing at you too hard to escape. That's sure something to tell everybody you meet!"  
  
"I don't remember it like that at all, Kiyone," Mihoshi demurred.  
  
"Of course you don't. You had your eyes closed half the time, you were so scared."  
  
"I did not!"  
  
"You did too!"  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did too! That's why you bumped into me and I got those nice first- degree burns on my...well, never mind that!" Kiyone glanced at Tris. "It was one of our first cases together, don't you remember? Your knees were knocking and your teeth were chattering, and I don't know what else. You've gotten better since then, I'll admit. Anyway, you promised me you wouldn't tell that story again. I know you want to tell it to Tris, but you promised."  
  
"Oh...okay..." Mihoshi was downcast. She was glad Kiyone said she had improved a lot. But she was also hurt that Kiyone didn't see that early case as a triumph for them.(1)  
  
Tris looked at Kiyone's exasperated face and Mihoshi's sad face. He decided to do something to lighten up the mood. "Look," he said. "I've got an idea."  
  
"What?" Kiyone asked. Mihoshi raised her head and looked at him hopefully.  
  
"You two girls get into your 'jamies...and Uncle Tris will tell you a real scary story. Okay?"  
  
"Okay!" Mihoshi beamed.  
  
Kiyone glowered at Tris. "Like fun we will! Listen here, "Uncle" Tris--!"  
  
"Oh, com'on. One story. Then we can all get some shuteye," Tris said.  
  
"Well..." Kiyone relented. "Okay. But keep it short, you!"  
  
"I will."  
  
"Oh, goodie!" Mihoshi clapped her hands happily. "We're going to have a slumber party after all!"  
  
Kiyone groaned inwardly. Those two! They were going to kill her...or drive her into that mental institution on Souiis. She'd probably end up in a cell next to that Professor Klove.  
  
"Okay, Mihoshi. Let's go get into our...'jamies." Kiyone grimaced at the word. "And let Uncle Tris here get into his."  
  
"Okay!" Mihoshi fairly leapt for Kiyone's bedroom, carrying her travel bag.  
  
"She always gets her way--always!" Kiyone looked at Tris. "And you aren't much help--Uncle Tris!"  
  
"Now, now. Be a good little girl and Mihoshi might save you a komakai yummy sweet," Tris told her mildly.  
  
He dodged just in time.  
  
------  
  
Back on Earth, the Masaki family was seeking the solace of sleep following an eventful day. Except for Ryoko, who had to pull her Princess-sitting shift again.  
  
At that moment, in the women's "dormitory," Ryoko, tiny brush in one hand, nail polish bottle in the other, was just getting the last bit of her left big toenail painted when:  
  
"What in the world are you doing, Ryoko?" It was Princess Ayeka, who was supposed to be asleep.  
  
"Huh?" The voice startled the space pirate so much, she not only painted the toenail but half of her big toe as well. Arrrrgghhh!  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing, Princess?" Ryoko said crossly. Putting down the bottle, she used some cotton wool to try to wipe nail polish off the part of her big toe she didn't want colored Passion Pink.  
  
"It looks like you are painting your toenails like a common strumpet," Ayeka said. She was sitting up on her futon, regarding Ryoko, who was sitting on her own futon.  
  
"I think it's pretty," Sasami's voice chimed in.  
  
"Sasami--go to sleep!"  
  
"Awww...okay." Ryoko heard Sasami settle back into her futon.  
  
There was silence for a little while, until Sasami was breathing slowly and regularly, eyes closed.  
  
Then: "Well, Ryoko?"  
  
"Well, what? What's wrong with painting your toenails?"  
  
"You never have before," the Princess pointed out. "You've always shown good taste in that regard."  
  
"Well...maybe I'm feeling a little frisky," Ryoko said.  
  
"Frisky? Bbout what, pray?"  
  
"Just frisky." Ryoko succeeded with the cotton wool. She then proceeded to begin painting her other big toenail. She hoped the Princess would go back to sleep. No such luck, though.  
  
"Ryoko. We had that talk about your reading that disgusting hentai, and--"  
  
"Oh, I don't mean that! I mean, I always feel that way. But right now it's just that I'd like to try something new, something a tad daring."  
  
"I have always thought you rather daring already," Ayeka said dryly. "And what do you mean you always feel that way?"  
  
"I mean I'm a woman and I have...you know! Urges!"  
  
"Ryoko!"  
  
"Oh, you have them too, Princess."  
  
"I..." Ayeka hesitated. She could scarcely deny she had womanly inclinations. "I have...well, not urges! I have romantic feelings, yes, but--"  
  
"They're urges, Princess. We get hot to trot sometimes, and we can't do anything about it, and so--"  
  
"Good heavens!" Ayeka was scandalized. "Hot to trot! That is just crude! You are still a barbarian--after all this time."  
  
"And you're still a stuck-up prude!" Ryoko put down the nail polish bottle and brush. "I admit how I feel and you won't and you get ticked at me for it. Same old story. Why don't you do something daring, huh? And admit you really want Tenchi, not for some hearts and flowers stuff, but because you want him."  
  
"Why...of course I want him."  
  
Ayeka paused to glance at Sasami. Her little sister's eyes were still closed. Thank goodness for that! "Lower your voice, Ryoko. We do not want Sasami to hear this."  
  
"Why not? She's heard plenty already in this house. She's gotten a real education already, just by watching Kiyone and Tris."  
  
"That is an awful thing to say!" Ayeka snapped. "Kiyone and Tristram have never done anything questionable around Sasami--and you know it!"  
  
"I'm not talking about that. I mean she's seen the way they look at each other...the way they sit so close together. She's sharp, Princess. She can infer the rest."  
  
"Infer what? What are you driving at, Ryoko?"  
  
"Awww, figure it out for yourself."  
  
Ryoko made it clear she had her fill of Ayeka for one evening. She concentrated on her toenail painting, ignoring the Princess.  
  
Ayeka stared at Ryoko's back now. She felt frustrated and angry--but at herself, not Ryoko. She had arisen to say something appreciative to Ryoko and then she had criticized her right off the bat. It was almost inevitable, it seemed. Ryoko just set her off, somehow. But that was no excuse, she knew.  
  
"Ryoko..."  
  
"What now? What's the use of me staying up if you're going to yak all night and not go to sleep, huh?"  
  
"You are...quite right, Ryoko."  
  
"Huh?" Ryoko turned around and looked at the Princess. She seemed flabbergasted. "What did you say?"  
  
"I said that you are quite right."  
  
"Me? I'm right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Huh." Ryoko digested this. "You feeling okay?"  
  
"Of course I am feeling okay."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I did not mean to argue with you. I apologize for what I said. I really had meant to...to thank you, Ryoko." It had been hard to say-- but Ayeka had said it, finally. And she felt immensely better for it.  
  
"Really?" Ryoko looked bewildered. "What for, Princess?"  
  
"For looking after me during the night. Just as you are doing now."  
  
"You're thanking me for that? I thought you said I did it just to get out of housework and to impress Tenchi."  
  
"Well, no doubt those were compelling reasons, Ryoko." Ayeka couldn't resist the small dig. Ryoko just grinned at her. "But I know now that you are also doing it because you truly are concerned about me. And I will also tell you this...I do sleep better knowing you are watching over me."  
  
Ryoko stared at Ayeka. She had been rendered speechless for the moment. The Princess's genuine gratitude and appreciation had come out of left field. Sure, the Princess had earlier said she was proud of Ryoko for helping Nobuyuki over that resignation letter thingy, but that was just Ryoko using her powers. This was different. The Princess was being appreciative to her over a decision Ryoko had made and carried out. It was...unexpected...and kind of pleasing to Ryoko. Which was also unexpected.  
  
"Well, Princess." Ryoko didn't quite know how to frame her reply. "I'm glad you feel that way. I mean, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you, you know? We've got too much history together, right?"  
  
"That is right, Ryoko," Ayeka said softly. "We do have a great deal of history together, you and I."  
  
Quite a bit of history, Ayeka thought. A history that extended back into their childhoods. Although both she and Ryoko didn't agree on the details--that was putting it mildly!--they both acknowledged they had first met as children. Ayeka knew her continuing frustrations with Ryoko stemmed from those early days.  
  
Little Ryoko, the foundling who had amazed family court officials on the Juraian territorial protectorate, planet Urekia, with her incredible powers, had left the state orphanage repeatedly to strike out on her own. She became a well-known street urchin both on Urekia and on planet Jurai, one who lived by her wits and wasn't above breaking the law to survive.  
  
Ayeka had heard gossip about Ryoko, of course, so when she first beheld the infamous urchin--she seemed to be just another little girl, albeit a very pretty one--the Princess had been prepared to despise her. And she had despised her. Ryoko had been shameless and immoral and destructive. But Ayeka had also secretly envied the pretty little girl--how she twisted male authority figures around her little finger, and how free and independent she seemed. Ryoko would sell items in the streets for money (items she no doubt had stolen) and use that money to buy lovely candy and then maybe see a funny entertainment. Whereas Ayeka was constantly monitored and tutored, rarely permitted outside the Palace and even more rarely allowed to indulge in common amusements. Little Princess Ayeka didn't have much fun growing up and every so often she would glimpse little Ryoko, so smart and sassy, having the time of her life.  
  
Ayeka had actually confronted Ryoko a few times back then. Those confrontations had always ended up in name-calling and fighting, which had scandalized her poor parents, the King and Queen. That had led to her and Ryoko's lifelong mutual antagonism. And that situation was certainly not all Ryoko's fault, Ayeka had to admit.  
  
In fact, Ayeka herself had eventuslly stolen a page from Ryoko's book, abandoning her responsibilities and running off to romance an Earth boy named Tenchi. That smacked of something Ryoko, the street urchin turned space pirate, would do--not the First Princess of Jurai. Yet, Ayeka had done it. And, what was more, she had done it twice. And she didn't regret her actions for a moment.  
  
Ayeka frowned thoughtfully. Could they ever have been friends back then...if Ryoko hadn't been so wild and lawless and she, Ayeka, not so penned-in and envious? Ayeka wasn't certain. But it could have happened...perhaps it was what should have happened. It might well have prevented Ryoko turning to piracy to survive. Yet, Lord Tenchi had been in the offing, and that would have eventually torn asunder any possible friendship between the Princess and the space pirate. Ayeka suddenly felt a bit sad over what had happened between her and Ryoko.  
  
"Yeah. We've known each other a long time," Ryoko was saying. "Not that we remember those times quite the same way, Princess!"  
  
"Well...perhaps we both allowed ourselves to color our memories. Just a trifle." Ayeka smiled.  
  
"I guess maybe we did." Ryoko smiled back. "Anyway, I don't want you bugging out before this thing is settled...about Tenchi. I mean what I told you. It's got to be fair and square or it won't be any good winning."  
  
"Yes, I believe you do mean that, Ryoko...and you are quite right. Neither of us will feel right about things unless Lord Tenchi makes a true choice. I should give you more credit for feeling that way, Ryoko."  
  
"Awwww, Princess..." Ryoko was feeling a bit embarrassed. The fact was, she herself should give the Princess a bit more credit. After all, if Ayeka really thought she was a crude and hopeless barbarian, she would not bother to lecture her. Ryoko didn't care to be lectured at (it reminded her too much of how she was treated in that lame orphanage), but she could appreciate the Princess's earnest motive behind it. After all, the Princess, even if she was a pain in the patoot, had good stuff in her. Look how she had helped Tenchi's Dad, and Kiyone and Mihoshi back when those two brat girls from Souiis had come. "A promise is a promise, right? Anyway, you'd better get some sleep."  
  
"Yes, I shall. It is nice to sleep without those dreadful dreams. In fact, I do not dream at all these nights," Ayeka said. She settled back on her futon. "You cannot understand, Ryoko, just how terrible it is--to know someone or something has control of you."  
  
"Balls," Ryoko said. "That creep has shot his bolt, Princess. So he maybe made you re-arrange some furniture in your sleep. Big deal. Just like Tris had Mihoshi make like a cabbit. So what? Mihoshi is still Mihoshi--darn it." Ryoko grinned. "And you're still you."  
  
"Darn it?" Ayeka smiled, resting her head on her pillow.  
  
"Well...maybe not. Guess I'm too used to you like you are. Anyway, you just go to sleep. If you want, you can dream about how I'm going to give that creep that's been bugging you a nice toasting when Kiyone and Mihoshi bring back the dope on him."  
  
"Yes, that sounds like a most pleasant dream. Good night, Ryoko."  
  
"Good night, Princess."  
  
Unnoticed by them, Sasami smiled, her eyes still closed. She turned over in her futon. Now she could go to sleep, too.  
  
------  
  
Back on planet Vestra, three individuals were in their pajamas...but sleep was not on the agenda.  
  
"Are we all settled in, nice and snug?" Tris asked his audience. "Do we have our 'jamies on? Do we have our yummy treats?"  
  
"We sure do, Uncle Tris!" Mihoshi said, looking all happy and snuggly in her pink bunny-print pajamas.  
  
"Knock it off, Uncle Tris," Kiyone said. She wore her Bullwinkle academic pajama nightshirt but she didn't feel particularly happy or snuggly.  
  
The three of them sat the living room rug, at Mihoshi's insistence. The lights were turned down low, also at Mihoshi's insistence. Tris's allotted time to tell his scary story was fifteen minutes...at Kiyone's insistence.  
  
Like the two women, Tris was in his pajamas (the oversized Mizzou sweater). The tiny living room rather forced the three of them together at very close quarters; they huddled together on the floor, beside the couch. That couch was now fitted with a blanket and pillows, courtesy of Kiyone.  
  
Mihoshi liked the close quarters. She liked pressing against Tris, too. Kiyone had given her a look, though, which told Mihoshi not to press her luck...press her luck! She had made a joke. She giggled.  
  
"What's so funny, Mihoshi?" Kiyone asked her. "Besides Uncle Tris here, I mean."  
  
"Oh..." Mihoshi decided Kiyone wouldn't appreciate the joke. "Just something I thought about, Kiyone."  
  
"Hmmm." Kiyone looked hard at Mihoshi. Then she scooted over a bit, so that she was pressing even closer again Tris. She rested her head on Tris's shoulder. "Well, come on. Let's hear this so-called scary story, Uncle Tris."  
  
Tris smiled in his most avuncular manner. "So, little girls...you want old Uncle Tris to tell you a real scary story, eh?"  
  
"Oh, yes, please, Uncle Tris!" Mihoshi said eagerly.  
  
"We want you to finish up this clown act so we can get to sleep," Kiyone said.  
  
"Oh, Kiyone, don't spoil the fun," Mihoshi protested.  
  
"Fun?" Kiyone relented and snuggled against Tris warmly. Actually, this wasn't so bad...in a retarded kind of way. "Okay. So tell us a story already, Uncle Tris."  
  
"All right. First we'll start with a poem."  
  
"A poem? What the hell?" Kiyone snapped.  
  
"It's a scary poem," Tris told her.  
  
"You reciting poetry...now that's scary," Kiyone told him.  
  
"I want to hear it, Kiyone," Mihoshi said.  
  
"Well, okay. But it better be good."  
  
"It is," Tris said. "It's a classic, really, from a gentleman named James Whitcomb Riley. Mom used to recite it to me before I went trick or treating on Halloween. The poem is called "Little Orphan Annie.""  
  
"Hey!" Mihoshi said. "I think I saw her movie. She has red hair--and a doggie!"  
  
"This is a different Orphan Annie, Mihoshi," Tris said. "The original."(2)  
  
"Just say it and get it over with," Kiyone muttered. She felt so warm and comfortable resting snug again Tris, she might just fall asleep right there.  
  
"Right-o. Here it is:  
  
"Little Orphan Annie's come to my house to stay. To wash the cups and saucers up and brush the crumbs away. To shoo the chickens from the porch and dust the hearth and sweep, and make the fire and bake the bread to earn her board and keep. While all us other children, when the supper things is done, we sit around the kitchen fire and has the mostest fun, a-listening to the witch tales that Annie tells about and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!"  
  
"Goblins!" Mihoshi cried. She seemed scared already. She grabbed Tris's arm.  
  
"There's no such thing, Mihoshi," Kiyone muttered.  
  
"Think so?" Tris said. "Well, listen some more:  
  
"Once there was a little boy who wouldn't say his prayers, and when he went to bed at night away up stairs, his mammy heard him holler and his daddy heard him bawl, and when they turned the covers down, he wasn't there at all! They searched him in the attic room and cubby hole and press and even up the chimney flu and every wheres, I guess, but all they ever found of him was just his pants and round-abouts and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!"  
  
"Oooohhh!" Mihoshi whimpered. She liked being scared like this. Now she snuggled against Tris, too. Kiyone, half dozing against Tris on his other side, didn't notice.  
  
Uncle Tris continued:  
  
"Once there was a little girl who always laughed and grinned and made fun of everyone, of all her blood and kin, and once when there was company and old folks was there, she mocked them and she shocked them and said, she didn't care. And just as she turned on her heels and to go and run and hide, there was two great big black things a-standing by her side. They snatched her through the ceiling fore she knew what shes about, and the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!!"  
  
Kiyone's eyes fully opened. Hey, that was kind of scary, she thought. When she was a little girl, she had always feared dark places. She never told her parents or big brother...they would have scoffed at her. She pressed closer against Tris. Mihoshi was trembling against him now.  
  
Uncle Tris concluded the poem:  
  
"When the night is dark and scary, and the moon is full and creatures are a flying and the wind goes Whoooooooooo, you better mind your parents and your teachers fond and dear, and cherish them that loves ya, and dry the orphan's tears, and help the poor and needy ones that cluster all about, or the goblins will get ya if ya don't watch out!!!"  
  
"Gosh!" Mihoshi shakily crammed yummy sweets in her mouth, which helped when she was scared.  
  
"The End," said Tris.  
  
"Well...okay, Uncle Tris," Kiyone told him, raising her head from his shoulder. "I'll admit that was a tiny bit scary. Not too bad, actually."  
  
"I thought it was real scary!" Mihoshi said.  
  
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Mihoshi," Kiyone said.  
  
"Oh...okay."  
  
Mihoshi chewed and shivered against Tris. Big black things! Goblins! She glanced fearfully around the darkened room.  
  
"We saw a ghost, once...kind of," Kiyone recalled. "When we were involved in that Kagato business. We got stuck in the Sargasso--the spaceship graveyard. We boarded this deserted ship, looking for Sasami. Remember, Mihoshi?"  
  
"Uh-huh! It was so scary, Tris! Two ghosties came out of a mirror at us!"  
  
"Really?" Tris asked.  
  
"Really," Kiyone said. "I'll admit...it froze my blood. I was never so relieved as when we left that ship." She laid her head on Tris's shoulder again. "Funny how I forgot about that."  
  
"I never forgot about that!" Mihoshi told her. "I never will forget about it."  
  
"I suppose I won't, either." Kiyone slipped her arm around Tris--and suddenly encountered something that wasn't Tris. "Mihoshi!"  
  
"Ohhh...okay," Mihoshi muttered, abashed. She scooted away from Tris, perhaps a few millimeters.  
  
"All right, so that poem didn't bite," Kiyone said. "Now I want a scary story, Uncle Tris."  
  
"Huh?" Tris said, surprised.  
  
"Really, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked, likewise surprised.  
  
"Sure I do. I kinda like this now." Kiyone sighed and cuddled against her boyfriend. Her arm slipped around him again and this time didn't encounter Mihoshi. The whole tableau was corny and childish, but she rather fancied it, somehow. It was nice, she realized, to have a guy to hold and be close to. It was even nice to have Mihoshi there, too. No doubt about it, she was cracking up. "Bring it on."  
  
"All right...but this is pretty scary," Tris warned.  
  
"Good!" Mihoshi was looking forward to more goose pimples. She grabbed some yummy sweets to be prepared.  
  
"This story is about a teenaged girl and her boyfriend," Tris began. "They lived in this little town. At one time, the local kids would gather in their cars at night by the old abandoned rock quarry. It was a kind of a Lover's Lane. The kids used to all drive there to look at the stars and do some necking."  
  
"Necking?" Mihoshi asked. "Is that like kissing?"  
  
"Exactly like kissing, Mihoshi," Kiyone told her. "So they didn't have a drive-in, Tris?"  
  
"Nope. Just this abandoned quarry. It hadn't been used for decades and it was all overgrown with weeds and stuff. But it served the purpose. That is, until a car was found there one night. It was empty. The boy and girl who had been in it were gone. They were never seen again. All the police ever found was a length of rope, badly frayed...and something else..."  
  
"What?" Mihoshi shivered.  
  
"A squashed bit of fleshy matter. It was determined to be a...human eyeball."  
  
"Gosh!" Mihoshi began cramming in the yummy sweets.  
  
"A rope...an eyeball..." Kiyone thought a moment. "Hey--"  
  
"Well, don't ruin it for Mihoshi."  
  
"Okay. You're right."  
  
"Anyway, as you can imagine, that quarry was off limits for the local neckers and everyone else. Years passed. Then this teenaged boy and girl, who had gotten very close, were even thinking of getting married, decided they wanted to be alone. Really alone. So they drove out to that old rock quarry. They parked near the old quarry, under a tree, and turned off the headlights."  
  
"Oh, no..." Mihoshi whimpered softly. She huddled against Tris again. Kiyone seemed about to say something, but didn't.  
  
"They were alone, all right. Or so they thought. They were getting pretty...well, intimate. And then they heard a noise."  
  
Mihoshi chewed anxiously. The yummy sweets were almost all gone now. She wished she had Trissy with her, right now!  
  
"It was a scraping sound," Tris continued. "Then...something bumped against the boy's car."  
  
Even Kiyone felt a chill. She took Tris's hand.  
  
"So, the boy decided to investigate. But he told his girlfriend that she must lock the doors after he left. And that she must close her eyes and not look...no matter what she might hear..."  
  
Mihoshi tried closing her eyes. It didn't help. She opened them again.  
  
"The boy opened the car door and slipped out. The car door closed. The girl locked the car door...then she locked all the doors. She sat in the car, all alone. Her eyes were tightly closed. Suddenly she heard a brief commotion outside. Then nothing...no sound...for a long time."  
  
Mihoshi trembled against Tris. She was so scared. And now she was out of yummy sweets, too.  
  
"And then she heard a thump...a soft thump...from the roof of the car."  
  
Kiyone held her breath a moment. She suspected what that thump meant. But she kept quiet.  
  
"The thump came back...and then came back again. There was a constant thump...thump...thump...from the car's roof. It terrified the girl. But she kept her eyes closed. The noise didn't stop. All night long there was the thump...thump...thump. She sat there, in blackness. She kept hearing that noise...thump...thump...thump..."  
  
Tris fell silent.  
  
"What--what happened?" Mihoshi cried.  
  
"The next morning, the police found the car. They called to the girl sitting inside. She was white with fright. Her eyes were screwed tightly shut. Finally, the police convinced her she was safe now. They told her to unlock the car door and step outside. And they told her to look straight ahead and walk to the police car. They told her to not look back...not for any reason."  
  
Kiyone felt certain she knew the reason. Even so, she still dreaded what Tris would say next. This was one hell of a story! She held onto Tris tightly. She looked over at Mihoshi. Her partner was now wide-eyed with dreadful anticipation.  
  
"Then...then what?" Mihoshi quavered.  
  
"Well, the girl almost made it. She was at the open door of the police car. But...she couldn't resist. She looked back. And then she saw the reason for the thumping sound." Tris paused. "Do you two really want to hear the rest?"  
  
"Yes!" Kiyone and Mihoshi chorused.  
  
"Very well. She saw that her boyfriend was hanging by the neck from a rope tied to a tree limb. Dead. The brutal hanging had caused both his eyes to pop from their sockets. And the slight wind was making his dead body sway...so that his heels gently thumped the roof of the car..."  
  
"Ooohhhhh!" Mihoshi shrank back. "Nooooooooo!"  
  
"They never caught the killer. They never have yet. And that rock quarry is still off limits...until the next foolish boy and girl come..."  
  
"Gosh!" Mihoshi grabbed Tris's arm. "That's horrible--oh, Tris!"  
  
"And it's pretty scary, too, right?" Kiyone asked Mihoshi.  
  
"It sure is! I can imagine myself in the car--ooohhhhh!" Mihoshi had a good, long shiver.  
  
"Now that really was a scary story, Uncle Tris," Kiyone said approvingly. "Well done."  
  
"Thanks," Tris said, smiling.  
  
He took stock for a moment. Imagine...sitting on the floor of an apartment on an alien planet with two alien women, telling scary stories. Incredible. It couldn't be real. But there was Kiyone cuddled up against him. And Mihoshi gripping his arm. It was real enough for him.  
  
"It makes me kinda think about our case," Mihoshi said. "I wonder...if what happening to Ayeka is supernatural. That would explain a lot, you know."  
  
"No, partner," Kiyone said. "It's not a ghost...or a goblin. Whatever's going on will have a rational explanation. And we're going to find it, partner! Right?"  
  
"Right!" Mihoshi agreed.  
  
"And we're going to get our rank back...and the truth about that sneaking, rotten back-stabber of a Mitsuki will come out! And if she does marry that Lieutenant Zay're, she can spend her day washing his underwear because she won't be in the GP anymore! Right?"  
  
"Ummmm..."  
  
Mihoshi remembered what Kiyone had told her about Mitsuki coming by that day. Maybe Mitsuki really felt bad about what she did and wanted to try to make it right. At least, that was what Mihoshi preferred to think. She didn't want to see anyone get fired or anything.  
  
"Right?" Kiyone prodded her.  
  
"Well, getting our rank back--right!"  
  
"I don't believe it." Kiyone shook her head. "Mitsuki had nothing but nasty things to say about you, Mihoshi, even before you and I became partners. You ought to want to see her get what's coming to her."  
  
"I'm sure she'll be punished, Kiyone. Only, I don't like to think she'll lose her job."  
  
"Why not? She deserves to!"  
  
"But what will she do then?"  
  
"Who cares?"  
  
"Well..." Mihoshi didn't want to rile her partner any more than she had. But the fact was...Mihoshi cared.  
  
Tris smiled at the blonde young woman. Mihoshi had a big heart and she wore it right on her sleeve, for everyone to see. Even though she was a cop, and no matter how much she was hurt, she would never stop liking people and thinking the best of them. There was simply no one quite like her.  
  
"Mihoshi's right, Kiyone," Tris said. "The best revenge is getting your rank back and getting your career kick-started again. Once you're Generalissimo Makibi, or whatever, you'll have forgotten about Mitsuki and her dweeb pals. That's the truth."  
  
Kiyone looked at him and grinned. She tweaked his nose. "Generalissimo? You big goof!"  
  
"Kiyone wants to be Grand Marshall of the GP," Mihoshi said. "After Grandfather retires."  
  
"Yeah, right. That'll be the day." But Kiyone didn't seem too skeptical about the notion.  
  
"Hey, that'd be great. Someone to fix my speeding tickets when I'm zooming around the galaxy in my Mustang Space Cruiser." Tris said.  
  
Mihoshi giggled. Kiyone went to tweak his nose again but she kissed it, instead.  
  
"Goofball. You'll be on Earth, tripping around on your walker with a poor nurse trying to get you to take your nap, and your planet will still be trying to send a manned mission to Mars. It'll be a long, long time before you'll be meeting me at the galactic malt shop."  
  
"But he doesn't have to have a starship, Kiyone," Mihoshi protested. "We can visit him and Tenchi and everyone in Yagami--can't we?"  
  
"If we have time...which we won't once we're Sergeants again." The conversation was taking a downward turn. Kiyone didn't want to dwell on that aspect of the future. Tris felt warm and wonderful pressing against her and she just wanted to be with him as long as she could. Her career took priority, of course, but it didn't interfere right now and Kiyone wanted to get back to right now. "Well, I'm probably wrong about that. There's always time for the important things."  
  
"That's right, Kiyone," Mihoshi said softly.  
  
Tris gave an exaggerated yawn. "If we're going to pull out of here at the crack of dawn, or whatever you call it around here, guess we'd better wrap this up. That couch of yours is looking pretty good, Kiyone."  
  
"Right." Kiyone stood up. "Mihoshi, to bed. Let's go."  
  
Tris and Mihoshi stood up now, too.  
  
"Okay..." Mihoshi hesitated a moment. Then she gave Tris a quick hug--and scooted to Kiyone's bedroom, laughing. The door shut behind her.  
  
Kiyone looked after her with a helpless expression. "She's just incorrigible! It's like taking your kid sister to work with you."  
  
"I always wanted a kid sister," Tris said.  
  
"Yeah, so did I...and boy, did I get one!"  
  
Kiyone motioned Tris to come to her. When he did, she slipped into his arms and kissed him, softly.  
  
"Tris...what I said when we were so close...I'm sorry. I got kind of carried away. I mean, I want to...sometime...but not now. We need to know more about each other, and maybe have a better idea what's going to happen to us. Do you understand?"  
  
Tris groaned inwardly. Man, had he heard that line before...! But Kiyone was right. For her, it wasn't the time or the place. And that was that. He shrugged and released her.  
  
"I understand. You better go to bed. Good night."  
  
Kiyone just looked at him.  
  
"You're not mad? I know you're disappointed, but...you're not mad?"  
  
"Yeah, I am mad."  
  
"Oh...?" Kiyone's blue eyes widened.  
  
"Yeah. Mad about you, Blue Eyes." He grinned at her, one dimple and all.  
  
Kiyone laughed and pushed him onto the couch. When he was supine, she climbed on top of him and began kissing him happily. "I'll show you who's mad," she told him between kisses. "I'll show you who's insane." She kissed and kissed him, all over his face. "Maybe I'll just stay here and kiss you silly," she said. "Who needs sleep, anyway?"  
  
"Kiyone! What's going on?" Mihoshi's voice issued from behind the closed bedroom door. "We gotta go to sleep. We gotta get up early."  
  
"Arrrrgghhh!" Kiyone grimaced. "All right!"  
  
She rose from Tris. She smiled, staring down at him. "Well, I'm not finished with you, buster...and sometimes I think I never will be." She tweaked his stupid nose. "Now, you go to sleep--and you'd better dream about me. I'll find out if you don't!"  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Tris said. "You gonna have Washuu tell you?"  
  
Kiyone grabbed a pillow from the couch and clobbered Tris with it. Next she gave him one more lingering kiss. Then she walked, tall and straight, to her bedroom and opened the door. She stepped in and closed the door firmly behind her.  
  
Staring after her, Tris felt the usual sensations of unfulfilled wants. But that was nothing new. All of it clarified one thing, at least...he had been a dope to think Kiyone was seeking a commitment from him. Kiyone wasn't sure about him still, and anything like the m-word was far from her mind. She had been totally honest from the start of this trip. She had wanted him to see the world--the worlds--she lived and worked in, the life she lead, and the many commitments she already had and would never break. She had meant it to be educational and sobering for him and it had been. And, yeah, she had wanted to show off a little. Why not? She had a lot to show off to an Earth guy--in fact, to any guy.  
  
Tris rested his head against the pillows. Dream, Kiyone had said. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He'd already had plenty of dreaming in his young life. What he wanted was some reality. Well, Kiyone said maybe someday. He yawned. He was awfully sleepy. By this time tomorrow, he would be back on Earth. It was so incredible-- and tiring, too. Tris closed his eyes.  
  
------  
  
"Was it nice?" Mihoshi asked timidly in the darkness that cloaked Kiyone's bedroom a little while later.  
  
"What?" Kiyone asked sleepily.  
  
"Was it nice...saying good-night to Tris?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Now go to sleep."  
  
"Maybe...you had plans for him. I'm sorry, Kiyone." Mihoshi's voice in the dark was contrite.  
  
"Now's a good time to think of that!"  
  
"I'm sorry," Mihoshi repeated softly.  
  
"Oh, don't be. He's a big boy and I'm a big girl. We'll get over it."  
  
"Uh-huh. Kiyone?"  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Have you ever?"  
  
"Have I ever...what?"  
  
"Have you ever...you know...with a boy?"  
  
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone sat up in her bed. "In about five minutes, I'm getting out of this bed. And you won't like it, believe me! Now go to sleep!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
Kiyone muttered to herself and reclined on her bed again.  
  
Mihoshi was quiet, at least for a few minutes. But then, in a tiny voice, she added: "I haven't, either."  
  
"Arrrrgghhh!" Kiyone turned over on her stomach and jammed the pillow over her head.  
  
Mihoshi smiled wistfully, lying on her futon. Like herself, her partner was a young woman...and there was her young man in the next room. And he would stay in the next room. It seemed so silly. But life was silly, sometimes. And yet, kinda fun. And kinda yummy. And, if you were real lucky, kinda snuggly and warm. Gosh. She really should have brought Trissy with her. She wanted something to hug. So she hugged her pillow.  
  
Sleep finally came to Lady Mihoshi Kuramitsu. She began to snore. It was the only sound in the tiny apartment now. Kiyone was asleep too, as was Tris. That was good. All three would need their rest for what lay ahead for them and their friends.  
  
____________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) Yes, that's the "Mihoshi Special" storyline, with a few edits by yours truly. I couldn't resist using it.  
  
(2) Many folks are surprised to find out that "Little Orphan Annie" was a newspaper comic strip long before it evolved into a Broadway musical and a movie. They'd be even more surprised that the strip was likely inspired by the poem, "Little Orphan Annie," penned by James Whitcomb Riley in 1885. Mr. Riley, "The Hoosier Poet," really did grow up with an orphan girl who performed chores around the Riley home. She was actually called "Allie," not "Annie," by the Riley family. 


	18. CHAPTER 17: No Need For Clues

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  
  
No Need For Clues  
  
_________________  
  
"Well, we're back in our sector," Kiyone announced, reading the data transmitted by the hosting nav buoy on the heads-up display that seemed to hover just a foot from her face.  
  
Following her inputs, Yagami's navcom would seek out and lock on the signals from the next buoy that this buoy referred it to--the buoy located near the planet Saturn. Then they would be in the solar system proper.  
  
Kiyone relaxed in the comfortable and ergonomically correct pilot's seat on Yagami's bridge. Inwardly, she felt strangely happy. Back home...well...sort of home. "Remember, partner, technically we're on duty now, since we're back in our patrol sector. Our PT just ended, officially."  
  
Beside her, Mihoshi nodded and smiled brightly. It felt so good to be back. And she, unlike her partner, made no qualifications in calling that tiny speck of the galaxy home. Now she efficiently performed a quick scan of her systems console. The ship was operating at peak efficiency. If anything, it was at the top of its form. See...even Yagami is happy to be home, Mihoshi thought.  
  
"We'll be back on Earth then, real soon," Mihoshi said. "Can't we let Tris on the bridge now? He really ought to see Earth coming up. It's so pretty!"  
  
Kiyone shook her head. "No, Mihoshi. We just can't take any more chances. You know what that message we found in the comm storage server said. Sergeant Katzaar went ahead and wrote you--us--up for improper procedure. And he gave you that extra little present of another write-up for conduct unbecoming--the bastard! We play it safe and by the rules, Mihoshi. We're on the razor's edge now, partner."  
  
Mihoshi bit her lower lip. Oh, yeah...she had forgotten about that. Two write-ups! Her Grandfather would be furious. She blinked back tears.  
  
Kiyone noticed her partner's sudden distress. She decided to at least partially accede to Mihoshi's request. Besides, that goofball did deserve a treat. He had been quiet and obedient to her orders all the way back, the darling.  
  
"But I will transmit the view forward to the screen in the recreation room, where he's at. That's better than nothing, right?"  
  
"That's right, Kiyone."  
  
Mihoshi glanced at her partner. She knew Kiyone hadn't wanted to confine Tris to the rec room for the trip back, nor had either of them liked feeling compelled to stay on the bridge the entire time. Right now, Kiyone just had to be in the same sorry state Mihoshi felt herself in--exhausted, hungry, and rather grungy in her uniform. But it had been necessary. Both of them being away from the bridge even a short time while Yagami was in deep space flight was another piddly technical violation, one that Sergeant Katzaar would have happily written them up for. And neither of the women would leave her partner alone on the bridge during such circumstances. They would suffer through it together.  
  
Mihoshi had been on her best behavior throughout the voyage back; she had not even indulged in that bad old habit of bringing food to the bridge and getting crumbs everywhere. She had fought to stay awake and had only tumbled into a catnap once. But she had awakened quickly. Sleep was very dear to her...but her career, and Kiyone, were dearer.  
  
Taking a break from running the navcom--it was usually Mihoshi's job, but Kiyone had taken it on to relieve her partner--Kiyone now regarded Mihoshi. Her eyes were sympathetic. This trip had been costly to both their careers, but more costly to Mihoshi's. That bastard, Katzaar! At least she and Mihoshi had cheated that drip from uncovering the real prize--finding Tris on their ship.  
  
As it had turned out, getting Tris smuggled back on Yagami had been even easier than smuggling him out. They had re-affixed his visitor's badge to his shirt and simply walked him to the shuttle station, shuttled him up to Headquarters, and took him to the entrance to the reception area adjacent to the docking area. The Headquarters had been manned very lightly; although there was no day or night in the orbital Headquarters, there certainly was for the folks who worked there but lived on Vestra. The three of them had arrived at Headquarters very early in the Vestran morning (Kiyone had to shake Mihoshi awake several times during the shuttle trip). Only a skeleton crew--the swing shift--was present for duty in most of the Headquarters' functional areas.  
  
This time around, Kiyone had made small talk with the cadet guard while Mihoshi covertly smuggled Tris back into Yagami. The guard had been that poor Vestran boy again. He wasn't a bad sort, Kiyone had discovered. His name was Kragyur. He was fully aware of the uselessness of his task; he just wanted the extra credit because he was flunking Advanced Celestial Navigation and needed the brownie points. As it was, he would probably flunk out anyway. He just didn't have the fire in his belly to be a GP officer, Kiyone felt. Too easy-going. And his father was rich anyway, so he didn't need the salary, either.  
  
Must be nice, Kiyone now thought. By the time she had been graduated from the Academy, she had to take out a loan just to pay for her uniforms and to finance her first apartment. And who had made her the loan? Mihoshi! No one else would. Kiyone had borrowed too much from others and paid them back too slowly. Even Mitsuki had turned her loan request down, finally. She had no collateral, so the banks had passed on her loan application. Really, it hadn't been Kiyone's fault--she had been strapped and could only pay back loans fitfully. She couldn't go to her parents for financial help. They didn't have money to spare and they were still upset with her over choosing a law enforcement career. They felt it was a dirty and dangerous job and a poor choice for one's life's work. Her older brother had felt the same way.  
  
But all that didn't change the facts. Mihoshi had bailed her out when no one else would, and without a single reminder, ever. In a way, Kiyone admitted to herself, some of her aggravation at Mihoshi stemmed from having been in debt to her partner. Kiyone was fiercely independent and being in debt to anyone--much less Mihoshi--galled her. To make matters worse, it had been some time before she had been able to repay Mihoshi entirely.  
  
Stretching in her pilot's seat, Kiyone now felt depressed. Then she thought about Tris. She smiled slightly. "Hey, let's see what that clown's doing in the rec room," she suggested.  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
Kiyone reached down to the ship's security control panel on the pod attached by an flexible arm to her chair. Punching a few touchpads brought up the view from the security cam in the recreation room. The viewscreens filled with an image of Tris. He was sitting on the overstuffed couch in the rec room. He seemed to be saying something to the stuffed pooch, Trissy, who was seated on his lap. Mihoshi giggled with delight. Kiyone grimaced. Idiot! She turned on the cam's audio. Now they could hear what Tris was saying.  
  
"So Trissy, what do you want to be when you're a big doggie?" Tris asked the stuffed pooch. He then caused the plush canine to move slightly as it "replied" (of course it was Tris replying to himself in a corny falsetto voice--his lips moved as he did, for he was hardly an accomplished ventriloquist). The exclusive Trissy interview follows:  
  
Trissy: Oh, I'd like to be a Galaxy Police officer!  
  
Tris: Really?  
  
Trissy: Yes! There is no better job!  
  
Tris: Why is that?  
  
Trissy: Because you get to carry a ray gun and shoot people.  
  
Tris: Cool. Is that the only reason?  
  
Trissy: No. You also get to earn rotten pay and complain about it a lot. And the uniforms look like they're straight out of a Michael Jackson video.  
  
Tris: My goodness! Those are compelling reasons!  
  
Trissy: Uh-huh! And you get to travel in a starship and maybe even starve because you didn't pack enough food, or run out of fuel, or something neat like that. And then there are the great people you work with. Of course, if you make one tiny mistake they'll hang you out to dry, but that's life in the big galaxy!  
  
Tris: I see. Have you talked to your mistress, Mihoshi, about this?  
  
Trissy: Yes. But she says I should just be a good little doggie and leave the police work to her and Kiyone.  
  
Tris: That sounds like good advice.  
  
Trissy: But it's not! I want a career!  
  
Kiyone, muttering fulminations under her breath, terminated the connection to the recreation room. The viewscreens went blank.  
  
Mihoshi laughed and laughed. Kiyone tried to stay steamed but she ended up laughing, too. Interviewing that stupid stuffed mutt! That was the limit!  
  
"That does it," she told Mihoshi when she caught her breath. "I'll kill him when we get back to Earth."  
  
Mihoshi still laughed. She wiped her eyes when she finally subsided. Gosh, that felt good! It chased the bad feeling from those mean old write-ups clean away.  
  
"You should kiss him, Kiyone." Mihoshi smiled. "Kiss him every day. Lots of kisses. I would!"  
  
"Aw, you even kiss that stuffed dog of yours. You're really someone to give advice!" Kiyone grated.  
  
"Well, maybe I do kiss Trissy, sometimes. But if I had a nice boy to kiss..." Mihoshi smiled coyly.  
  
"Okay, okay. So I won't kill him...not exactly." Kiyone grinned, seemingly in spite of herself. "He'll have to be able to walk when we get back to Earth."  
  
"Say--did you contact Washuu?" Mihoshi asked, her question prompted by Kiyone's comment about returning to Earth.  
  
"Uh-huh. While you had that last little nap."  
  
"I'm sorry." Mihoshi looked repentant.  
  
"Oh, forget about it, Mihoshi. But I wish you wouldn't drool when you sleep."  
  
"I do not drool!"  
  
"No? I'm taking a picture next time."  
  
"Oh..." Mihoshi now looked embarrassed. She changed the subject. "Did you tell Washuu much?"  
  
"No. Better to spill it with everyone there. It's bad enough having to bring such a downer back with us, much less having to repeat ourselves endlessly." Kiyone's expression soured. The good feeling was gone. That damned case!  
  
"Uh-huh. But we're going to crack this case, right?"  
  
"Right," Kiyone said. That was the attitude they were going to adopt, at least.  
  
Kiyone wriggled, restlessly. God, she felt sticky and smelly in her uniform. All those hours on the bridge! She'd love to take a shower and have something to eat and...well, kiss that idiot boy.  
  
"Say!" she remembered. "There's good news about Tenchi's Dad."  
  
"Really? Did he get his job back?"  
  
"Hell no!" Kiyone frowned at Mihoshi impatiently. "That wasn't very likely, now, was it?"  
  
"Well...no."  
  
"Life isn't a comic book or a TV show, Mihoshi."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Anyway, Tenchi's Dad did better than get that rotten old job back or even another job. He's going into business for himself!" Kiyone's tone indicated how impressed she was by Nobuyuki's decision.  
  
"Wow!" Mihoshi sounded thrilled. "He'll be a businessman!"  
  
"That's right, partner. Washuu said he's joining with two of his co- workers from his old firm and they're opening their own architectural concern. And guess what--Ayeka's loaning him the money to do it."  
  
"She is? How?"  
  
"It's a funny thing...I guess we gave her the idea. She's going to convert some of her credit holdings into one currency, then another and finally into yen. It's like we do with those money-changers at that currency exchange," Kiyone explained.  
  
"Oh. Well, I'm glad. Of course, I'm not too sure about those money- changers."  
  
Kiyone shared her partner's uncertainty. "Neither am I, Mihoshi. At the very least, they skin us good on the exchange rate. But we have no choice but to deal with them, and I guess Ayeka doesn't either. At least she'll be able to make that loan."  
  
"That's right," Mihoshi said brightly. "That's all that really matters anyway...helping out Tenchi's father. Let's tell Tris right now! He'll be happy too."  
  
"I'll tell Tris, Mihoshi."  
  
"But we can call him now in the rec room, and--"  
  
"I'll tell Tris...okay?"  
  
"Okay," Mihoshi said. She smiled knowingly. Then she added, "You know, I don't think Headquarters is going to bother with us anymore, Kiyone. We're back in our sector and everything is dead as always around here. Why don't you go get cleaned up and eat something? Then when you're done, I will. We should be fresh-looking anyway when the family sees us. You think?"  
  
Kiyone smiled at her partner. The little ding-dong had read her mind. "The family?"  
  
"Yes, Kiyone...our family. You know."  
  
"I know." Kiyone looked away from Mihoshi. Then she added, "By the way, I also put in a call to my Mom and Dad while you were asleep."  
  
"Really?" Mihoshi was greatly interested. Kiyone was currently sort of estranged from her blood family because of the demotion, Mihoshi knew. Especially from her brother...he had a real future with the Galactic Union and he didn't need a disgraced sister pulling him down. At least, that seemed to be Kiyone's view of her brother's attitude.  
  
It was sad. Mihoshi's own Daddy and brothers were all behind her and rooting for her. Daddy had even told her he'd personally punch Grandfather out if she was fired from the GP. Of course, he wouldn't. At least, she didn't think he would. "What did they have to say?" she asked Kiyone.  
  
"Not much. Big brother got another promotion. He's in the middle ranks now. He's going to get married, even."  
  
"Oh, that's so nice for him! Do you know the girl?"  
  
"Kind of. She was with the elite clique at school. That group had no time for girls they thought were brain-o's or lame-o's."  
  
"Oh." Mihoshi guessed that Kiyone must have been either a brain-o or a lame-o, or both. "What else did your parents say to you?"  
  
"Just not to get fired. They said I could come home if I did get canned, but I'd have to find another job pretty quick. They still have to skimp to get by, you know."  
  
"I see." Mihoshi didn't, really. Her family was wealthy. "But they are behind you, Kiyone. You know that, don't you?"  
  
Kiyone did not reply.  
  
"Kiyone?"  
  
Kiyone just sat there. She seemed to be biting her lip. Then she stood up. "I'll go get cleaned up now, Mihoshi. You mind the store. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, Kiyone."  
  
"And if that rat, Katzaar, calls in...you call me! Right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
Kiyone turned and walked off the bridge. The doors closed hissingly behind her.  
  
Mihoshi felt troubled. She was certain Kiyone's parents--and even her big brother--cared for her, very deeply. They loved her--they must! Mihoshi couldn't imagine any other feeling from parents and brothers.  
  
It was funny. Kiyone had a mother living, but it kind of like she didn't, sometimes. Mihoshi and Tris and Tenchi didn't have mothers living anymore but...in a way their mothers were still with them. Mihoshi frowned. Kiyone didn't admit it, but she was very upset about that call to her parents. She needed something more comforting from them than just assurance they'd take her in if the worst happened.  
  
Mihoshi considered calling Kiyone's mother directly about it. But she rejected that approach. Kiyone was a very private person. She wouldn't appreciate it--and Mihoshi had an idea her mother wouldn't either. Instead, Mihoshi now had a better idea. Characteristically, she yielded to the sudden impulse.  
  
Reaching down to the comm panel, she punched up the private comm line and called her Daddy. Daddy would know what to do. He always did.  
  
------  
  
Unfortunately for Mihoshi, that call, as well meant as it was, could very well have been her last as a Galaxy Police officer...as a subsequent event at Galaxy Police Headquarters demonstrated.  
  
"See?" Sergeant Katzaar said to Sergeant Mitsuki in his office. He indicated the logs he had downloaded from his district's sector patrol teams, logs that contained the comm records from each GP ship in his district. Every GP ship's communications were constantly monitored and recorded.  
  
"That Mihoshi made a private call while she was in her sector," he said. "That's technically a private call made while she and Kiyone were on duty, even if they were coming off PT. That's another write- up. That's three for Mihoshi now. I can request a disciplinary hearing on Mihoshi. She'll either go down entirely or get busted to Basic Constable and reassigned to remedial training. That'll break up those two. And no one wants Kiyone for a partner. She'll be stuck in Base Supply to count boxes or someplace similar or maybe even asked to resign. So...shall I proceed?"  
  
Mitsuki stood very still, looking at the log file on the viewscreen of Sergeant Katzaar's desk console. His office was just a short walk from her new office in Field Logistics. But it had seemed a very long walk indeed to the red-haired Sergeant. She had feared...well, something different. It was a fear she had lived with for some time now. She was sick of the fear--and a little sick of Sergeant Katzaar. He would pursue her with equal relish if it benefited him, she knew. But she could not let him know she felt that way about him.  
  
Ironically, Sergeant Katzaar might have nailed Kiyone for the same violation, since she had called both Washuu and her parents from the Yagami. But those calls were made before she and Mihoshi had entered their patrol sector--they were still on PT and thus still off duty. Kiyone was too sharp to make a blunder like that. Ordinarily, Mihoshi was, too. But concern about Kiyone had caused Mihoshi to mess up big time.  
  
"That's really technical. I mean really, really technical," Mitsuki equivocated.  
  
"It makes no difference. You know that. It's a write-up...a valid violation." Sergeant Katzaar didn't add that employing that type of discipline wholesale would thin the GP's rank pretty thoroughly. They both knew this was personal, although pains would be taken to make it appear objective.  
  
Outwardly, Mitsuki appeared calm and thoughtful, but inwardly she wracked her brain. She needed to find a way to get Katzaar to back off. This wouldn't do at all. Then her febrile staff-trained mind came up with a solution.  
  
"That's great, Youri. That really is!" Mitsuki injected enthusiasm into her voice as easily as she injected compassion, understanding-- and even affection--when it suited her purpose. "But I see one point you might have overlooked."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"Two words: Chief Bodai."  
  
But Sergeant Katzaar just brushed that point aside. "He can't argue with the regs. He can't oppose a hearing if I ask for one. He doesn't write my performance report...Lieutenant Zay're does." To Sergeant Katzaar--as to any savvy staffer--that meant he was bullet- proof.  
  
Inwardly, Mitsuki groaned. This was going to be tougher than she thought. In his own pig-headed way, Katzaar had courage, even integrity. And he was absolutely convinced that Kiyone and Mihoshi-- especially hapless Mihoshi--were blots on the GP escutcheon, blots that needed wiping off.  
  
She pressed on, regardless. "Yes, that's right, as far as it goes. So then let me add two more words, friend Youri: Grand Marshall."  
  
This time Sergeant Katzaar wasn't quite so flippant. "Yes...that slacker Mihoshi has had her grandfather's influence behind her. But this is a direct reading off the GP regs. He cannot interfere or he'll be in hot water himself with the Civilian Advisory Board and the High Commissioner. The High Commissioner is no friend of the Grand Marshall, you know."  
  
Damn it...Youri had an answer for everything! Mitsuki was becoming upset, although it wasn't apparent on her smiling face. "You're right again. However, I was thinking of what something so drastic as a disciplinary hearing on the Grand Marshall's own granddaughter based on purely technical violations might provoke."  
  
"I don't get you, Mitsuki." Sergeant Katzaar frowned. He had expected Lieutenant Zay're's fiancée to be grateful, not nitpicking, about all his hard work.  
  
"Look Youri, what you have here is a squeaker...a case for a disciplinary hearing that barely--only barely--meets the criteria. Now, you have a high-profile officer like Mihoshi. Surely, Chief Bodai would protest strongly to the officers picked to administer the hearing that these aren't fit grounds for disciplinary action. The hearing officers could very well agree, since these violations are routinely made by lots of officers."  
  
"Hmmm..." Sergeant Katzaar seemed to recognize that Mitsuki had made a strong point. "So you think the case may be too weak to stand up to a strong challenge...a challenge made openly by Chief Bodai...and, perhaps, covertly by the Grand Marshall?"  
  
Inwardly, Mitsuki sighed with relief. "Yes, that's what I think. You'll look like you're persecuting Mihoshi, maybe. I don't know if a hearing has been ever called for three such tiny technical violations, but I doubt it."  
  
Sergeant Katzaar nodded. Yes, that was a very telling point. If the hearing officers thought the violations too minor, they would not take action that could result in a fellow officer being demoted--again--or dismissed. And Sergeant Katzaar himself might come out of it looking like a martinet, which he certainly did not want to happen.  
  
"Besides...this is Mihoshi we're taking about, Youri. Mihoshi! It's not a matter of if she'll screw up royally. It's just a matter of when." Mitsuki injected light-hearted banter into her voice. "With Kiyone pinging like she must be these days, it's very likely Mihoshi will make the kind of blunder that even Chief Bodai and her grandfather can't ignore. Then she's caught, dead-bang. Right?"  
  
"Yes. That's right," Sergeant Katzaar said. "So you feel I should just write up Mihoshi for this violation but not request a hearing?"  
  
"That's it. Just wait for her to do something more substantially wrong. She will."  
  
Sergeant Katzaar looked at Mitsuki appreciatively. "That's very wise," he said. "Thank you, Mitsuki. I may well have committed a blunder without your advice."  
  
"Think nothing of it Youri. That's what friends are for."  
  
Walking back to her office a few minutes later, Mitsuki reflected on the hollowness of her last statement. Friend? Youri was no friend, just an ally in a political intrigue. All of her staff officer "friends" were really just acquaintances and rivals. That was what made her position so perilous, Mitsuki realized. She had played hardball at Headquarters for some time now--in return, her fellow staffers would only play hardball with her. No one would cover up for her or come to her aid if...if the truth somehow came to light. Even her fiancée would drop her, but quick.  
  
At any rate, Mitsuki didn't want to pile any more trouble on Kiyone's and Mihoshi's backs. Official harassment as a weapon against those two just wasn't working. Mihoshi, in particular, was standing up to it amazingly well. Mitsuki had been certain that Mihoshi would have pitched a hissy fit and resigned...but she hadn't. And Kiyone, damn her, was bloodied but unbowed. And she still had Chief Bodai on her side.  
  
Kiyone! Mitsuki cursed the name.  
  
Mitsuki had felt the hot breath of Kiyone on her back ever since they had both started at the Academy. She had beat Kiyone out at the Academy for the top ranking--barely--and happenstance had allowed her to almost attain Sergeant rank first. That is, Mitsuki hadn't drawn the trouble-prone Mihoshi as a partner. Then, simply because she had obeyed orders and tried to arrest Kiyone when the Kagato rebellion had begun and then pursued her doggedly, Mitsuki had lost her promotion opportunity, had seen Kiyone promoted instead, and even had to endure Kiyone as her boss! It had been unbearable, especially when Kiyone had lorded it over her so nastily. Mitsuki had been reduced to a damned flunky, serving tea to that bitch! That bitch whose parents were nobodies, who had tried to borrow money all the time from her during their Academy days. Kiyone had finally become less patronizing to her, but it had been far too late.  
  
Mitsuki had planned, plotted, and schemed--she was a well-trained staff officer--and had knocked Kiyone off her high horse and down to where she belonged. If only Kiyone had been dismissed then! That was what should have happened, what Mitsuki had counted on happening. But no. That damned Mihoshi and her grandfather! Mihoshi could not be retained if Kiyone was not, since they were equally "guilty." Thus, Kiyone was kept on the rolls.  
  
Mitsuki had tried to visit Kiyone when the latter had been in the area on PT just the other day, to try to sound her out. Perhaps some sort of compromise could have been reached. But Kiyone had not been at home. An acquaintance of Mitsuki's had informed her that she saw Kiyone researching an old case in the Records Depository. That meant that Kiyone was still trying to make that spectacular bust, to get her reputation and credibility back...and her rank. If she did, and she and Mitsuki became equals in rank, then Mitsuki knew well that Kiyone would give her no rest. Kiyone would probe and probe and keep pushing at her covertly until Mitsuki cracked with guilt and fear and remorse. And, under such circumstances, Mitsuki knew she would eventually crack. Because, in her heart, she knew Kiyone was the stronger.  
  
And so Mitsuki could still feel the hot breath of her former friend on her back...and knew that if Kiyone ever caught up to her, it would be the end of all her hopes and dreams.  
  
Mitsuki also knew another horrible truth. She was alone. All her maneuvering and scheming had gotten her higher rank but no real friends, even outside the GP. Her fiancée was fond of her, but he didn't love her to the extent that he would forgive her if the truth came out. For Kamin Zay're, a marriage had to make sense career-wise, first, last, and always. Her own family would be horrified to learn the truth. They were upright people and would demand she confess her transgression to her superiors. Mitsuki had lost touch with her former friends on her home planet and knew it would be fruitless to try to renew friendships she herself had abandoned. Chief Bodai was plain flat against her...only a lack of concrete evidence stayed him from taking action against her. Yes, she was all alone. In a Headquarters containing thousands and thousands of people, she was friendless and alone.  
  
When she reached her office, Mitsuki shut the door and locked it. Then she cried. She cried like she hadn't cried since she left her family and childhood friends behind to attend the Galaxy Police Academy.  
  
It didn't help.  
  
------  
  
Back on Earth, the Masaki household was preparing to welcome three members of their extended family home. Unfortunately, someone wasn't cooperating.  
  
"So where are they already?" Ryoko called down from her perch on one of the ceiling beams. "I thought Kiyone told Washuu it'd be around noon."  
  
"She did. It's just about noon now," Tenchi said.  
  
He was standing, all alone, in the living room...all alone except for Ryoko, whom he was trying to shoo down from the rafters and persuade to go into the kitchen with the others. As he looked up at Ryoko, he could hear slight noises from the kitchen. Everyone but he and Ryoko was in there, waiting.  
  
"Come on down, Ryoko," he said for the third time.  
  
"You know how to get me down, sweetums," Ryoko told him, smiling winsomely.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Oh, please."  
  
"I said no!"  
  
"I won't come down then."  
  
"You'll ruin the surprise, Ryoko."  
  
"I suppose I will, huh?" She smiled saucily down at her Tenchi. "It's such a little thing I'm asking, sweetums."  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi said firmly, "I am not going to let you give me a body massage. You should stop watching TV if you're going to get crazy ideas like that."  
  
"It's not crazy! Those women were really enjoying it--and the men were, too." Ryoko rocked a little on the beam. "You work so hard, Tenchi. You need a nice massage...from your curly head to your cute little toes."  
  
"My hair is not curly. It's straight. Besides--"  
  
"Oooooohhhh...when I get done massaging you, your hair will curl all right."  
  
"That is enough!" The voice just barely preceded the form bustling in from the kitchen. "Ryoko! Lord Tenchi is not going to be massaged by you today, next year, or the next Millennium. Now come down from there so we may host this homecoming properly. Do you hear me?"  
  
"Yeah, I hear you Princess--and so does everyone over in the village, I'll bet."  
  
"Good! Then they will all understand what we have to put up with. Come down, I said! Lord Yosho is waiting."  
  
"Man..." Ryoko was aggravated. But she wasn't going to discommode Lord Yosho. She knew better than that. She rose from the rafters and floated down to the floor, right next to Tenchi. She blew him a kiss. Tenchi rolled his eyes. He hoped that the surprise homecoming for Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Tris would somehow still come off.  
  
Ayeka led the way to the kitchen. Tenchi and Ryoko followed.  
  
In the kitchen, the counters were piled high with trays containing munchies and finger-food that Sasami had prepared that morning, with her older sister's assistance. All sorts of sweetmeats, rice cakes, fish balls, sushi, and other goodies combined to give the kitchen a chaotic, if wonderful, aroma. Sasami was looking over the food, a bit worried that she had not made enough. She had, in fact, made enough to feed a small army. Both Lord Yosho and Nobuyuki had told her to spare no reasonable expense to cater this homecoming.  
  
Along with the food and Sasami were Lord Yosho as well as Nobuyuki and Washuu. Washuu was wearing a very nice outfit consisting of a pink buttoned down-collar silk blouse and sandstone colored stirrup pants. Her red hair again was carefully brushed into a soft style. As Tenchi and Ayeka and Ryoko walked into the kitchen, Nobuyuki said something to Washuu with a grin. Washuu laughed in response. She playfully tapped his side with a fist. Tenchi watched this with a growing sense that his Dad was back in circulation again, and Washuu was back in circulation as well...but not for long.  
  
Ryo-Ohki nestled by Sasami's feet. She knew something festive was about to take place; her bright eyes gleamed with anticipation. Sasami had made plenty of carrot sticks so that the cabbit could fully join in the homecoming.  
  
"Glad you could join us, Ryoko," Washuu told the space pirate with only mild sarcasm.  
  
"Of course. It's never a party without little old me." Ryoko grinned.  
  
"That, alas, is true," Ayeka said, but she smiled as she said it.  
  
"You know, I don't want to be a party-pooper, but we're going to an awful lot of fuss," Ryoko said. Her gaze took in all the food. "I mean, all these munchies and the streamers and balloons and cut-outs in the dining room. Those three have only be gone a short time, you know."  
  
"Say Ryoko, I thought you didn't need much of a reason to party," Nobuyuki said. He was in an upbeat mood. He had signed the lease on the office in Okayama City where he and his partners would conduct their new venture. He should have been with them now, really, helping them move their supplies in, but he couldn't miss this event. He had promised Tenchi that he would become more of a part of his family's life, and he was sticking to that promise.  
  
"I don't! But it just seems a little overdone."  
  
"Well, maybe it is, Ryoko," Sasami said. "But we're so happy to have them back. You know?"  
  
"Two cops and a goofball? I could toast that with a half cup of sake and have enough left for another toast," Ryoko said, smiling sassily.  
  
"No, not two cops...but our dear friends Kiyone and Mihoshi, who have gone to great pains and risk to help us," Ayeka rejoined.  
  
"And Tristram," Lord Yosho added. "Who has traveled far beyond even his imagination, I think."  
  
"That's right, Grandfather," Tenchi said. "This is quite an event in his life--going into space. I remember how thrilled I was the first time."  
  
"Hey, you were thrilled because you were traveling in space with me," Ryoko corrected him slyly.  
  
"Really? As I remember it, we were traveling with the whole household--and the house!"  
  
Everybody laughed, Ryoko included. There was a brief pause as that strange, dangerous, but wonderful odyssey was brought to mind. Although it led to the family breaking up for a time, it had also served to cement them together. In particular, that voyage to Jurai and the climatic battle and defeat of Kagato had brought Kiyone as well as Mihoshi firmly into the Masaki fold. That memory made the little homecoming party even more poignant.  
  
"Tenchi, why don't you check outside, quickly," Lord Yosho suggested. "See if the three of them are on the grounds yet." Yosho knew it was important to have status updates...otherwise the group would grow tired of waiting and wander off, especially Ryoko.  
  
"Right, Grandfather." Tenchi scooted from the kitchen. He was gone only a moment when he reappeared. "They're walking up to the house now!"  
  
"Great!" Sasami said. She couldn't wait to see Kiyone's, Mihoshi's, and Tris's faces when they sprung the surprise on them. She could sense the same excited anticipation building up in the others. This was so cool!  
  
------  
  
Chief Tor Bodai stood at the desk of Lieutenant Ketquaraz in the Records Depository's secure access room. He was there after normal duty hours; the room was deserted, aside from himself and the acerbic passed-over Lieutenant. The Chief really wanted to get home to his family and dinner, but Lieutenant Ketquaraz had asked him to come to the the depository for a chat and told him the topic concerned Kiyone. That was enough to convince the Chief to come.  
  
Now, with his stomach quietly growling for his wife's good cooking, Chief Bodai eyed the mottle-faced, singularly unattractive visage of Lieutenant Ketquaraz.  
  
"Okay, you got me up here. Now what's this about Detective Makibi and an old case? And why should you care anyway, Zuun?"  
  
The other looked a bit sheepish, if such an expression could have formed on such a dour visage. "Thanks for coming Chief. I know you wouldn't expect or want me to get involved in one of your officer's business. Normally, I wouldn't, but..."  
  
"But?"  
  
"I was impressed with that Kiyone when she was promoted here to Headquarters. I thought she was a real ball of fire, trying to get some of these stiffs around here to stop pushing paper and start busting villains. I'm probably just flattering myself, but she rather reminded me of myself, once."  
  
"No, you're not just flattering yourself, Zuun." The fact was that Lieutenant Ketquaraz had once been an up-and-comer himself, Bodai recalled. But he got involved in a nasty political case and didn't show the discretion that such a case required. He wasn't punished or demoted over it, but his record was red-flagged--not to be considered for promotion. It was a shame and a waste. But in a way, he did it to himself. Rather like Kiyone herself had rather paved the way for her own downfall by being a bit too pushy and impatient with the people she outranked.  
  
Still, the fact remained that Lieutenant Ketquaraz should be doing much more productive work than just minding the Records Depository. That was a job better suited to a civilian contractor. But it was hellishly hard to get the required Zeta-level security clearance for a civilian. That was the excuse used to keep Lieutenant Ketquaraz behind that desk, year after year.  
  
"Thanks, Chief. That means something, coming from you. Anyway, I always felt that mistaken identity case against her sounded pretty weak. That missing full ID-comparo report--that would be easy to fake. I understand you're re-investigating the case, Chief."  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Any progress?"  
  
"No. But the investigation isn't over." And it wasn't...but it was all but over, unfortunately. Chief Bodai had hit a dead end, but didn't want to admit it publicly.  
  
Lieutenant Ketquaraz nodded. "That's good. Well, I'd like to see Detective Makibi get a little justice from the system. That's why I care."  
  
"I'm glad, Zuun. I was afraid you'd just given up and resigned yourself to being retired on active duty," Chief Bodai told him. It was a surprise and a nice surprise at that.  
  
"Well, I'm not that fossilized yet, Chief. Anyway, the reason I called you is because Kiyone was here during her PT the other day. There's never enough PT allocated to get your personal things done, you know. So when she spent some of her PT here in Headquarters to research an old case, I thought it had to be more than just academic interest...that the case had to be important, something she was counting on to help her. She admitted as much to me when she was here."  
  
"Hmmm." Chief Bodai was interested now. "So what happened?"  
  
"She read the case files. Then she became really depressed...she seemed let down in a big way. It surprised me. It was an old case that involved the Jurai royals, so it required a special logging and I warned her about that. She looked at it anyway and it seemed to be a big-time disappointment to her. She made a few comm calls and left without saying a word. So I checked out the case myself. Funny thing was, the case was already hopeless to being with."  
  
"Oh? What case was it?" Chief Bodai asked.  
  
"It's a old case that's still open because the perp never received punishment," Lieutenant Ketquaraz explained. "He was some prof who messed with little kids' minds in some way, covertly. A real scumbag. He got caught. One of those kids was the First Princess of Jurai, Ayeka Jurai herself, back when she was a little girl. So he got steamrollered but good in the courts...you know why. Anyway, he collapsed in custody and became a mental vegetable, rotting in some institution on Souiis. He'll die there eventually and that will close the case."  
  
"I think I heard something about that case, a long time ago," Chief Bodai said thoughtfully. "It was pretty close-hold and no one in the GP covered themselves with glory over it, as I understand."  
  
"Exactly, Chief. That was back when things weren't nailed down like they are now, and the Jurai royals could run a little roughshod over the system. Anyway, it's a hopeless case, because the perp is a vegetable and can't confess and can't be punished. Kiyone is one of the smart ones. So why would she even bother wasting her PT looking into that old case...unless she had some reason to think there may be something new that will re-open it?"  
  
Chief Bodai nodded. He had entirely forgotten about his empty stomach. "Yes, that makes sense, Zuun. But after reading the full particulars of the case she seemed disappointed, you say."  
  
"That's right...very, very disappointed. Now, I know you're in her corner, Chief. At least, you're out to see that she gets a fair shake. I'm worried that perhaps Detective Makibi is being led down the garden path again. You see what I mean?"  
  
Chief Bodai looked grim. "Yes, I do, Zuun. It could be a trick to get her to re-open an old case that the Jurai royal family is intimately interested in. If she re-opens such a sensitive case and ultimately can't do anything with it, the Jurai royals will raise hell and she'll be a goner. No doubt about it. And I'm afraid young Kiyone is desperate enough to take a chance like that. Yes...it could be another set-up."  
  
Lieutenant Ketquaraz's already grim visage now matched Chief Bodai's. "That's what I suspect. If she was set up to take a fall in that Slaakive case, then it could be happening again. That's the only reason I got into her business and alerted you. I hope I haven't wasted your time, Chief."  
  
Chief Bodai regarded the old Lieutenant with open approval. "No, you didn't waste my time, Zuun. You're all right. I appreciate your taking an interest. It was a good catch on your part."  
  
"Thanks, Chief." Lieutenant Ketquaraz's unlovely features looked a bit less sour.  
  
"I'll look into the case, myself and put out some feelers. I'd appreciate it if you would do the same, Zuun."  
  
"The feelers are already out. A few folks owe me favors."  
  
"Good." Chief Bodai hesitated a moment. "Look, Zuun...I've had it on the back burner to try to get you back into duties befitting an officer of your grade and experience. I'm going to put that on the front burner now. No promises, but I may get you back on regular duty, at least away from this hole. Again, no guarantees, of course."  
  
"I know. It's an iffy prospect at best." Now Lieutenant Ketquaraz actually smiled. "I appreciate the effort, Chief."  
  
"You're welcome. Now, I'd better get home before both my dinner and my spouse get ice cold. I'll talk to you later, Zuun."  
  
"Later, Chief."  
  
------  
  
As Chief Bodai and Lieutenant Ketquaraz parted company, another discussion was taking place many light-years away on planet Earth. Only this was in the nature of a technical debate.  
  
"I still say you're taking a chance that Yagami will be spotted by passing aircraft, even with your cloaking that you say defeats radar," Tris was insisting to Kiyone as she and he and Mihoshi walked through the gate and toward the Masaki house. Kiyone and Mihoshi had changed from their uniforms to casual clothing, and Tris wore his Dad's A-2 pilot's jacket once again. All three carried their travel bags. "There's a huge U.S. Air Force base near Tokyo as well as the Japanese Self Defense Forces air force. Pilots have eyeballs as well as radar to rely on."  
  
"We know that. That's why we keep Yagami in your atmosphere for only a brief time, just to transport up and down," Kiyone said. "So the chances of being spotted are tiny. Besides, imagine a pilot, like your father, spotting a big red spaceship hovering somewhere. He reports it. Then, when a sortie is sent out to investigate, there's nothing there anymore. See?"  
  
"Yeah. A bit hard on old Dad, but you're safe enough. I see now."  
  
"Tris, we do think about what we do, you know?" Kiyone said, a bit irritated at his questions that seemed to register a lack of confidence in the GP and her and Mihoshi's own practices.  
  
"I know. I'm just asking. I'm interested and I'm not smart enough to figure it out by myself," Tris said, smiling disarmingly.  
  
"Aw...don't hand me that," Kiyone said skeptically. But she smiled, too.  
  
"Gosh, Tris," Mihoshi said, bringing up the rear, toting her travel bag and Trissy, "I've always kind of wondered about that myself."  
  
"Mihoshi, I've explained it to you--several dozen times!" Kiyone performed an eloquent eye roll.  
  
"You did? I don't remember, Kiyone. I'm sorry."  
  
"Just remember it next time." Kiyone paused as they reached the front door of the house. "Hey. I wasn't expecting them to meet us outside, but the house sure seems quiet. Where is everyone?"  
  
"Probably inside," Tris said.  
  
"But I don't hear anything from inside," Kiyone pointed out.  
  
Tris listened. "Hey, you're right. Silent as a tomb."  
  
"Please don't say it like that, Tris," Mihoshi requested, acting a bit spooked already by the silent Masaki house.  
  
"Okay, Mihoshi, sorry."  
  
"Could they be gone?" Kiyone asked. "I told Washuu we'd be back around noon. Tris, what time is it?"  
  
Tris checked his vintage Omega. "Around a quarter past noon, Tokyo Time."  
  
"I don't understand this," Kiyone said.  
  
"And I don't like it," Mihoshi added.  
  
"Well, let's just go in," Tris suggested. "Maybe they left a note or something."  
  
"Right." With her left hand, the one not clasping the handle of her travel bag, Kiyone tried the front door handle. It turned easily. "Not locked," she reported.  
  
"Hmmmm..." Tris said.  
  
Kiyone opened the door. She walked in, followed by Tris and Mihoshi, the latter looking apprehensive. Mihoshi put down her travel bag and closed the door behind them. She clutched Trissy close to her.  
  
On the genkan floor, Tris spotted only a few pairs of house slippers-- the ones the three of them usually wore. He grinned. Kiyone had noticed it, too. She grinned back at him.  
  
"Well! Well!" Tris said in a booming voice. "This joint is deserted! Maybe everyone moved to Jurai so they could live at the Palace and eat for free. You think?"  
  
"Sure!" Kiyone replied, catching on. Her loud voice filled the living room. "That's just what they did! Abandoned us!"  
  
"Really?" Mihoshi asked in a scared and sad voice.  
  
Both Tris and Kiyone turned to her and gave her exaggerated winks. Kiyone motioned toward the other parts of the house. Slowly, comprehension came to Mihoshi. "Oooooohhhh..." Her face brightened.  
  
"Probably left us without a morsel of food! We'll starve!" Tris said loudly.  
  
"Yes! I suppose we'd better just go back to Headquarters!" Kiyone agreed just as loudly.  
  
Tris set down his bag. He walked back to the front door and slid it open as noisily as he could.  
  
Then:  
  
"No, don't leave! Wait!"  
  
It was Sasami, hurrying in from the kitchen. "We're all here! We just wanted to surprise you!"  
  
"Golly," Tris exclaimed. "This is some surprise, kitten."  
  
"I know that I am surprised," Kiyone added. "Aren't you, partner?"  
  
"Ummmm...sure!" Mihoshi smiled at Sasami.  
  
Sasami looked gratified.  
  
"Well, we might as well all go on in," they heard Tenchi's voice from the kitchen. In a moment, the living room was filled with him and the others.  
  
"Surprise!" everyone but Lord Yosho cried, pro forma...a few of the voices sounded ironic.  
  
"Wow! This is great!" Mihoshi enthused. "Such a wonderful surprise!"  
  
Tris and Kiyone retained their "surprised" stance. "Yeah," Tris said. "We had no idea you were all in the kitchen."  
  
"Don't lay it on too thick, now," Kiyone muttered to him.  
  
"Well, surprised or not, we want you to know we're glad you're back," Lord Yosho said amiably. "We have a little party planned to celebrate."  
  
"That's great...really great, sir," Tris said sincerely.  
  
"It really is," Kiyone added. "Thank you everyone."  
  
"I can smell the food from here!" Mihoshi was gleeful. "Oh, yay!"  
  
"Lots of food, Mihoshi!" Sasami cried. "And we have the dining room all decorated! Come and see!"  
  
Mihoshi did not need further urging. Still carrying Trissy, she hurried with Sasami to the dining room. Her cries of delight echoed throughout the house.  
  
"Just what have you all done?" Kiyone asked, smiling.  
  
"We just turned a glad occasion into a fun occasion," Tenchi said. "Come on, before the food gets cold."  
  
Kiyone and Tris put down their bags and obligingly followed the others into the dining room. As they did, they exchanged a significant look. Both of them dreaded what Kiyone's report would do to the party mood. Definitely, it could wait until later. Much later.  
  
------  
  
Back at the orbiting Galaxy Police Headquarters, there was something that, unfortunately, couldn't wait.  
  
Chief Bodai found that out when he dutifully returned to his desk module for a last look at his calendar before punching out for the day. His console's comm line pod was blinking. Blinking red. That meant an urgent call, from someone in high authority.  
  
"Oh, hell!" Chief Bodai groaned. His stomach was beginning to think it would never get fed. It rumbled, aggrieved. He thought of his wife, waiting at home for him, and the kids, too. He had promised them that he would find a way to stop coming home so late from work...and they would all hold him to it too, he knew.  
  
But a red-line call was not only important, it was momentous. With a second quick curse under his breath, he punched the comm touchpads. On his viewscreen, he beheld a face he had seen very seldom--the wide-browed, saucer-eyed visage of Captain Pietch Tookal, the executive officer for Lord Romataki Kuramitsu, the Grand Marshall of the Galaxy Police.  
  
Chief Bodai's spirits dropped. One rarely saw the Grand Marshall, or even his staffers, at Bodai's pay grade. If one did, it usually wasn't good. The Grand Marshall had an entire galaxy to police, and he had no time for hobnobbing with lower echelon...and if he found the time, it usually wasn't to give them medals. The saying around the GP was that the best praise from the Grand Marshall was no praise--that is, no notice paid to you.  
  
And here was the Grand Marshall's aide-de-camp himself, on his viewscreen. Chief Bodai suddenly lost his appetite.  
  
Captain Tookal regarded him with a look that might have been sympathetic. "It's Himself," Captain Tookal said. "He wants you."  
  
"Now, I suppose?" Chief Bodai had to ask.  
  
"With Himself, it's always now," Chief Tookal said. "He will be on your viewscreen in a moment." The captain hesitated, and then added, hurriedly, "Chief...say nothing. Just listen. Don't respond. Trust me."  
  
Chief Bodai nodded, mystified. His viewscreen flickered white and gray for a second. Then the screen was filled with a tall-backed, antique-red chair in an austerely decorated but enormous office. The back of the chair faced the cam, so that all Chief Bodai could see was the back of that chair. But the chair was occupied, of course. It was not a typical conversational posture for the eccentric, low- profile, but ruthless and brilliant top cop of the galaxy. The Grand Marshall always confronted people and problems face-to-face.  
  
Remembering Captain Tookal's cautionary words, Chief Bodai kept silent. He didn't need to greet Lord Kuramitsu, anyway. The Grand Marshall knew he was online.  
  
Silence reigned for a few moments. Then the chair moved a bit. A long, thin, pale hand rose from the chair, lazily, to Chief Bodai's view. It was, evidently, as much of a greeting as the Grand Marshall was prepared to give.  
  
"There is nothing more despicable," a low, robust voice declaimed-- the voice of the Grand Marshall, "than nepotism. Saps the morale. Ruins the incentive."  
  
Chief Bodai was silent, minding what Captain Tookal had told him.  
  
"Anyone who practices nepotism should be dismissed. Forthwith. No doubt about it."  
  
Chief Bodai silently agreed with his superior.  
  
"However, one can have a lapse. That is no excuse, but it is, perhaps, understandable. A lapse that one regrets and perhaps feels must be rectified--if there are no developments to extenuate the situation."  
  
Now Chief Bodai understood the seemingly cryptic statements. The Grand Marshall was referring to his own quiet moves to effect the retention of his granddaughter, Mihoshi, in the GP following the Slaakive ID fiasco. Of course, retaining Mihoshi had also meant retaining Kiyone Makibi. Thus, the Grand Marshall really had two questionable retentions on his conscience. The GP was a hard service and the Grand Marshall was equally hard on his people...but he was even harder on himself.  
  
What the Grand Marshall didn't mention, and Chief Bodai certainly wasn't going to bring up, was the former's actions during the Kagato affair. Although the Grand Marshall had held himself seemingly aloof from the apparently traitorous and criminal antics of his own granddaughter in the company of Princess Ayeka and the other fugitives, in reality he had very quietly and subtly maneuvered to help Mihoshi. Somehow, GP attack forces were mis-directed to the wrong sector, numerous false leads tied up the GP task force arrayed against the then-renegade Princess Ayeka, and so forth. At one point, the Princess and her party had been all but allowed to escape from planet Jurai's customs outpost station. Although the uncle of Princesses Ayeka and Sasami had been directly responsible for that, the Grand Marshall had also been involved, Bodai was certain.  
  
But. of course, the Princess and her accomplices had all been vindicated ultimately--and, accordingly, so had the Grand Marshall's covert aid to his granddaughter. That wasn't the case this time around.  
  
"I appreciate the efforts of any officer who seeks the truth. May he find evidence that shows an injustice has been done. Perhaps, then, a lapse in strictly objective administration may be forgivable. But one cannot wait forever. Such evidence must surface soon...or corrective action must be taken."  
  
Again, Chief Bodai saw the hand rise. Then his comm viewscreen went blank.  
  
Despite the lateness of the hour and the sure resentment further delay would provoke from his family, Chief Bodai sat down to mull over the remarkable performance he had just witnessed silently.  
  
Of course, the reason he had been bidden to be silent and why the Grand Marshall had not faced him was obvious--the Grand Marshall wanted to be able to deny later that he had either seen Bodai or talked to him about Mihoshi and Kiyone. It was called plausible deniability. The tactic was essential for the Grand Marshall to protect himself, especially with an aggressive civilian board to answer to, headed by a High Commissioner who wasn't a huge fan of his. In fact, it was rumored the High Commissioner had several officers in mind to replace Lord Romataki Kuramitsu, if the latter could ever be persuaded to retire...or be forced to.  
  
Equally obvious was the message Lord Kuramitsu had relayed so obliquely to Bodai. Many people in the GP resented Mihoshi and Kiyone still being on the force. A case for a charge of nepotism existed. Presumably, the Grand Marshall was feeling pressure from somewhere about it, possibly from the High Commissioner but more likely from highly influential citizens with relatives in the GP-- such as Lieutenant Zay're's powerful family dynasty. Yes, that was most likely it. The Grand Marshall felt compelled to take "corrective action"--that is, lower the boom on Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu-- if no extenuating information, such as evidence of a conspiracy against them, could be unearthed. The search for such information-- at the recommendation of the High Commissioner himself--was what he, Chief Bodai, was supposed to be doing. And he was failing miserably at it.  
  
So...if he didn't find some hard facts to help those two young women, their case would be re-heard, and they would receive even more stringent punishment. At the very least, they both would be busted down to Basic Constable, the same rank held by a new Academy grad, and given low-priority duties like monitoring communications--"comm drones" was the term given to the rookies who were given that duty. Mihoshi might be able to stand it since she was pretty resilient in some ways, but the proud Kiyone would either go into a deep depression or resign--probably both. Certainly, any career prospects from such a demotion would be bleak. And that was the best they could hope for! They could also end up being summarily dismissed from the GP--a singular disgrace that would haunt their job-hunting efforts forever. After all, who would want to hire a former cop fired for cause? Mihoshi's family was rich, and she would not suffer so much from terminal unemployment. But Kiyone was a different matter.  
  
Chief Bodai rose. If all that was not bad enough, he now had an indication that those two young women's enemies might be drawing them into another sucker trap, one that would seal their professional fates for good. Somehow, he had to find time to redouble his efforts on their behalf. Chief Bodai had no idea how he would do that. He would just have to, that was all.  
  
He left his office. Time, finally, to go home...and he would see just how cold his supper and his family had become.  
  
------  
  
At the Masaki home, the food had no opportunity to grow cold. It had been either consumed or put away.  
  
The streamers, balloons, and cut-outs (mainly of stars and hearts) were, at last, taken down. Everyone had returned, after a brief respite, to the dining room table. Most of them were still in a festive mood. It had been a happy and fun party, except perhaps for three of the partiers.  
  
During the party, Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Tris had cornered Nobuyuki and congratulated him warmly on his new venture. Kiyone had also imparted to Tenchi's father the good news about subletting their apartments and having much more to contribute each month to the Masaki budget. Nobuyuki had looked pleased, but protested that the gesture had not been necessary. Kiyone had insisted that it was, and that ended that.  
  
Now Kiyone and Mihoshi would have to relay to their friends the full and discouraging facts concerning Professor Klove. Ironically, the party itself, which had been so well meant, only served to make that chore even more difficult.  
  
Once everyone, including Washuu and Sasami, had re-settled at the table at her request, Kiyone rose to deliver her report.  
  
She had only gotten a few words out when Ryoko said, "Hey, just tell me if that Klove guy is out of the clink. If he is, I'll get Ryo-Ohki operational and we'll scout around. There's still a few outlaws out there who owe me favors. Bet I can pinpoint him quick."  
  
"But what about the Galaxy Police?" Sasami asked Ryoko. "They're still after you and Ryo-Ohki, you know."  
  
"Hah! Those cops? Why, I'll--" Then Ryoko looked at Kiyone and Mihoshi. "Well...I'll just elude them, like always."  
  
Kiyone gritted her teeth. Ryoko sure wasn't making any of this easier for her.  
  
"Well, we shall see about that, Ryoko," Ayeka interceded then. "But I truly have a good reason to interrupt you, Kiyone. A question must be answered before we go any further."  
  
"What's that, Ayeka?" Kiyone asked.  
  
The Princess appeared troubled but determined.  
  
"You have all been very kind to allow me to join your discussions," she said softly. "But the fact remains that either Professor Klove or a confederate does have access to...my thoughts. That is without question. Now that you are so close to resolving this situation, perhaps I should leave you all to your deliberations. I shall not take offense if you all feel that would be best. Truly, I do not wish to be more of a burden or a threat than I already am."  
  
An uncomfortable silence followed Ayeka's statement.  
  
Then Tenchi spoke up. "I don't want you to leave the table, Ayeka. I don't know what our enemy knows or will know. I don't care. That enemy will not separate us or cause any kind of rift among us. Does everyone agree?"  
  
Washuu seemed to be about to speak. Instead, she looked down at the table. Ryoko glared at Washuu, as if daring her to say anything.  
  
Sasami regarded her big sister sadly. The little Princess knew the wisest course would be to send Ayeka away. Yet, despite what her big sister had said, Sasami knew that doing so would devastate Ayeka.  
  
Lord Yosho and Nobuyuki exchanged glances but contributed nothing.  
  
Mihoshi then nudged Kiyone. Kiyone nodded at her and then glanced at Tris. Tris nodded back.  
  
"Ayeka," Kiyone then said quietly, "there's no reason for you to leave, anyway. I'm afraid we brought back information that will make it very difficult for us to find the culprit."  
  
All eyes were on her. Kiyone, in a flat voice, then related in detail what she had discovered about Professor Klove, including his whereabouts and his present condition. She was very thorough and very definite. When she finished, it was clear that the party was over.  
  
A long silence ensued. The others seemed stunned at what they had heard. Stunned at the apparent dead end that was--or seemed to be-- the Klove case.  
  
Even Lord Yosho looked perturbed. "That is certainly not the information we expected," he said finally. It was a masterful bit of understatement.  
  
Tenchi struggled to phrase his question politely to Kiyone. He did not want to give her the wrong impression, but the information was simply incomprehensible to him.  
  
"Kiyone, I really hate to ask this. But...are you certain? Is there any room for doubt at all? Any way that your infomation could be wrong?"  
  
"No," she said, firmly. "I only wish there was, Tenchi. I really do. But these are close-hold files I read, almost above my access level, and I have Zeta-level clearance as a GP officer. Those are the bona fide and complete case files, without question. I called the institution on Souiis and Professor Klove is there all right, has been there for ages, and he's been comatose, a vegetable, the entire time. The professional staff there is rotated regularly and the support staff is contracted and recruited from outside Souiis. Even if Klove was awake and lucid, he would have no chance of co-opting someone at the institution."  
  
"He has received no visitors?" Lord Yosho queried.  
  
"None," Kiyone said. "No visitors, no contact from outside, in all the years he's been there. If Klove has an accomplice, they've never communicated together."  
  
"And his brain activity really is random and chaotic?" Washuu asked. "Is he brain-scanned regularly?"  
  
Kiyone nodded. "Yes, at least three times a week, and at irregular times too. He cannot know when he'll be brain-scanned, and he is monitored both visually and by vital signs constantly. He's fed by tube and--er, cleaned up--daily. He can't be faking it...not after all this time."  
  
Washuu nodded glumly. There seemed no doubt of that.  
  
"Fed!" Ryoko angrily shook her platinum-haired head. "They should just let that crud die. Save the expense to the taxpayers!"  
  
"Our legal system does not allow for that," Ayeka informed Ryoko. "As I understand it, a convicted criminal must be punished if at all possible. If there is one chance in a million that he may recover and then be able to serve at least a portion of his sentence, then he must be kept alive."  
  
"That's right, Ayeka," Kiyone affirmed. Mihoshi nodded.  
  
"Oh," Ryoko said, seemingly mollified. "I guess that makes sense. If he ever comes to, that is."  
  
"Incidentally, since when did you ever feel a twinge for the poor Union taxpayers?" Ayeka asked Ryoko acidly. The information brought back from GP Headquarters had disturbed her as much as it had the others...perhaps even more so. She was snappish and out of sorts and Ryoko was a handy target. "Your antics have cost many millions of Jurais in police resources, not to mention property damage and insurance costs." Ayeka's voice rose. "Your sudden sympathy for the people who have had to absorb all that is--"  
  
"Ayeka," Tenchi said. "Not now. Please."  
  
Ayeka looked at him, her face flushed. Then she slowly regained her composure. "You are right, Lord Tenchi," she said. "That was uncalled for and inappropriate. I...I offer my apologies, Ryoko."  
  
"No need to apologize, Princess," Ryoko said. "You're just damned upset--like we all are." The space pirate looked challengingly at Kiyone. "Listen, I'm trying to stay nice and polite here, but what you've told us is just...crap! It can't be true!"  
  
"What do you mean, Ryoko?" Kiyone's face reddened.  
  
"You heard me! We have those emanations Lord Yosho has been sensing--he's never wrong about stuff like that--and the Princess's horrible dreams which are the same dreams she had as a kid, thanks to that bastard Klove, and the business with our wardrobes. Those are facts, Detective! But you tell us this Klove guy couldn't have done it and there's no other suspects! You might as well have stayed right here!"  
  
"Don't you think I know that?" Kiyone flared. "Don't you think this kills me--no clues, no suspect, and no help for Ayeka? Damn it, Ryoko!"  
  
Tenchi tried to intervene. "Now, you two need to..."  
  
"I think you need to go back to your Headquarters in that cop ship of yours and look again!" Ryoko said angrily. She stood up. "I'll help you pack. And this time, you go without Tris or anyone else to distract you!"  
  
Kiyone stood up, too. Her blue eyes blazed. "Nobody speaks to me like that, Ryoko. I don't care how powerful you are. I won't take that from you!"  
  
Mihoshi tried to intervene. "Kiyone! Please sit down! Ryoko's just upset."  
  
"I won't, partner. I'll never back down--not to a wanted fugitive, I won't!" Kiyone was furious and showed it. Her face flamed with wrath.  
  
"I'm still wanted only because some people valued their damned career over my freedom," Ryoko shot back angrily. "If some people would've had the gratitude and guts to speak up for me while they were being showered with medals and promotions...!"  
  
Now Ayeka rose to her feet. "Ryoko, that is simply not true. It was my duty to speak up for you. Kiyone and Mihoshi would only have ruined their careers and accomplished nothing. I was at fault. I am responsible. Blame me."  
  
"Please listen to her, Ryoko," Sasami said earnestly. "We told you Ayeka was going to try to get all the charges against you dropped. But she wasn't in time. You know why."  
  
Ryoko stared angrily at Sasami. Sasami quailed, genuinely cowed by the space pirate for the first time in her life.  
  
"You mean because I screwed up and went back to piracy, huh? Well, let me tell you something...!"  
  
Ryoko stopped. She suddenly grinned. Then she laughed.  
  
"Let me tell you," she said, chuckling, "that robbing those Juraian bigwigs and hearing about a certain royal family's reaction to it...well, it almost makes still being wanted by the cops worth it! What a hoot!"  
  
Then Ryoko laughed again. "God, the look on that one woman's face-- "Don't you know that I am a personal friend of Princess Ayeka Jurai?" Hah! I robbed her blind for that! Took her flashy ring--it was too good for her, anyway." Ryoko looked slyly at Ayeka, who stared back at her, appalled and speechless.  
  
Then...Ayeka laughed also, helplessly.  
  
"Ohhhh...!" she said through her laughter, "I am terrible to laugh about it--terrible--but I know exactly whom you mean, Ryoko. She is such a prig! She waved that ring under my nose every time we met. I privately loved the fact that she was robbed! I did! I admit it! It was wonderful!"  
  
Now Ryoko and Ayeka both laughed together.  
  
"So you did steal that ring from her!" Ayeka chortled. "That Zarian Brilliant."  
  
"Yeah, I did, Princess--it was a pleasure!" Ryoko chuckled.  
  
"I knew it! You are incorrigible, Ryoko!" But Ayeka still laughed gaily.  
  
Tenchi, relief calming his features, relaxed. He glanced at his father and his grandfather. Neither had made a move during the Kiyone-Ryoko dust-up. Those two women often butted heads, figuratively speaking, but this had threatened to be a real fight between them. Yet his father and grandfather hadn't intervened. That was odd, he thought. But, then again, maybe it wasn't so odd. Both of them were older and wiser than he and knew better how to handle such things, Tenchi realized. He still had a lot to learn.  
  
Washuu caught his eye and winked at him. It seemed as if she had read his thoughts.  
  
"So you're still a space pirate, you space pirate!" Kiyone rapped out. But there was a ghost of a smile on her lips.  
  
"Guilty!" Ryoko said, still chuckling. "I did it to myself. I admit it. I cut myself off from everyone. If I hadn't, I would have known that you all were planning to get me pardoned."  
  
"That is exactly correct, Ryoko," Ayeka told her. "It is a shame we did not succeed. You deserved to be pardoned. You still do, regardless."  
  
"Thanks, Princess." Ryoko was clearly pleased.  
  
"And I understand your feelings of frustration, Ryoko. But you must not get angry and accusatory to Kiyone. I know she extracted every shred of information she could. And you know it too, do you not?" Ayeka prodded.  
  
"Yeah, I know it. I just shot off my mouth," Ryoko admitted. "It's just so damned frustrating! I was looking forward to tracking that bum down and roasting his innards!" She looked at Kiyone. "I hope you aren't too ticked at me, Kiyone."  
  
Kiyone slowly relaxed her stance. When she spoke it was without a trace of rancor. "Hey, I know how all this frustrates you, Ryoko. I'm a little numb to it now, but it just floored me when I read about Klove in the Records Depository. But mark this well, Ryoko...when I'm on duty, nothing or nobody distracts me. Right?" She stared at Ryoko intently.  
  
"Yeah, that's right. You've proven that a hundred times, Kiyone," Ryoko said, contritely.  
  
"Okay, Ryoko. Thanks. One more thing. Tris not only didn't distract me, he went out of his way not to be a burden. He endured long hours of boredom and ennui to help us get through that trip. He even prodded me and Mihoshi out of our blue funks when that information about Professor Klove at first really mashed us flat. He was an asset on that mission."  
  
"That's right!" Mihoshi added. "He was good and he helped us. He did! He got his head bumped two times, even!"  
  
Now everyone turned to look at Tris. He inwardly groaned. Mihoshi would bring that up! He shrugged. "Aw, shucks...'twern't nothing. Just two more lumps to complete the set."  
  
"Okay, Kiyone, I read you," Ryoko said. She turned to Tris. "Do I gotta apologize to you now?"  
  
"Nope." Tris grinned. "You're fine with me, Ryoko."  
  
"Good! Let's get back to cases now." Ryoko plopped down on her mat. Kiyone and Ayeka sat down as well.  
  
Sitting close to Tris, Kiyone smiled at Ryoko bemusedly. Ryoko smiled back. In a way, Kiyone was relieved that Ryoko had finally cleared the air about her ongoing fugitive status. That topic would no longer cast a shadow on their rocky but very real friendship.  
  
"Well," Lord Yosho said. "Perhaps we did wander a bit from the main topic. But it is good to get that point settled. We have all the information there is. We cannot count on some as-yet unfound piece of information to come to light and explain this conundrum. We must discern the answer for ourselves. That much is certain."  
  
"That's right, Grandfather," Tenchi said. "It's up to us to solve this. We can't expect any outside help. That's fine. We defeated Kagato by ourselves and we'll defeat this...whatever it is."  
  
"I don't feel I have much to contribute, everyone," Nobuyuki said. "But I think we need to take a short break, let the air clear, and perhaps resume this in a little while. I've worked a lot of long conferences in my career, and this is always a good idea."  
  
"That's a great idea, Nobie," Washuu said, patting his hand.  
  
"Indeed it is. Does everyone agree?" Lord Yosho queried.  
  
Everyone appeared to. Slowly, the group rose from the table, a few of them stretching out kinks. Sasami retreated to the kitchen, to prepare tea for the next session. Ayeka took Ryoko's arm and led her away. Ryoko, clearly caught by surprise, didn't resist. Tenchi, also surprised, turned to Tris and saw him being led away by Kiyone. He looked at his father and grandfather and shrugged. They smiled back at him.  
  
Suddenly Washuu's ever-present translucent console popped into view. She frowned at it, then quickly opened it up. Her eyebrows arched in surprise as she read the information on the screen.  
  
"Mihoshi," she said, looking up from the console. "Believe it or not, you have a call waiting at my comm console in the lab. It's from your father."  
  
Mihoshi clapped her hands together. "Goodie!" She smiled at the great scientist. "I believe it, Washuu. I gave Daddy the comm link protocol and access code for your comm console. I was expecting a call from him. Is that all right?"  
  
"As right as rain, Mihoshi," Washuu said. "You'd better take it now, while we're having this break. I'll go down to the lab with you."  
  
"Oh, I can find it, Washuu."  
  
"I know, but I have...some things to do there." Washuu really didn't, but she wasn't about to let Mihoshi wander around in her lab alone. Mihoshi had a proclivity for accidentally setting off devices in the lab with disastrous results. Washuu could see a few relieved faces now, thanks to her insistence on following Mihoshi to the lab. She grinned. "Let's go."  
  
"Okay."  
  
------  
  
Ayeka finally stopped pulling at Ryoko to follow her after they both walked outside the house. She stopped finally, halfway to the gate. Ryoko stopped too. She looked at Ayeka with curiosity.  
  
"Hey, what is it, Princess?" Ryoko asked. "If you're still ticked off by what I said in there..."  
  
"No, that is not it, Ryoko."  
  
"Well, what is it?"  
  
Ayeka took a moment to contemplate the balmy spring day. Being cooped up in the house made one forget just how lovely and pleasant--if a bit warmish--it was outside. There was just a breath of breeze stirring the budding leaves on the trees. The sky was a gorgeous blue, almost cloudless. The sun was a golden ball in that sea of blue. It reflected glowingly on the lake. Ayeka sighed appreciatively. Earth was not Jurai. But it had its own beauty. She loved Earth. She could stay here forever. She wanted to stay here forever...with Lord Tenchi.  
  
"I am tempted to suggest we continue our discussions out there," she remarked. "But the lovely weather would likely prove to be a distraction. Do you not agree, Ryoko?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so," Ryoko said. She looked at Ayeka quizzically.  
  
Ayeka pressed on. "And speaking of distractions...I want to talk to you about Kiyone and Tristram, Ryoko," she said.  
  
"Huh? What about them?"  
  
"This whole affair--I mean, episode--with those two has been surprising and perhaps a bit disorientating," Ayeka said primly.  
  
"Affair is a better word for it, Princess." Ryoko grinned.  
  
"That is just what I mean! Accusing Kiyone of allowing Tristram to-- distract her. You persist in making their relationship sound sordid and vulgar. It is not, Ryoko."  
  
"Aw, I know that. Kiyone is a straight arrow. She's probably all a-twitter at even the thought of...you know...with Tris. Heavy necking and petting is about her speed right now, I'll bet."  
  
"Good heavens! You even make innocent physical affection sound sordid," Ayeka reproved her. "At any rate, if you are as certain as I am that those two have not...gone beyond the bounds...why do you persist in acting as if they have?"  
  
"Well..." Ryoko watched a butterfly flit from flower to flower in the front lawn's small garden. The Princess had made a salient point. In truth, Ryoko actually admired Kiyone for the way she handled Tris. She had decided she wanted him and she got him! That Tris might think he was romancing and pursuing Kiyone, but he was the pursued all along. That was how Ryoko felt real romance should be. "I guess I'm just kind of goofing with Kiyone. In her place, I sure wouldn't just be playing kissy-face."  
  
"I see. In her place, you really would...go that far?"  
  
"Listen, Princess." Ryoko turned to stare boldly at Ayeka. "I'm talking about Kiyone's situation, not ours. It's just her and Tris. Mihoshi was in there somewhere, but she a non-player now. So if I had my guy free and clear...well, I'd have him any way I could, Princess. And don't look at me like that!"  
  
"I do not mean to," Ayeka said earnestly. "But, Ryoko...even if you were not married to your man you would still give yourself totally to him?"  
  
"Hey, don't get the idea I don't want to get married," Ryoko said. "Sure I want marriage. But if that wasn't in the cards--and I loved the guy like I love Tenchi--yeah, I would."  
  
Ayeka slowly nodded. "Then that is a prime difference between you and myself, Ryoko. No matter how much I loved a man, if there was no true commitment, no matrimony...then I would not give myself to him. It would be impossible. A lifetime of training and instruction and obligation...no, I just could not."  
  
"Yeah, that's a big difference between us two, Princess. But don't let it worry you. I told you I'd play fair. Tenchi will have to choose me, and I mean loud and clear, before we'd ever go beyond the kissy-face stuff Kiyone and Tris are doing. Not that we're doing that much even now--damn it."  
  
Ayeka smiled. "I share your feelings there, Ryoko. Both of us pine for him. We must keep urging Lord Tenchi to choose. And we must be united in this at least, Ryoko."  
  
"Don't worry, Princess. We are." Ryoko spoke firmly and looked Ayeka straight in the eye as she did.  
  
"That is all right, then." Ayeka was satisfied. "Now, please try to avoid talking about Tris and Kiyone in such a bawdy manner, Ryoko. It really does upset Kiyone, and the whole relationship must be a strain for her, anyway. She did not go looking for a boyfriend and the boyfriend she has now...I have affection for Tristram, but...well, never mind that. Do you agree?"  
  
"Sure. At least, I'll keep the jokes clean, Princess." Ryoko smiled with her usual sass.  
  
Ayeka sighed with resignation. That was the best she could hope for, she knew.  
  
------  
  
Kiyone led Tris to Tenchi's and his bedroom, which was getting to be a rather familiar meeting place for them. She guided him into the room with a firm hand, glanced out the door, and then slid it closed.  
  
Tris raised his eyebrows. "We have to stop meeting like this," he said. "For one thing, I don't always make my bed."  
  
Kiyone smiled at him. "Clown!" Then her expression sobered. "Tell me--were you upset about what Ryoko said?" She held up a hand. "Really, Tris...the truth, now."  
  
"Nope. Standard Ryoko. It's water down my back and I'm a duck. You know."  
  
"Yeah, I know. You are pretty hard to rile, sometimes. I like that. I wish I was more like that," Kiyone admitted.  
  
"Well, you know I have my purple moments too, Blue Eyes. You just care about things pretty deeply, and I wouldn't want you any differently. I know no one else would, either." Tris smiled. "You sure backed down Ryoko! Now, that was worth a couple of ricochet insults to watch."  
  
"Oh, she burns me up sometimes! She shoots off her mouth too much and accuses people of things she'd do herself if given the chance. I can imagine how much work would have gotten done if it had been her and Tenchi on that trip. Poor Tenchi would have ended up exhausted trying to fight her off all the time!"  
  
Tris chuckled. "That would be worth seeing!"  
  
"Maybe for you. I've seen enough of that stuff..." Kiyone shrugged. "But Ryoko was really just concerned about not being able to help Ayeka when she spouted off. I can't hold that part of it against her. Besides, I really do like her."  
  
"Yeah, and she likes you, too," Tris told her. "I can tell. You both just don't have any back-down built into you."  
  
Kiyone's beautiful violet blue eyes regarded him warmly. "You clown. I meant what I said to you about the trip. You really impressed me, and I feel so much better about...well, about us."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Uh-huh. Really."  
  
Tris's expression held more than a smidgen of relief. "That's good. I kind of thought my primitive culture showed pretty badly out there in your galaxy."  
  
"Oh, it did!" Kiyone laughed. "But you adapted just fine. That's what I was looking for."  
  
Tris gave Kiyone a quizzical look. "Glad I passed the test. Is there anything I can do for extra credit?"  
  
"Uh-huh...come here and kiss me, idiot."  
  
Tris complied with alacrity. Kiyone held him very close and the kiss was an especially sweet and lingering one. They held each other tightly. Then Kiyone frowned and laid her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.  
  
"Oh, I dread going back to the dining room," she admitted. "I know Mihoshi and I make a brave noise about still cracking this case, but after just covering the bare bones of it again...it still looks hopeless."  
  
"Hah!"  
  
Kiyone raised her head. "What?"  
  
"I said...hah!"  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Listen, Blue Eyes. "Hopeless" is for losers. You've got the finest bunch of folks out there, ready and willing to help. You even have the greatest scientist in the galaxy--she is, you know, just ask her." Tris grinned. "So...to hell with "hopeless." Okay?"  
  
Kiyone took her time and kissed her wonderful idiot boy long and deep. When they parted finally, she said, "Okay."  
  
------  
  
"Thank you, Washuu," Mihoshi said, as she sat down--gingerly--at the ratty-looking modular seat next to the battered, second-hand comm console the great scientist used to communicate outside the Earth. The seat was stronger than it looked, thank goodness. Mihoshi stared at a familiar row of touchpads and a lighted panel. Absently, she brushed away a streak of dust. Gosh, Washuu sure didn't clean very well.  
  
"You're welcome, Mihoshi. Just press the third right-hand pad and you'll be connected to your father." Washuu began to back away. "I'll go wait by the portal, Mihoshi. I won't be able to hear, I promise."  
  
"But..." Mihoshi was confused. "Why shouldn't you be able to hear, Washuu?"  
  
"Because it's a conversation between you and your father, Mihoshi. I'm no snoop."  
  
"I don't object to you listening in, Washuu. I know Daddy won't either." Mihoshi smiled at the great scientist.  
  
"Oh. All right, Mihoshi." Washuu was surprised but flexible. "If you're sure."  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"Okay, I'll stay. Your Dad's waiting."  
  
"Oh, right." Mihoshi pressed the touchpad Washuu had indicated. "Hi, Daddy!"  
  
Washuu grinned. Detective First Class Kuramitsu's voice had just changed to that of a little girl's in addressing her father.  
  
"Hello, Pudding," a powerful masculine voice boomed from the panel. It was a very attractive voice, just chock full of virility and warmth. Washuu made a note to herself that she had to meet this Lord Botaki someday.  
  
"Is everything all right at home, Daddy?"  
  
"Fine, Pudding...nothing has changed since you called from your ship the other day." Lord Botaki's voice had a chuckle in it. He clearly knew his only daughter well and didn't bother to point out her foibles. Washuu could already understand why Mihoshi was able to press on despite so many flubs and missteps. She hadn't been put down while growing up, but encouraged.  
  
"Daddy, were you able to call Kiyone's mother?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
Washuu leaned forward a bit. Kiyone's mother? This was interesting.  
  
"Yes, Pudding. Fortunately, I have a contact with the Galactic Union's personnel services and he was able to get me Kiyone's mother's comm number where she works. You know Kiyone's mother is a recorder for the Union secretariat at that planet they live on, Skeenix, don't you?"  
  
"No, Daddy, I didn't know that. Kiyone only told me her parents were minor functionaries with the Galactic Union. Her big brother is pretty high up now, though, in the Union."  
  
Washuu listened with great interest, standing close to where Mihoshi sat at the console. She really didn't know anything about Kiyone-- the Galaxy Police officer kept mum about her family and background. In contrast, Washuu knew a lot about Mihoshi, her distinguished, high-caste family, and her balmy planet, Kawaiidan.  
  
"Really? That's good to hear. Kiyone's mother is in a position where she has a lot of duties and responsibilities, but her pay is set by the local planetary council. Skeenix is really a poor-mouth planet. So her pay is probably pretty low. You figured right about that, Pudding."  
  
"Uh-huh. And her father's position isn't much higher than her mother's I understand, Daddy."  
  
"I don't know about that, Pudding. If that's true, they aren't well off. It's a shame. But you can't hope to get wealthy working for the government."  
  
Washuu nodded. That was the truth! She remembered the lousy remuneration she got from the Royal Science Academy. Of course, she received no pay now, but it wasn't much worse than when she was part of the Academy faculty. She certainly ate better now--that was for certain.  
  
Mihoshi nodded, too. "Uh-huh. Well, at least Kiyone's Mom and Dad aren't just being mean to her about money. That's good. I mean, it's not good, Daddy, but..."  
  
"I know what you mean, Pudding. Does Kiyone still owe you money?"  
  
"No Daddy. She paid me back, a while ago."  
  
"That's good. Nothing like money to bust up a friendship."  
  
Mihoshi bit her lip. She agreed with her father but didn't want to talk about that in front of Washuu. "So, Daddy...you were able to talk to Kiyone's mother?"  
  
"Yes, finally. I had to jump over some bureaucratic hoops to do it, though. I finally had to use my title to get anywhere with that Skeenix government system. They're a pretty suspicious bunch over there. By the way, her first name is Iyoma."  
  
"Oh. I didn't know that either, Daddy."  
  
"Kiyone is rather closed-mouth about her family, eh?"  
  
"Yes, Daddy."  
  
"Well, she may have reason to be." Lord Botaki's voice was a bit dubious.  
  
"Daddy?"  
  
"Oh, please don't misunderstand me, Pudding. Kiyone's mother--and I'm certain, her father--are respectable enough. But I don't know if I had any success in talking with her. Frankly, that Iyoma Makibi comes off as a pretty cold fish."  
  
"Oh, no! So you don't think she'll call Kiyone...or anything?"  
  
Washuu could see that Mihoshi was upset. Her eyes were beginning to tear up. Her father seemed to be able to read the signs even over the comm line. "Now, Pudding, don't be sad. I didn't say that. Listen, I'll tell you what we said and you make up your own mind. All right?"  
  
"All right, Daddy."  
  
"Well now..." Lord Botaki's voice paused as he collected his thoughts. "I introduced myself and said you were my daughter and that I had met Kiyone briefly at your graduation from the Academy. She replied that that was nice and what did I require? That's wasn't a very good start, Pudding."  
  
"No, Daddy. I guess it wasn't," Mihoshi agreed.  
  
"Especially after having to plow through all that petty bureaucracy first! But I just told her that as your father, I was concerned about the predicament both you and Kiyone are in with the GP. She said she was well aware of her daughter's problems, and that she and her husband had raised their daughter, at least, to solve her own problems. That didn't exactly endear her to me, Pudding. We raised you to solve you own problems, too."  
  
Yes, Washuu thought, Lord Botaki definitely had. Mihoshi didn't always solve her problems by herself and sometimes needed help and hand-holding. But she tried always to be self-sufficient. For one thing, Washuu knew, Mihoshi had resolved to live on her salary from the GP without any handouts from her family, and had succeeded, so far.  
  
"I know you did, Daddy."  
  
"But I tried to remain nice and told that woman that although we expected you to work out your difficulties yourself, it was important that you knew you had the love and support of us, your family. I also told that woman that I and your brothers called you often, just to make certain you knew you weren't alone in this." Lord Botaki's referral to Kiyone's mother as "that woman" clearly indicated his irritation with her. It reminded Washuu of how Princess Ayeka had referred to Tris in the beginning.  
  
"Gosh, Daddy. You put that so well! Mrs. Makibi must have known what you were talking about."  
  
"Well..." Lord Botaki's voice sounded slightly dubious. "She replied that she had informed her daughter that she would be allowed to come home if the worst happened and they would support her until she got another job."  
  
"But I know they told her that already, Daddy! That's so cold! Kiyone needs more than that! I think she was about to cry right there on the bridge when she talked to me about her calling home."  
  
Washuu's eyebrows raised. This was getting damned juicy!  
  
"Pudding, I know that and I understand. I tried to diplomatically say to that woman that perhaps she and her husband should call Kiyone and give her some more emotional support than they have. I think I was diplomatic. I hope I was. But that woman just thanked me and asked me if there was anything else. I said no and she closed the connection."  
  
Mihoshi sat motionless at the comm console. She stared at the lighted panel, as if she could see her father there. Her expression was doleful. "It doesn't sound like she'll do anything, Daddy, does it?"  
  
"No, Pudding. It doesn't. I'm sorry," Lord Botaki replied quietly.  
  
"Why would she be like that, Daddy? Doesn't she love Kiyone?"  
  
"I'm no mentalist, Pudding," Lord Botaki said, his tone indicating he was uncomfortable with the question. "But some parents, especially if their lives and careers aren't terribly successful, tend to invest a lot of their hopes and dreams in their children. In the case of Kiyone's older brother, those hopes and dreams are well invested, from what you tell me. But in Kiyone's case--being a policeman is not considered a high calling by many people. Of course, that's absurd, but that's how a lot of people feel. And when you have a career reversal to boot...well, maybe that's why Kiyone's parents don't seem very sympathetic to her."  
  
Washuu silently agreed. Lord Botaki may not be a mentalist, but Washuu was certain he hit the nail on the head with that analysis. Poor Kiyone! It explained so much...the anger, the defensiveness, the absolute dedication, almost obsession, with career, the unhappiness deep within. Her parents had no idea what they were doing to their daughter. Kiyone was an exceptional person, a real standout, and would go far...but it seemed that she might well have to do it without the home fires burning to keep her warm on the journey. Washuu was alone and had been alone practically forever. But she wasn't a young woman, one who was beset on all sides with frustrations and problems. Then Washuu had another thought, and she smiled slightly. Bless that Tris Coffin, anyway!  
  
"I think I understand, Daddy," Mihoshi murmured, although Washuu suspected she really didn't. "Will Mezim try to call Kiyone's brother?" She was referring to her youngest brother, Washuu knew, who still lived at home with his father.  
  
"He will. He's pretty sympathetic and he really thinks Kiyone is super." Now Lord Botaki chuckled. "I think he would have proposed to her if she had visited us on Kawaiidan, instead of to the woman he's engaged to now."  
  
Mihoshi smiled. "I know! I told Kiyone that...but she acted like she didn't care. She did, though, a little. But now she has a boyfriend, a nice boyfriend. I told you about him, Daddy."  
  
"Yes. Well." Lord Botaki didn't sound entirely pleased. Washuu could understand why. He had likely gathered that this Earthling, Tris, had also captured his daughter's heart, whether Tris had meant to or not. Lord Botaki couldn't be happy about it, but so far Tris hadn't trifled with his daughter. Fortunate for Tris! "I hope that young man is as nice as you say. Mezim said he'll try to touch base with Kiyone's brother sometime today. All right, Pudding?"  
  
"All right, Daddy."  
  
"You be a good girl and let me hear from you soon. Good-bye, Pudding. Out."  
  
"Good-bye, Daddy. Out."  
  
The lighted panel on the comm console blinked off.  
  
Mihoshi sat a moment and stared at the coom console. She seemed a little upset still over the fact that her father's intervention had produced such discouraging results.  
  
Washuu walked up to her. "Mihoshi," she said, "you are one hell of a good friend to Kiyone."  
  
"I try to be...Kiyone's my best friend, you know." Mihoshi turned her blonde head to regard the great scientist. Her blue eyes were sad but clear of tears.  
  
"I know. I don't think she knows just how good a friend you are, though." Washuu smiled fondly at Mihoshi.  
  
"Oh, please don't tell her anything about this, Washuu!"  
  
"I won't...of course, I won't. I told you, I'm no snoop and I'm no snitch."  
  
Mihoshi smiled now at the petite, youngish-looking scientist with the big red hair. Her smile was sweet and apologetic.  
  
"You're not, I know that. Do you think any of this will help Kiyone?"  
  
"I don't know, Mihoshi. I'm sure she'd like to have a bit more emotional support from her family. If she gets that, you'll have done a good day's work."  
  
Mihoshi pursed her lips pensively. "I think she really needs that. It's so nice that Tris makes her laugh and, well...gives her nice feelings. But I think Kiyone has always wanted her family to approve of her. You know?"  
  
"I know." Washuu nodded. "That's a pretty sharp analysis, Mihoshi."  
  
"Really? Thank you! I just think if Kiyone could hear something nice from her parents or her brother, she'd feel so much better. And...and if the worst happens..."  
  
Washuu nodded again. "She'll have a safety net. Or, I should say, a security net."  
  
"That's it!"  
  
"Well, let's hope that someone from Kiyone's family calls her soon. Hey, we'd better get back to the others. There's a lot for us to all talk about, still."  
  
"Okay."  
  
------  
  
When the discussion resumed at the dining room table, Lord Yosho commenced by mentioning the theory that another culprit other than Professor Klove was behind the attacks on Princess Ayeka. It was, after all, about the only fruitful area of investigation left to them.  
  
"That would mean Professor Klove has a follower or someone who has come across his lost records and apparatus...and that someone is responsible for the intrusions on Princess Ayeka. Does that fit the facts as we know them, Detective?" Lord Yosho asked, addressing Kiyone.  
  
"Yes, Lord Yosho," Kiyone said. "It would have to be one or the other, really. Professor Klove is certainly out of the running as a suspect."  
  
"I see," Lord Yosho said. "Comments, anyone?"  
  
"I find the notion of a Klove groupie hard to believe, frankly," Washuu objected. "As I said earlier, the only research of Klove's left is that paper on dreams and brain wave patterns, and that's on an obscure Royal Science Academy archive. It's hardly enough to inspire devotion in anybody...much less the desire to avenge Klove. In terms of writings or other records available to the public, it's really almost as if Klove never existed."  
  
"That's a good point, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho affirmed.  
  
"Could a possible Klove follower be someone who knew him--and that's why they are devoted to avenging him?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"We discussed that pretty thoroughly," Kiyone said. "Tris and Mihoshi and I. It's just so unlikely that one could have escaped detection."  
  
"I agree. I wasn't exactly present for duty at the Academy back then," Washuu added, with a sardonic smile. "You all know why! But considering the case involved the Jurai royal family, I'll bet anything that the investigation took the scorched Earth approach. Right, Kiyone?"  
  
"Oh yeah, you bet it did," Kiyone said. She glanced at Tris. "In fact, some people might say it was excessive. The records I read made it clear...everyone, and I mean everyone who had even the slightest connection or even possible connection with Professor Klove was summarily rounded up and interrogated. Vigorously." Kiyone's emphasis on that last word made it clear that she was putting it mildly.  
  
Mihoshi's face was sad as she spoke out now. "I think you ought to say it, Kiyone...they used physical methods. They did awful things like that back then in some cases, you know, until those reformations were made by the Extraordinary Commission."  
  
Kiyone nodded in agreement with her partner. In fact, Mihoshi's own grandfather, Lord Romataki Kuramitsu, had headed up that commission, and its successful implementation of civil-rights reforms in the GP eventually led to his appointment to the highest unformed position in that service. It was just like Mihoshi not to mention that. She would never take credit for what another family member did, not even to bask in reflected glory. "You're right, Mihoshi. It's better to be frank. Things have changed now, anyway. At least it proves that no stone was unturned in the search for any possible accomplices."  
  
"Yeah," Tris said. "No thumbscrew untwisted and no hot poker unused in that search, no doubt."  
  
"Hear, hear," Washuu said.  
  
"You said it, Tris," Ryoko said. "They used torture and everyone knows it. Believe me, it probably made more people turn lawless than anything else the GP and the Union did back then."  
  
Kiyone stared at Tris, Washuu, and Ryoko, in turn, coldly. "I said things are different now."  
  
"Of course they are," Ayeka interjected. "I am certainly not proud of that aspect of our past, but at least it led to written reforms. The horrible abuse of people aside, this case proves the uselessness of such methods, since nothing was learned further than ordinary, lawful interrogation would have uncovered. Is that not right, Kiyone?"  
  
"That's right," Kiyone said, a little bit mollified. In a way, she didn't blame Ryoko and Washuu for feeling as they did about the bad old days of the heavy-handed GP. And she had come to know and even understand Tris's antipathy toward the abuse of power. It no doubt stemmed from being a citizen of a country created to protect individual rights (Kiyone had done her homework on the United States). At any rate, she was rather glad Tris had such strong opinions on important subjects, even if those opinions did grate on her at times.  
  
"Of course, there is more to that situation," Lord Yosho said. "There can be no doubt that the Royal Yeomen were involved in the investigation. As in the case of the Galaxy Police, the Yeoman have greatly moderated their methods since then. But I know from personal experience that the Yeoman at that time would have extracted every last particle of information from the Juraian citizens involved with Professor Klove, no matter what method was required."  
  
"Grandfather!" Tenchi said, his voice mirroring his shock. "Were the Yeomen that...ruthless?"  
  
"Yes, Tenchi," Lord Yosho told him gently. "I am afraid at that time they could be--if a member of the Jurai royal household was at threat. I would not accept a commission with the Yeoman for that reason...and, believe it or not, neither would Kagato, back then. It was one of the reasons the King was not pleased with me."  
  
"But Azaka and Kamidake belong to the Yeomen now--and they are honorable warriors, Grandfather," Tenchi objected.  
  
"Yes, they are, Tenchi, and the Yeomen are not what they were, I'm certain. Otherwise, those two would not belong," Lord Yosho said. "You may rest assured of that, grandson."  
  
"I see, Grandfather." Tenchi looked relieved. He was. He had the most profound respect and regard for the two legendary Juraian warriors who had helped him so decisively in the desperate final showdown with Kagato. They were his idols in a very real sense and represented to him, along with his grandfather, the moral and spiritual imperatives of his birthright.  
  
"Well, from what everyone's said, it really seems impossible that this Klove could have any followers left from that time," Nobuyuki spoke up. "It seems that two dragnets were thrown out back then--one by the Galaxy Police and one by these Royal Yeoman. How could anyone escape from both?"  
  
"You're right, Dad," Tenchi said. "I don't think anyone could."  
  
Washuu patted Nobuyuki's hand. "You nailed it, Nobie."  
  
"Yes, I rather believe you did, son-in-law," Lord Yosho agreed. "At this point, I don't think we need expend any more time conjecturing about a contemporary of Professor Klove's carrying on his work. Clearly, such a person cannot exist. Does everyone agree?"  
  
No one spoke a contrary opinion.  
  
"There's another reason to take that position," Kiyone added. "The fact is, practically everyone who was involved in this Klove case isn't around anymore to do any mischief. Nearly all the players are dead. Some people," here she glanced at Tris again, "think that's a suspicious occurrence in itself."  
  
"I do," Tris asserted.  
  
"Nearly everyone involved in the Klove case is deceased?" Lord Yosho  
  
queried, clearly surprised.  
  
"Yes, Lord Yosho. The judges, the prosecutors, Klove's counselor, the jury, the members of Klove's staff at the Lyceum...I checked to see if any of them were available for a possible re-interview. All dead. I may add, they all died of natural causes."  
  
"As far as you know! There's also Klove's parents, who died in a fire when that guy was in short pants--a fire he somehow escaped," Tris said.  
  
"Indeed?" Lord Yosho seemed intrigued by the information. "Yes, I can see why that would appear possibly significant to you, Tristram. However, it could just be a coincidence, all the same. Some amount of time has passed since then. Without any evidence to say otherwise, we shall have to consider all that coincidental."  
  
"Yes, sir," Tris said. Kiyone smiled at him sweetly.  
  
"Could someone have just kind of found all this Professor Klove's stuff?" Sasami now asked. "His notes and machines and all? That was the other possibility, wasn't it?"  
  
"Very good, Sasami." Ayeka smiled at her bright little sister.  
  
"That's right, Sasami," Kiyone said. "Actually, Mihoshi came up with that theory. What about it, partner?"  
  
Mihoshi felt a hot flush on her cheeks as all eyes now turned to her. She felt embarrassed and unsure. But she was a Galaxy Police officer and this was her duty. She thought a moment and then spoke.  
  
"I thought maybe a person could have maybe heard of Professor Klove and went looking for his lost records and things, or maybe they could have found those things accidentally, and knew what they were."  
  
"Now that sounds more like it," Ryoko said. "Sure, some independent operator. He found the gear and decided to go into business for himself."  
  
"In true pirate fashion?" Ayeka couldn't resist twitting Ryoko.  
  
"That's right, Princess," Ryoko replied with a hard grin. "And that's why everything's happening now--because the creep only got his mitts on the stuff recently."  
  
Mihoshi nodded. "Gosh, that's what I thought too, Ryoko."  
  
"Yeah? Well..." Ryoko considered. "It's a good notion, anyway."  
  
Mihoshi seemed confused by Ryoko's comment. Kiyone glared at Ryoko. But it was Washuu who spoke up.  
  
"Okay, Ryoko...then why didn't this so-called independent operator use what he found for profit, if he's unscrupulous enough to use it in the first place? Like use it to extort some rich person. Why use it just to attack the Princess? Where's the profit there?" she asked pointedly.  
  
"Because he doesn't like the Jurai royal family--lots of folks don't." Ryoko glanced meaningfully at Ayeka. "For good reason! And while the Princess is here on this planet, she doesn't have the protection she has back on Jurai. That's why."  
  
"Uh-huh," Mihoshi added, still wanting to contribute. "And if Ayeka is attacked here on Earth, the King and the royal family will get pretty mad at Lord Yosho and Tenchi...and that's what this person wants, maybe."  
  
Lord Yosho's eyebrows raised. "That is a singular point, Detective," he admitted. "It would indeed cause a great disturbance between the royal family and us. Yes, that would please anyone intending to damage the royal family...and us as well."  
  
"It sure would!" Tenchi agreed somberly.  
  
But Washuu remained skeptical. "Okay, that's plausible...barely. Assuming that some unknown person really has it in that much for the Jurai royal family. But I think everyone's forgetting something. As we know, Ayeka had a series of horrible dreams many years ago as a child..."  
  
"Oh, many years ago," Ryoko amplified. "Many and many and many years ago..."  
  
Ayeka cast a thunderous look at Ryoko.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi admonished her.  
  
Ryoko just stretched her arms lazily and grinned. As far as she was concerned, they had solved the mystery and she had gotten the Princess back about that pirate comment. It was a good afternoon's work.(1)  
  
"Don't be too cocky, Ryoko," Washuu said. "As I was saying, Ayeka was plagued with bad dreams as a child...and she has been recently plagued by bad dreams again."  
  
"So? We know that," Ryoko said.  
  
"That's right, we know that. But what you and practically everyone else has forgotten is what Ayeka told us about her recent bad dreams-- they weren't just the same kind of bad dreams she had long ago--they were the same bad dreams!"  
  
With that, Washuu leaned back and looked rather superciliously at Ryoko.  
  
"That's right!" Tenchi exclaimed. "You told us that once, didn't you Ayeka?"  
  
"Why, yes, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka confirmed. "I thought everyone understood that. My recent dreams are the very same that I experienced in my childhood."  
  
"So," Washuu asked, "how in the blue blazes could some Johnny-come- lately not only get Professor Klove's papers and mechanisms to project brain waves...but also know exactly what kind of images to project into Ayeka's mind? Even if the substance of Ayeka's dreams was recorded somewhere, you can't record something like that completely. If someone really is projecting those dream images based on another person's records, there would inevitably be some difference in the output. Some deviation somewhere. Is there any difference at all between the bad dreams you had in childhood and the ones you had recently, Ayeka?"  
  
"No, not at all. I recall those awful dreams of my childhood quite vividly. My recent dreams were identical to them." Ayeka spoke quietly but firmly.  
  
"And that's where some of us are making their flub," Washuu continued with evident relish. She loved to lecture. "If I ask you, Ryoko, to draw a red GP ship like Yagami flying through space and I ask Tris to do the same, the drawings would both have the same elements...but they would look quite different from each other because two different people rendered them. See?" The great scientist smiled, quite pleased with herself.  
  
She was met with silence. Once again, the props had been knocked out from under a seemingly fruitful area of investigation. They were back at Start...only this time, all possible moves had already been blocked. The gloom and despair that now slowly set in seemed almost palpable.  
  
Washuu stopped smiling as she realized she had not done such a wonderful thing after all--even though it had been a necessary thing.  
  
Tenchi looked at all the crestfallen faces. Then he spoke. "Washuu, you've definitely made your point. You're right. There's no accomplice. There's no culprit either, because the only possible one is lying comatose in some institution far away. Now my question to you is...what do we do now?"  
  
Washuu considered this. She shrugged.  
  
Then, unexpectedly, someone did answer. And it was the last person most of them would have expected to answer.  
  
"What we do, my dear Watson," he said, "is solve this case. Right now."  
  
And Tristram Xavier Coffin lit an imaginary cherrywood pipe and puffed at it with complete composure.  
  
____________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) The question of Ryoko's and Princess Ayeka's ages in "Tenchi Universe" (the Tenchi Muyo television series) is an intriguing one. In the Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki! OAVs, Ryoko was thousands of years old and Ayeka was no spring chicken herself. In the case of "Universe," we know that Ayeka and Ryoko were both children at the same time, but their actual ages aren't revealed. Of course, Ryoko twitting Ayeka about her age could backfire, since she can't be much younger than the Princess herself. But even a few years of difference in age would be sufficient ammunition for our favorite space pirate. 


	19. CHAPTER 18: No Need For A Solution

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN  
  
No Need For A Seven-Percent Solution  
  
_________________  
  
"Tris..." Tenchi began, exasperated. He was ready either to sock the American for a badly timed joke--or to put him to bed for finally having flipped.  
  
"It was rather a three-pipe problem, Watson," Tris commented. "But the game is afoot and I believe we have finally struck the right trail."  
  
"Huh?" said Ryoko. "What's with him?"  
  
"His name isn't Watson, Tris," Mihoshi said, trying to be helpful to poor Tris. "His name is Tenchi. Don't you remember?"  
  
"He remembers!" Kiyone scowled at Tris. "Idiot! What are you up to?"  
  
"Ah, beautiful Kiyone," Tris said. "To me you will always be...The Woman."  
  
"What?" Ryoko asked again. "Is he nuts?"  
  
"Tristram, your behavior is..." Ayeka couldn't quite express what his behavior was, but it was at best highly inappropriate to the occasion.  
  
"Is Tris upset or something?" Sasami whispered to her big sister.  
  
"I do not know, dear," Ayeka whispered back. "He seems to be suffering under a delusion of some kind."  
  
Lord Yosho, strangely enough, seemed to regard the sudden strange behavior of the young American with quiet amusement. Nobuyuki looked nonplussed, however.  
  
Washuu grinned. She understood exactly what Tris was playing at. "Sherlock Holmes, huh?"  
  
"Yes, my dear lady," Tris replied.  
  
"Who's Sherlock Holmes?" Ryoko asked. "Another goofball?"  
  
"If you'd watch something besides cartoons and soap opera programs, Ryoko, you would know that Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective, and is very popular in the literature here," Washuu told her.(1)  
  
"Big deal," Ryoko said, "Some made-up guy."  
  
"Tris, look, this isn't funny," Tenchi told him, irritably.  
  
"You bet it isn't--Tris!" Kiyone agreed, folding her arms over her chest in that dangerous gesture Tris had come to know so well. "You're not Sherlock Holmes...and stop pretending to smoke a pipe!"  
  
Mihoshi laughed. "Oh, is that what he's pretending to do?"  
  
"Looked like he was just sucking on his thumb," Ryoko said, laughing too.  
  
"But maybe Tris is doing this for a reason," Sasami ventured.  
  
"Yeah--he's nuts," Ryoko said.  
  
"Ah...but there's method in my madness," Tris said. He seemed entirely unconcerned by the tempest he had raised. He pretended to knock the bowl of his imaginary pipe out on the edge of the table. Then he pretended to tuck it away in his (imaginary) waistcoat pocket. "I'm out of my favorite black shag tobacco, anyway," he said mildly. "Sasami, will you fetch my Persian slipper?"  
  
"What?" Sasami asked.  
  
Washuu stared at him. "Hey, darned if I don't think he's got something in mind...besides playing the fool, I mean."  
  
Now Lord Yosho cleared this throat. Pointedly.  
  
"Tristram," he said. "I agree with Sasami and Professor Washuu that you likely have a reason for your...antics. Perhaps you'll enlighten us now."  
  
"Like right now, buster!" Kiyone said.  
  
"Very well." Tris grinned. "Like the Great Detective, I couldn't resist putting on a show."  
  
"Show's over, you," Kiyone informed him. "Now, let's hear it."  
  
"All right." Tris looked around the table. "I'm really not going barmy, as my Brit friends say. I know that Sherlock Holes is a fictional character. I read the stories and the novels years ago. But Holmes is more than just good reading. His methods of investigation as well as his principles of solving a case still hold up. He's still required reading for Scotland Yard trainees, I believe."  
  
"Scotland Yard?" Ryoko queried.  
  
"English police," Kiyone answered tersely.  
  
"Oh, great...more cops!"  
  
"Anyway," Tris went on, "there is one position Holmes always took on a difficult case that I think applies here. It was his primary principle of solving a baffling mystery."  
  
"Why didn't you just say so, clown?" Kiyone asked.  
  
"Because that way it isn't as much fun," Tris told her.  
  
"You--!" Kiyone contained herself. Wait until she got him alone! She'd put something in his "pipe" and make him smoke it!  
  
Tenchi smiled. "Okay, Tris, I see where you're coming from now. Maybe we did need a break from all the seriousness. So what's the principle?"  
  
"I know what it is." Washuu grinned at Tris. "You cutie...it might help us figure this out, at that."  
  
"Tris?" Tenchi prodded.  
  
"Elementary, my dear Watson. Holmes never said that, by the way, but he did say something like this: When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."  
  
Washuu nodded. "Exactly."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded, too.  
  
"So what does that mean?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"It means we need to stop hunting shadows," Washuu said. "We've just been chasing our own tails so far. Let's get real. A Klove disciple who escaped two intense searches and somehow has all of Klove's notes and gear--hogwash! Some guy who just stumbled over Klove's hidden stash and now wants to carry out his revenge--baloney!"  
  
"Is it baloney...really?" Mihoshi asked timidly.  
  
Washuu smiled at the blonde Galaxy Police officer. Her regard for Mihoshi had risen considerably since that comm call. "Yes, Mihoshi. It was a good theory and you deserve credit for helping come up with it. But, as I've just demonstrated, it doesn't hold water. We've been trying to get that theory to do just that and we've failed. So we need to drop it."  
  
"Never fit the facts to the theory, as Holmes also said," Tris agreed.  
  
"Okay, then...what's the answer, Washuu?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Perhaps I can help answer that," Lord Yosho intervened. "I believe that Professor Washuu is saying that we should not be building up phantom accomplices when we have the most likely culprit in our sights already."  
  
"That's it, Grandpa," Washuu said. "The most likely person to be carrying out Klove's revenge campaign and to be attacking our Princess is...Klove himself."  
  
"But that's impossible, Washuu!" Ryoko said, not at all pleased to see what she considered to be her theory abandoned so soon. "Period!"  
  
"No, you have that wrong, Ryoko. Remember Sherlock Holmes, now-- what's impossible is the accomplice theory. What's improbable is Klove himself doing the dirty work. We need to abandon the impossible and look hard at the improbable. " Washuu grinned at Tris. "You don't mind me donning your deerstalker, do you?"  
  
"Not at all, Washuu," Tris told her, relief evident in his voice. "Please do. I shot my bolt with that Holmes quotation, anyway."  
  
"Deerstalker?" Mihoshi wondered.  
  
"It's a hat, Mihoshi," Tris explained.  
  
"What does a hat have to do with all this?" Ryoko demanded. "I think you're both going nuts."  
  
"Not yet, Ryoko," Washuu told her. "Actually, we're finally acting pretty sane about all this. We're focusing on the only person who could be doing the deed."  
  
"I follow you, Washuu," Kiyone said. "But I'd sure like to know how Klove could be doing anything while rotting away, totally comatose, on Souiis. That's one hell of a magic act."  
  
"Well, let's go back over what we know, this time throwing the doors wide open," Washuu suggested. "Normally, I hate to go into that kind of conjecture, but this may be the only way to figure out what really might be going on. Now...back to when the GP raided Klove's home. What did they find, again, Kiyone?"  
  
"Like I said...no apparatus and a bunch of erased record disks."  
  
"So he got rid of the evidence. Big deal." Ryoko shrugged.  
  
"But why would he?" Washuu asked. "Could he have known about the raid in advance?"  
  
"No!" Kiyone stiffened with realization. "The records indicated that King Azusa complained directly to the then-High Commissioner and then- Grand Marshall of the GP. He demanded instant action. And that's what he got. Believe me!"  
  
"I believe you, Kiyone," Ayeka said, with a small, wistful smile. "Knowing Papa." Sasami nodded in somber agreement.  
  
"A lightning raid," Mihoshi said. "We've been involved with those. We always catch the people unaware."  
  
"So, if he didn't know he was about to be visited by the friendly neighborhood constabulary, why else would he have done away with all his hard-won research and any apparatus he used?" Washuu asked.  
  
Tenchi looked thoughtful. "I have to say, Washuu, that I really don't know. Trying to cover his tracks from the GP seems the only reason."  
  
"It is the only reason, sweetums," Ryoko told him. "Don't let Washuu get you off track, too."  
  
"You're wrong, Ryoko. There is another reason." Washuu settled herself in for another lecture. Everyone, even Tris now, could read the signs.  
  
"The reason you all don't understand is that you're not scientists. You don't know the feeling of making a great discovery and how you're inclined to react to it. Well, of course, I do know because I've made some simply spectacular discoveries in my time, as you well know..."  
  
Suddenly the two Washuu-puppets appeared on Washuu's shoulders. Taken by surprise, the others shrank back a bit.  
  
Puppet A: "That is without doubt. Yet, even "spectacular" is not an adequate word for the universe-shaking discoveries of the great Professor Washuu. Fantastic, colossal, overwhelming--those are far better words!"  
  
Puppet B: "True! And even those puny words do not suffice to describe the awe and wonder of Professor Washuu's contributions to science. New words will have to be invented!"  
  
Puppet A and Puppet B: "Hooray for the great Washuu!"  
  
With that, the two puppets disappeared from view.  
  
"Not those damned puppets again! Washuu!" Ryoko moaned.  
  
"Yes, Miss Washuu," Ayeka said, more than a little irritated by the impromptu display. "I had rather hoped we had seen the last of those...things."  
  
"Sorry." Washuu smiled sheepishly. "I kinda forgot about them. Won't happen again."  
  
"It better not," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"Anyway, Washuu...you were saying?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Well, when you make a great discovery, you at first want to tell the world about it. Broadcast it everywhere. Share it with everyone. Like I tried to do with that fabulous new formula for an explosive and those nitwits at the Science Academy tossed me out again, the ingrates--"  
  
"Stick to the subject, Washuu!" Ryoko snapped.  
  
"Oops. Sorry. Anyway, that's the first reaction. Then, a certain type of scientist has another reaction...they want to keep their discovery to themselves. They want the glory of making that great leap forward all for themselves. So, to prevent anyone from following their footsteps and making the same discoveries, they either deeply bury, or, better yet, destroy their notes and records and even their special apparatus and keep their discovery in the safest place possible." Washuu tapped her forehead with a finger. "Up here."  
  
"Gosh." Mihoshi appeared startled. "Get rid of all their hard work? Would anyone really do that?"  
  
"Of course they would, Mihoshi...if it would keep their discovery safe from other scientists stealing their glory," Washuu explained. "After all, research is a means to an end only. It's only useful in reaching the discovery. Once the discovery is made, the research record is valueless, unless you want to share your discovery or have your colleagues validate it."  
  
"That's right!" Kiyone said sharply as she comprehended Washuu's point. "That explains all the erased disks the investigators found. If Klove was covering up his tracks from the police, he would have destroyed the disks entirely. But he didn't fear possible arrest--just the possible stealing of his discovery by another scientist who might come snooping. He'd want to re-use those disks later. They cost money, you know."  
  
"Bullseye," Washuu said.  
  
"Ummmm..." Sasami ventured. "Then why would he also get rid of all his machinery? Wouldn't he need that, at least?"  
  
"That's a good question, Sasami," Washuu admitted. "And I think Nobie here knows the answer...don't you, Nobie?"  
  
Washuu looked at Nobuyuki with warm affection. He smiled uncertainly at her with equal affection.  
  
"Well, I'll take a stab at it, Washuu. Could it be because, due to his discovery, he didn't need that machinery anymore?"  
  
"Excellent, Nobie!" Washuu squeezed his arm. "I knew you had a brain in you. Like father, like son."  
  
Tenchi watched the interplay between the great scientist and his father with bemusement. He had put off that talk with his Dad. But the next opportunity he got...  
  
"In other words--of course, these are all assumptions," Lord Yosho interposed. "In other words, Professor Klove discovered a way to accomplish his designs without using a device. If I might go further, he found a way to do it with the power of his mind alone."  
  
"Right and right, Grandpa. My, what a brainy family!" Washuu was in fine fettle now.  
  
"But, Miss Washuu, what did he discover? The power of his mind alone, Lord Yosho? It is not clear to me at all," Ayeka said.  
  
"Well, as to that..." Washuu began.  
  
"Say--something's just come back to me," Tenchi said. He turned to Tris. "Tris, didn't you learn in school something about how little of our brain potential that we actually use? Some small percentage, I remember."  
  
"That's right," Tris affirmed. "I remember that. Something like only fifteen percent?"  
  
"Even less in the case of some people," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"Yeah." Tenchi nodded, taking a moment to give Ryoko that special look. "Something like that. Is that right, Washuu?"  
  
"Close enough. It's just an estimate anyway, Tenchi," she answered.  
  
"I know you're making a point, sweetums," Ryoko said. "Would you tell us what it is?"  
  
"Glad to, Ryoko," Tenchi replied. "It's this--we know what the mind can do by using so little of the brain's potential. Now, imagine what the mind would be able to do if it could somehow harness all that brain capacity. It would be...well, incredible. Incredible power."  
  
"Yeah, incredible," Tris said. "Even monstrous."  
  
"That is well put, Tristram," Lord Yosho said. "That is what I have sensed night after night...something evil and something monstrous."  
  
"And something directed at Ayeka," Tenchi added somberly, looking at the Princess.  
  
Ayeka looked down so that no one would see the fear that flashed on her face. Under the table, Sasami clutched her big sister's hand tightly.  
  
"That's it. That's how Klove is attacking Ayeka," Washuu confirmed. "It's the only way he could do it and it's consistent with the area of research we know he was involved in."  
  
"Well, damn," Ryoko said wonderingly. "So that's the answer! Finally! Well, Washuu, I have to admit...you solved it."  
  
"We all solved it, Ryoko," Washuu said. "But thanks."  
  
"Wait, though," Kiyone said. "Okay, this Klove may be sending out some sort of mind force out to attack Ayeka. But that would take rational thought, right? In fact, it would have to take intense rational thought and concentration. Yet the brain scans show that Klove has no rational thoughts at all...just a random spurt of brain activity from time to time."  
  
Washuu slowly nodded. "Hmmmm...very good, Kiyone. You're right. That beats my pair of Jacks for the moment."  
  
"Damn it, Kiyone," Ryoko complained. "Every time we get a handle on this thing, someone like you messes it up. We'll never solve it."  
  
"No, no, Ryoko, we must be certain," Ayeka told her. "Every objection must be answered satisfactorily. We are venturing into an unknown country, I believe."  
  
"Yes, we are, Princess," Washuu said. "You stated it perfectly...an unknown country...and we have to tread damned carefully."  
  
"You know, buddy," Tris said to Tenchi, "now that you brought up stuff from school, I'm remembering some material from those psych classes at Mizzou. Particularly about the division of the conscious and subconscious minds. Remember anything about that?"  
  
"Vaguely," Tenchi said. "High school stuff, of course. We all have a conscious mind that governs what we do, mostly. But there's some sort of deep, dark subconscious mind that we aren't consciously aware of, but that just labors away and sometimes intrudes when we don't expect it to. Is that right, Washuu?"  
  
"Right enough. Of course, it's all theory. Even the mentalists don't know squat about the subconscious mind, not really."  
  
"But it's been uncovered, a little, under hypnosis," Tris said. "Folks have revealed a bottomless pit of information and desires and urges and experiences from the subconscious. It's a little scary, in fact."  
  
"Okay, so this subconscious mind thing exists, maybe. So what?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"So, brain wave activity that's considered normal covers only the conscious mind when awake or the conscious mind that is at rest, even when dreaming. Right, Washuu?" Tris asked.  
  
"Sure. That's what they scan for to assess the mental condition of the subject."  
  
"And they still aren't finding any of the normal brain activity they should find if Klove was thinking rationally or even thinking at all," Kiyone interjected. She seemed to share Ryoko's impatience now. "Tris, we're talking in circles."  
  
Tris hesitated. He only had a hunch--a hunch that was really far out. So far out that he didn't dare mention it. It would need to come from a far more respected source. He looked at Washuu. "Quantum leap time," he said to her. "Great discovery time."  
  
Washuu nodded slowly. Her face glowed with revelation. "Got you, cutie!"  
  
"Well, we ain't got it!" Ryoko all but yelled. "Talk sense!"  
  
"Glad to," Washuu said. She cleared her throat significantly.  
  
"Klove's great discovery isn't the full utilization of the brain for rational, conscious thought. That's chicken feed," Washuu said. "Klove, instead, went far beyond that. He found a way to control his subconscious mind...to control it, live in it, use it to control his body, and to power it with the full potential of the brain. And since it's all taking place in his subconscious, it looks like random brain waves to a scan. That's it, folks. That's how Klove has been able to send out those mind-probes or whatever they are and still appear to be comatose. He's been doing it and laughing at the whole Galactic Union all these years."  
  
"But..." Ryoko said.  
  
"And," Washuu plunged right on, "that explains Klove's apparent "collapse" during his trial. He knew damned well he was going to get the max...with King Asuza after his butt, life imprisonment was the best he could hope for. That's life imprisonment, remember, with constant interrogation to try to discover his secrets. Not too lovely a prospect, you'll agree. Moreover, for Klove to engage his full brain potential, he had to expend all his mental faculties anyway. Ergo, he transformed himself into a comatose mental patient. Slick!"  
  
Washuu smiled grimly. "So Klove, in effect, has escaped from prison-- he escaped into his mind. This is one case where four walls truly do not a prison make. Through his mind, he escapes from his little cell at will, roams through the galaxy, and threatens our Princess. Even though he's locked up in that mental institution, he's still a fugitive criminal--and it's up to us to stop him."  
  
The great scientist now smiled triumphantly at her astounded listeners.  
  
"Excellent!" Lord Yosho said. "Bravo, Professor Washuu. You have brought to light something that has eluded the authorities for a long time. You have hit on the solution. I am certain of it."  
  
"Thanks, Grandpa. But what else would you expect from the greatest scientist in the galaxy?" Washuu's expression denoted a becoming immodesty. Then she indicated Tris. "But don't forget the cutie here. He pointed the way."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded and looked at Tris. Yes, his initial sensing upon their first meeting had been entirely correct. The aura around the young American now glowed brightly. Tristram Coffin indeed was fated to join them at a critical time, and did have something vital to contribute. Still an unlikely vessel for such an important role? Perhaps. But it had proved a sturdy vessel, nonetheless. "I am not forgetting Tristram's contribution. My praise is equally directed at him."  
  
"Aw, shucks," Tris said. But a slight reddening was visible on his cheeks. Visible, at least, to those who cared for him most--such as Kiyone. But Kiyone, as happy as she felt at Tris's vindication, was a police detective first, last, and always. And there was still a vital point to clear up.  
  
"Look, I'm satisfied with this solution, mostly," she said. "But there's one big discrepancy. In fact, it's the timing issue you brought up yourself, Tris, back on Vestra. The issue, now revised, is...why did it take so wretchedly long for Klove to finally get at Ayeka? He's spent so much time in that mental institution, in that comatose state. Why wait until now to make his move?"  
  
Ryoko gave Kiyone an exasperated look. But she had to admit--it was a question that needed answering.  
  
"Kiyone," Washuu said, "I don't know what they pay you, but they ought to double it--triple it! That's a damned good point. It's a loose end we have to tie up before we go any further."  
  
Kiyone smiled at the great scientist's praise.  
  
"Kiyone ought to be a Sergeant, you know," Mihoshi declared loyally. "In fact, she'd be eligible for a below-the-zone promotion to Lieutenant right now, if she wasn't in this trouble with me. She's the best!"  
  
"Mihoshi," Kiyone murmured. "You shouldn't bring that up now." Her face glowed nontheless.  
  
Tenchi saw that Kiyone was too embarrassed--and heart-full--to continue for the moment. "Well, Washuu, what could be the answer to Kiyone's question?" he asked.  
  
"Well...first of all, Klove would have to work on his mental powers so that he would do what he wanted to do--mentally create a sort of mind power projection--let's call it a mind probe--that could reach across cities, across continents, and, ultimately, across planets. That had to take a whale of a long time. It was the first time he pushed his discovery so far. He'd have to go slow, to avoid registering too much random-looking brain activity and making the folks monitoring him suspicious."  
  
Kiyone, now quite recovered, nodded briskly. "Okay, Washuu, we'll accept that as taking up some of the time. What about the rest of the time?"  
  
"Well, of course, to carry out his revenge he needed to find Ayeka. To do that, he had to send his mind probe out into trackless space," Washuu replied.  
  
"Yes, but Ayeka is not exactly hard to find," Kiyone pointed out. "Besides--"  
  
Suddenly Sasami giggled.  
  
Kiyone--and everyone else--turned their heads and stared at her. Sasami looked contrite.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry! But I know why that Klove person had such a hard time finding Ayeka...and you know too, don't you, big sister?"  
  
"Well..." Ayeka began.  
  
"Sure you do! Just before the beginning of your first stay here, you were heading back home after another meeting about your wedding to that Prince Seiryou. Then you received Mihoshi's distress signal from Earth. You came down to investigate and...well, you didn't go home, big sister, not for a long time. Right?"  
  
Ayeka smiled fondly at her clever little sister. "Quite right, dear."  
  
"Of course!" Kiyone said. "In fact, your family didn't really know where you were at first. That's why that old pick-up order was issued for you--"  
  
"Ah, yes...Kiyone," Ayeka interjected. "You did quash that old order, did you not?"  
  
"Ummm..." Kiyone looked embarrassed. "No, Ayeka. But I will, I promise. Right after we're done here."  
  
"Very well, Kiyone. Please continue."  
  
"Yes, well..." Kiyone needed a moment to collect herself after that embarrassment. "So the first place this Klove would send his mind probe would be to Jurai. Only, you weren't there. And no one at the time knew where you were. So he had to check planet after planet, looking for you."  
  
"Which had to take up a lot of time," Tenchi said.  
  
"Right," Kiyone agreed. "Until he finally located Ayeka on Earth."  
  
"And there's more," Washuu added. "Remember, Ayeka did leave here. She ended up back at Jurai at the conclusion of that Kagato business. No doubt, Klove finally learned of this and sent his mind probe back to Jurai...and then guess what?" She grinned.  
  
Lord Yosho enjoyed one of his rare hearty laughs. "Of course! The Princess had, in turn, come back to us here on Earth. So Professor Klove, due to circumstances, was led a merry old chase. That is excellent." He laughed again, and the others joined in.  
  
"You know, Ayeka, that raises a point," Washuu said when the laughter died down. "Had you remained on Jurai and not come back here the second time, Klove would have caught up with you there. And without us around you to get involved..." She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.  
  
Ayeka looked at Washuu...and then at all the others, one by one, in turn, including Ryoko. Her ruby eyes glistened. "Yes, Miss Washuu. It is all very clear. Coming back here may well have saved me from serious harm, perhaps from even worse. I am where I belong...where I was meant to be all along. Thank you, Miss Washuu."  
  
"You're welcome, Ayeka."  
  
Mihoshi smiled at the Princess, as did the others. She was glad, of course, that her being with them had protected Ayeka. But it wasn't surprising to Mihoshi. After all, who would protect you better than your friends? Then she frowned. A question had been raised in her mind by what someone had said.  
  
"What is it, Mihoshi?" Kiyone asked, noticing the expression on her partner's face.  
  
"I'm just wondering something..."  
  
"Spill it, partner."  
  
"Okay. How would Professor Klove be able to get information with his mind probe? I understand that he can enter the minds of the people he hypnotized. But when he was searching for Ayeka from planet to planet...whom could he get information from?"  
  
"Well, no doubt, he got it from the other kids he hypnotized along with Ayeka in that Lyceum place," Washuu answered. "They're all grown now, like Ayeka, and probably scattered to the four winds, and he could just check in with them and--"  
  
Washuu's explanation was cut off by Lord Yosho. He suddenly stood up from the table. His normally placid face now registered deep emotion--shock and horror.  
  
"No..." he murmured. "What kind of beast...what kind of monster? No. It cannot be...not even Klove..."  
  
Lord Yosho's agitation was real and palpable. It galvanized everyone watching him, for Lord Yosho was always composed and serene, even in the face of severe crisis. But not now.  
  
"Grandfather," Tenchi said, unable to comprehend what had shaken his iron-willed grandfather so visibly. "What is it?"  
  
"Yes, father-in-law," Nobuyuki urged. "Please tell us."  
  
Lord Yosho looked at them.  
  
"I would not wish to tell you until I am certain. If I am wrong-- then thank all the goodness that exists in the galaxy. It is not worth bringing up, then. If I am right...well, the facts will speak for themselves."  
  
"What facts, Lord Yosho?" Ayeka asked.  
  
Yosho did not answer her. Instead, he now looked at Kiyone. "Detective, when you were doing your research, did you by chance check on the fates of the children, other than Princess Ayeka, who were likewise victimized by Professor Klove?"  
  
Kiyone considered. "No, Lord Yosho, not really. After all, they had been mesmerized by Klove not to answer in-depth questions about their experiences, and so they would not be suitable for a re-interview--"  
  
"I quite understand, Detective," Yosho said. "Please forgive my brusqueness. This is not a rebuke and no explanations are necessary. What is necessary is that you determine the fates of all the children who attended the Lyceum with Princess Ayeka--and that you do it now."  
  
Kiyone knew an order when she heard it--an order from a Prince of Jurai, no less. She sprang to her feet. "Yes, Lord Yosho."  
  
"Do you have a list of their names, Detective?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Very good, Detective. Professor Washuu, will you assist her by accessing the data module in her ship from your laboratory? It will save time."  
  
Washuu stood up. "Will do, Grandpa."  
  
"Thank you both."  
  
Without another word, both Kiyone and Washuu left the dining room.  
  
Lord Yosho clasped his hands behind his back. He walked out of the dining room as well, apparently lost in thought.  
  
Tenchi and his father looked after him. Tenchi started to rise, but his father's hand stayed him. Nobuyuki leaned close to his son.  
  
"Tenchi," he said in a low voice. "I have not seen your Grandfather so upset...not since your mother died, son. Something is dreadfully wrong, or could be wrong. You'd best leave him to himself."  
  
"Yes, Dad," Tenchi said quietly. He looked down, no doubt thinking about his grandfather. For an instant he was again the little boy Nobuyuki used to carry on his shoulders and chase in games of tag. Such games had made the little lad laugh happily. That long-ago laughter filled Nobuyuki's ears. He reached out and squeezed his son's shoulder. Then Tenchi raised his head and smiled at his father...and he was the wonderful young man Nobuyuki had prayed for. Tenchi's mother would have been so proud of him. The middle-aged man's heart was full. He felt a soft hand touch his shoulder. He looked up. It was Sasami, looking down at him.  
  
"Sir?" she asked somberly. "Shall I make some tea? It is close to dinnertime. Perhaps I should hold off until dinner?"  
  
"Let's wait and see, Sasami," Nobuyuki answered, returning to the here and now. "We may need some bracing tea."  
  
"Yes, sir." Sasami left.  
  
Tris popped Tenchi on the shoulder with a fist. "Well, never a dull moment, huh?"  
  
Tenchi grinned and popped Tris back. "Nope. Never a dull moment."  
  
Nobuyuki knew that was the two young men's way of reassuring each other. It was good to see. It was good to know that Tenchi had a real friend.  
  
Further down the table, the women were having a discussion...a rather pointed one.  
  
"What did you say that set Lord Yosho off?" Ryoko whispered angrily to Mihoshi.  
  
"Nothing." Mihoshi was tearful. "I didn't mean to say anything bad. Did I say something bad?"  
  
"No, you did not, Mihoshi," Ayeka said firmly.  
  
"Yes, you did too, Mihoshi," Ryoko countered.  
  
"Ryoko--" Ayeka began.  
  
"Well you saw for yourself, Princess...old Mihoshi-mouth here blabs some damn fool question and Lord Yosho is hopping like he sat on a blowfish! You tell me what set him off, then."  
  
"Well, obviously, it was Mihoshi's question and Miss Washuu's answer. But it is unfair in the extreme to blame either Mihoshi or Miss Washuu. Even you must see that, Ryoko."  
  
"Aw..." Ryoko looked at Mihoshi. Of course, she was spilling tears already. What a baby! Couldn't take a little constructive criticism. At least her partner would fight back and give as good as she got, which Ryoko respected. But, damn it...she knew Mihoshi, had known her all these years and Mihoshi was just Mihoshi. A big baby who cried if you looked at her wrong. But she was their big baby, after all. "Okay, you're right, Princess. I don't blame you, Mihoshi. Now stop crying already, will you?"  
  
"Yes, Ryoko," Mihoshi said, smiling through her tears. She was searching her pockets for a handkerchief...as usual, she didn't have one. Inwardly, Ryoko groaned. She knew what was required of her.  
  
"If I lend you my handkerchief, do you promise not to blow your nose in it?" Ryoko asked Mihoshi. "I mean, it's watered silk and all. You can dry your eyes with it, but that's it, girl."  
  
"I...I promise." Mihoshi smiled, tearful and happy.  
  
"Okay." Ryoko handed Mihoshi her embroidered silk handkerchief, one that she had actually paid for herself. Mihoshi took it, looked at it...then burst into happy tears again because Ryoko was showing her such a kindness.  
  
"Jeeze!" Ryoko muttered to Ayeka. "What are we going to do with her?"  
  
"Just be patient with her," Ayeka murmured softly, so that only Ryoko could hear her. Aloud, she said, "Of course, you raise a good point, Ryoko. What was it in Mihoshi's question and Miss Washuu's answer that caused Lord Yosho such distress?"  
  
Mihoshi, dabbing at her eyes, responded with alert interest at Ayeka's question, which had been the Princess's intention, of course.  
  
"Hell if I know," Ryoko said crossly. "Just something about old Klove tapping into those other kid's minds. You know, those other stuck-ups at that academy for snobs you attended, Princess."  
  
"It was no such thing," Ayeka insisted. "Don't be so tiresome, Ryoko. At any rate, I do not see how that could be a cause for concern. After all, Professor Klove has doubtless intruded into my mind a number of times, and..."  
  
But further speculation ended as both Washuu and Kiyone hustled back into the dining room. Silently, they took their places at the table. Kiyone took a brief moment to grasp Tris's hand tightly. Then she released his hand. He looked at her. Her expression was grim. And so was Washuu's. Sasami walked in from the kitchen slowly, looking at the two women as if she could feel the weight of whatever Washuu and Kiyone were carrying. She sat down next to her sister.  
  
As if he had sensed their return, Lord Yosho walked back into the dining room. He looked at Kiyone and Washuu. "So. It is the worst," he said.  
  
Both nodded.  
  
Lord Yosho took a deep, long breath. He expelled it slowly. Then, briskly, he returned to his place at the table and sank down. "Very well. It is our duty and our honor to meet this evil and defeat it. It will be a fight to the finish. Please understand that, everyone, before we go further."  
  
Lord Yosho stopped. He looked at Sasami. "Sasami, would you please brew us all some tea? And please do not hurry on our account."  
  
Sasami stood up. Her eyes were wide. "Yes, Lord Yosho." She left for the kitchen.  
  
"She must be told--but only the overall situation. We must try to spare her the details," Yosho said. He looked at Ayeka.  
  
"Yes, Lord Yosho. I quite understand," she said. "And thank you."  
  
Ryoko was burning to ask, what damned details? But this time she kept still. Something told her she would know soon enough--and that she would wish she didn't know.  
  
"Well...Detective...Professor...which of you shall inform us of what you found?" Lord Yosho asked.  
  
For once, Washuu did not seem anxious to inform the others. She seemed rather loath to, in fact. She confirmed it by looking at Kiyone and telling her, "You're the cop."  
  
"Yes," Kiyone said. "I'm the cop." She took a quiet moment. Then she spoke in a flat, hard voice.  
  
"Besides Princess Ayeka, there were two dozen young children from high-caste families who attended the Lyceum. Of that two dozen, half, or twelve, precisely, are grown up and living on different planets...and are quite unharmed." Kiyone's eyes rose to catch Lord Yosho's gaze. "There is that much on the credit side anyway, Lord Yosho."  
  
"I am grateful for that," Lord Yosho said quietly. "But the rest...?"  
  
"Yes, sir. The rest. Well...the rest are dead. Unlike the prosecutor or the judges or others from Klove's past, these former students did not die natural deaths. In fact, they died rather unnatural deaths."  
  
Kiyone heard Mihoshi catch her breath. She knew that her partner would be devastated by what else she had to report. But Kiyone could not help that. All she could do was report and hope that something could be done about what she and Washuu had discovered.  
  
"I know now that the Galaxy Police has been covering up these deaths, because it cannot explain them. Washuu took a chance and hacked into the main secure database at GP Headquarters when I was denied access to the records of some of the former students from Yagami's data module. I hope she was not detected and traced. But we both felt the risk was worth it."  
  
"Yes, it was, Detective," Lord Yosho affirmed.  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yosho." Kiyone visibly squared her shoulders as she continued.  
  
"All twelve of the remaining students were found dead at their homes. Those homes were completely flattened, demolished, as if by a giant hand. All the relatives staying with the former students were also killed. Those relatives were rendered almost unrecognizable--their bodies were found either dismembered or burned terribly. Many of the victinm's faces were frozen into expressions of horror. Some of them were children...sons and daughters of the former students."  
  
Mihoshi gasped. Then she began to sob into Ryoko's handkerchief.  
  
"The massacres must have taken place very suddenly, because none of the families attacked ever got a distress message out," Kiyone went on. "Another very odd thing about the massacres...the students themselves were completely untouched. Their bodies were unmarked in any way--no wounds, no blood, nothing. They were quite dead, but were without a scratch. It was almost as if they died in their sleep."  
  
Lord Yosho, not unexpectedly, was the first to break the shocked silence that followed Kiyone's report. "Thank you, Detective. Thank you for a job well done...and you as well, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho said.  
  
Both Kiyone and Washuu nodded.  
  
"Mihoshi..." Lord Yosho's voice was gentle. "Please do compose yourself. We cannot do anything for the murdered innocents. But we can do something, very definitely, to the murderer."  
  
Mihoshi nodded. "Yes, Lord Yosho," she said weakly. She lifted Ryoko's silk handkerchief.  
  
Ryoko watched as Mihoshi brought the exquisite silk handkerchief to her face. No, no, Mihoshi, Ryoko cried out silently. No--don't blow your nose--not into my nice silk handkerchief--  
  
Mihoshi dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief. Then...she blew her nose, loudly, into it.  
  
Ryoko closed her eyes. She groaned. Scratch another handkerchief!  
  
Tenchi spoke now, slowly, stunned by the revelation. "How did you know, Grandfather?"  
  
"I did not know, Tenchi...not for certain. I simply felt that this evil, the evil that I perceived originally, must go beyond torturing Princess Ayeka with bad dreams. I came to the conclusion that such evil must be after bigger game than that. We talked of this earlier, but I think perhaps some of you discounted it over time...quite understandably. I did not. And when Professor Washuu mentioned the other young victims of Klove...I felt for a moment that I could hear the cries...the screams." Lord Yosho's features expressed his bottomless sorrow.  
  
"But why?" Kiyone demanded angrily. "Is he such a fiend then? Only Ayeka's family got him into trouble! Why massacre so many innocent people--and children. Why, for God's sake?"  
  
"He is a fiend, Detective. The worst of fiends--a brilliant and accomplished man frustrated and bitter over learning that the rules of civilized society apply to him as well, despite his brilliance. As to why...well, Professor Washuu mentioned he needed time to perfect his mind probing across vast distances. I think it is obvious that he needed also to perfect his method of revenging himself on the House of Jurai. On us. And to do so..." Lord Yosho did not continue.  
  
"God in Heaven," Tris said, shocked beyond measure. "You mean that Klove needed...to practice."  
  
"And he got his damned practice--twelve times--the rat bastard!" Ryoko snarled.  
  
"He murdered all those innocent people--those children, too--just for practice?" Ayeka's voice quivered with shock. "Dear heavens. I...I do not think I can take this. My former schoolmates..." She lowered her face into her hands. Her shoulders shook.  
  
Silence hung heavily in the dining room...the same dining room where they had partied so festively only a few hours before. The latest revelations had horrified the group gathered around the low chabudai table. And, not a few of them were feeling a tad guilty. Lord Yosho was correct. Most of them had down-played the threat of Professor Klove, at least in their own minds.  
  
Ryoko felt that Lord Yosho's words were directed especially at her. She thus was doubly enraged about the carnage caused by Professor Klove. It had always been a point of pride with Ryoko that no innocent person was killed even in her wildest pirating days. Now a killer, a lousy baby killer, was stalking them, huh? Well, that was all right with her! She'd teach that bastard the difference between taking on babies and taking on Ryoko!  
  
"The worst part of it, aside from the horrible killings themselves, is," Nobuyuki was saying, "that we don't know how this Klove accomplished these things. How did he smash homes? How did he kill so many people? How? With what? He could only get into the minds of the former students, isn't that right?"  
  
"That's right, Dad," Tenchi said. "So it's really puzzling. I can't imagine how he could have done those terrible things to all those poor people."  
  
"Yes, it is puzzling," Lord Yosho agreed. "Obviously, this Klove is able to generate some terrific force to carry out his designs. The question is, how? And how can it be defeated?" He looked at Washuu. He wasn't the only one who did so.  
  
Washuu shook her head. "Now, as to that...I'm fresh out of ideas." Her expression was apologetic. "There's a big, big difference between being able to project your mind and thoughts, to create a sort of mind probe, and mess with people's heads, and creating something that can cause that sort of devastation. I don't see any possible connection between the two. You need to have a hook to hang your hat on, you know. I don't see the hook."  
  
"Hats again!" Ryoko muttered.  
  
"But maybe there is a hook. Even though they were killed, the former students were unscathed," Tenchi pointed out. "But their relatives were...damaged. That has to be significant, Washuu. That has to mean something."  
  
"I agree, Tenchi," Washuu said. "But what it means, I'm not certain. Yet."  
  
"It'll come, Washuu," Nobuyuki said, smiling at her. "This is pretty new material. You just need to absorb it a little while."  
  
Washuu smiled back, almost girlishly. She sighed and leaned against Nobuyuki. "Finally! A man who understands me..."  
  
"I--I must protest, everyone," Ayeka suddenly said. "You all know very well what all this signifies. It will accomplish nothing to ignore what is plainly evident, simply to spare my feelings."  
  
"Ayeka," Kiyone said, "no one thinks--"  
  
"Do they not? Then...perhaps they should. Let us bring this into the open." Ayeka spoke resolutely. Her ruby eyes were clear and revealed only the slightest hint of sadness.  
  
"There's nothing to bring into the open, Princess," Ryoko told her. "Heck, we know you wouldn't attack us. Washuu already proved that. Right, Washuu?"  
  
"I..." Washuu found herself in the rare situation of being a tad uncertain. "Well, from what I've been able to learn about hypnosis, no, Ayeka can't be compelled to do anything against her nature. We've already discussed that."  
  
"That's right," Mihoshi chimed in. "Ayeka wouldn't do anything bad to us."  
  
"Again, I appreciate your kindness," Ayeka told them. "But have we not decided that Professor Klove has made a quantum leap in his discoveries? Perhaps what he has discovered and put into practice transcends the normal rules of hypnotism. Is that not possible? And were not the former students found untouched while their relatives were ravaged? Does that not suggest the former students were the culprits?"  
  
Ayeka looked searchingly at Washuu, then at Kiyone. Both dropped their eyes. She looked at Tenchi, who returned her gaze fully, with so much simple trust that she quivered within. However, that was not enough, she knew. If she was a potential threat to them...  
  
Then, by chance, she looked at Tris. And--she marveled--he winked at her!  
  
"I think," Tris said, "that we need to consult Mr. Holmes again."  
  
"Oh, no--not that guy again!" Ryoko grumbled.  
  
"If you pull out that stupid make-believe pipe again--!" Kiyone warned him, glowering.  
  
"Okay, okay. Sheesh, what a tough crowd!" Tris smiled at Ayeka. "Don't worry, Ayeka. You're not going to become a robot monster-- that was a rotten movie by the way, avoid it at all costs.(2) Anyway, none of the former students of Professor Klove could have committed those masscres. Simple deductive reasoning will prove what I say."  
  
"Simple is right," Ryoko muttered. But she was intrigued in spite of herself.  
  
"Tris, if you have something..." Tenchi said hopefully.  
  
"I think I would like to hear from Mr. Holmes again," Lord Yosho said with a smile. "He has served us well so far."  
  
"So would I." Nobuyuki grinned. "It's a shame we can't generate some good old London fog and, perhaps, a Hansom cab as well."  
  
"A handsome cab?" Mihoshi queried, wondering what in the world that could be.  
  
"Never mind, Mihoshi," Kiyone said, eyeing Tris narrowly.  
  
Tris knew that look. He'd better come through--or else.  
  
"Not to go into gory detail, since I have a sensitive tummy even if you all don't," Tris began, which prompted a giggle from Mihoshi, "let's consider the scene of the crimes. Homes smashed, people ravaged, and so on. Now, let's suppose that Klove can command one of his former students to override their consciences and kill their loved ones. With me so far?"  
  
"Right with you, buddy," Tenchi said, anxious for Tris to prove that Ayeka was not a threat to them.  
  
"Okay. Place yourself in the position of one of the former student's relatives. There are screams. You awaken. The former student is running around committing bloody murder. What do you do?"  
  
"You stop them!" Mihoshi said brightly.  
  
"Excellent, Watson! You are, indeed, a conductor of light."  
  
"Really?" Mihoshi visibly basked in Tris's praise. "Like a star, right? You know, don't you, Tris...I was so flattered when I found out...my name in this language means Beautiful Star." Mihoshi lowered her eyelashes and blushed rosily. "Isn't that nice?"  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka stared at Mihoshi with disbelief. Kiyone gritted her teeth. That Mihoshi! She was still trying to flirt with Tris! In the middle of this discussion! And after she promised to stop that stuff!  
  
"Yes, you are a Beautiful Star, Mihoshi--the radiant star that has cast light into the darkness." Tris, oblivious as usual to Mihoshi's flirting, was beginning to rhapsodize, even babble--but a sharp pinch from Kiyone brought him back abruptly from communing with his Muses. "Ow!"  
  
"Continue, Sherlock," Kiyone grated.  
  
"Okay, okay. So, yes, if you were in that situation, no matter how closely you were related to the former Klove student, you would defend yourself. None of these students possessed extraordinary powers, did they...I mean like Ayeka and Ryoko?" Tris looked at Kiyone.  
  
"No." Kiyone's answer was terse. She was still ticked at him, obviously.  
  
"Thank you, Lestrade, for that full and complete answer," Tris replied, scooting a few inches away from Kiyone as a precaution. "So, at least in one case out of a dozen, the other family members would have been able to restrain the rampaging former student. Doesn't that make sense?"  
  
"Sure!" Tenchi said, a bit too quickly.  
  
"But if the family members were asleep...and the former students were quiet and crafty, as Professor Klove would no doubt command them to be..." Ayeka shook her head. "After all, the victims were not even able to get a distress call out."  
  
"Ah, you are an exacting client, Madam," Tris told her. "Very well. The clincher. Even if in all one dozen cases, the former students managed to dispatch the other household members quietly, there would have been resistance--self-defensive blows by the victims--and the former students would have borne the signs of that. Yet, recall if you will, that none of those former students bore a single mark of violence--not even the prerequisite blood splatters. Am I correct, Lestrade?"  
  
"You're correct," Kiyone replied curtly. No doubt about it, Scotland Yard was still not amused. But Kiyone had to admit to herself that Tris had nailed that one good.  
  
Tenchi grinned with relief.  
  
"Viola! Are you convinced now, Madam?" Tris asked Ayeka.  
  
In response, the First Princess of Jurai smiled, freely and without reservation. It was a dazzling smile. "Yes, dear Mr. Holmes. I am convinced. You are a true friend. Thank you, so very much."  
  
"You are welcome, dear lady. And, now, quick, Watson--the needle!"(3)  
  
"I'll needle you in about five minutes!" Kiyone promised him.  
  
Ryoko looked at Tris with rare respect. "I think that Sherlock Holmes stuff is goofy, you goofball. But you did something pretty neat there, Tris. You really showed me something again."  
  
"My blushes, Watson!" Tris grinned at her.  
  
"Goofball! Terminal goofball!" Ryoko grinned back.  
  
"Now that we have established that--and thank you, indeed, Tristram-- we can move on." Lord Yosho saw a shadow move outside the dining room. "Sasami, please do join us."  
  
"Yes, Lord Yosho."  
  
Sasami came in, carrying a teapot and teacups. She smiled happily, glad to be included again. She set down the tea things and sat beside her older sister. The others helped themselves to tea.  
  
"Sasami," Lord Yosho said. "We have determined that Professor Klove has murdered some of his former students and their families with a terrible power, a power we cannot discern as yet. His threat is now both real and eminent. And we have also determined that your sister will pose no threat to us when the crisis comes."  
  
"Golly..." Sasami's eyes were wide. "I thought maybe he wasn't so much of a threat. But since he is, I will do whatever I can to help. I want to help. Can I? Please?"  
  
"Yes, Sasami. Your help will be needed."  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yosho." Sasami's smile was almost as dazzling as Ayeka's had been. "I know you've all put my big sister's mind at rest. Thank you! But I always knew she would never harm us."  
  
"Oh you did, did you?" Ayeka said, smiling, gently straightening one of Sasami's pigtails.  
  
"Sure I did," Sasami said complacently.  
  
"Okay. We've eliminated one possible way Klove is able to cause all that death and destruction," Kiyone said. "But we still need to try to figure out how he's doing it--if we want to try to come up with a defense, that is."  
  
"That's spot on, Detective," Washuu said approvingly. "So, let's begin by--"  
  
"Defense?" Ryoko shook her platinum head. "Defense? Balls!"  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi reproved her.  
  
"I love you to death, sweetums, but please let me talk," Ryoko said firmly. "I need to remind you all of a few things."  
  
Tenchi subsided. When Ryoko spoke like that to him, she was quite serious.  
  
"Listen up, everyone," Ryoko said. "Only losers talk about defense. Defense, my ass! We're not going to defend against this Klove bastard--we're going to wait for him to come and then we're going to roast him!"  
  
"Ryoko, your language!" Ayeka objected. "Besides, he may be too powerful just to..."  
  
"Princess, you need to look around you--all of you do! Now..." Ryoko began to count off on her fingers. "First of all, you have me. No one can defeat me and my powers! No one!"  
  
"Not even Kagato?" Tenchi asked her.  
  
"Well, okay, sweetums, he was the exception. But this Klove creep is no Juraian knight! Right? And I have Ryo-Ohki. In starship mode, she can attack without me at the helm and she fights like the dickens--you know that! So there's two of us giving that Klove hell when he comes."  
  
Ryoko looked at the others with her golden eyes--and those eyes flashed, brilliant with excitement and anticipation of the fight. She had a terrible beauty, poised like that, as if ready for the kill.  
  
"Right. Now, Kiyone and Mihoshi have Yagami...no match for Ryo-Ohki, of course." Both Kiyone and Mihoshi frowned in disagreement. "But their cop ship packs some mean firepower! Those two can use their ship to help kick Klove's butt, too." Ryoko grinned excitedly--she was on a roll. "That's three--count' em, three--widow-makers making that Klove one sorry sucker. And then my sweetums comes riding in with Sword Tenchi and Klove goes bye-bye for good."  
  
Ryoko's face was flushed, just as if she had returned from such a battle. "So that's that, you all! Let that sucker come. He's dead already, he just doesn't know it! I almost feel sorry for that loser. He can maybe kill babies and old people, but now he's up against me--and Tenchi--and the rest of us."  
  
Ryoko's golden eyes again surveyed the others. "Lord Yosho, you can handle Sword Tenchi, too. Washuu, you can invent something to help. Princess, well, you can get in a few licks, I guess, if you're not too busy re-arranging the furniture or something. Junior Princess, well, you're too young, don't have your powers, yet. Tris, you'll be pretty useless, but at least you can applaud or something." Ryoko thought Nobuyuki would be pretty useless, too, in a fight, but since he was going to be her father-in-law, discretion held her tongue for once.  
  
Tris just laughed with admiration and shook his head. That Ryoko! No way he could take offense--and what a scrapper! Ryoko smiled at him, pleased by his reaction.  
  
Ayeka was not so charitable. "I shall not be re-arranging furniture! And you will please, once and for all, stop referring to Sasami as Junior Princess! She is a Princess, period! And once Sasami is formally crowned, she will learn how to channel and employ the Jurai power, which she already possesses! Please stop displaying your ignorance, Ryoko."  
  
"Oh, yeah? Well, she's not crowned yet, is she? No offense, Sasami, by the way."  
  
"None taken," Sasami responded with a smile, amused by Ryoko's fighting stance.  
  
"Anyway, she won't be in the fight. That's all I saying. Some of you will have to sit it out, but I can promise you one hell of a show! So forget all this defense stuff. We just need to keep our eyes peeled and when he comes--wham!" Ryoko now smiled sassily at the others. "Questions?"  
  
"Yeah, I have one, Ryoko," Washuu spoke up. "What's wrong with trying to figure out what we might be fighting? It'll only help, you know."  
  
"Oh, that's okay, I guess, as long as we stop talking about defending against this creep. We're going to jump down his throat!"  
  
"Well, I am certain we are all gratified that you now approve of this discussion, Ryoko," Ayeka said dryly. "I know you are very powerful, and we all know the abilities of Lord Tenchi and Lord Yosho, as well as of Kiyone and Mihoshi. And I am not without my own defensive powers, and there are also my Guardians. But you might consider that since it is certain that Professor Klove has access to my mind"--here, the Princess couldn't suppress a grimace--"then he knows all of that as well. If he is still set upon attacking us, he must have something quite powerful to use against us...something so powerful that it might just surprise you, Ryoko, and the rest of us as well."  
  
"Good point, Ayeka," Washuu said and glanced at Ryoko. The space pirate just shrugged.  
  
"You talk as if you may have an idea of what we're facing, Ayeka," Tenchi said.  
  
"I do not, Lord Tenchi. I merely sense that our enemy is very powerful and knows our capabilities and is still not afraid. We must not get overconfident! That I know as surely as I know anything."  
  
"You are correct, of course, Princess," Lord Yosho said. "We should not be cowed by what we have heard of Professor Klove's crimes. We are strong, uniquely strong, and we are united. There is one more aspect...we fight for the right things. We fight for life and peace and the elimination of evil. I know that sounds very old-fashioned today. Yet, I cannot help but believe that this gives us a special advantage, one that evil beings, no matter how powerful, cannot match."  
  
"That was proven to me, Grandfather," Tenchi said. "I saw it. Kagato was ultimately defeated because the good side of the Jurai power is the stronger. I only succeeded when I concentrated on protecting Ayeka and not merely on defeating Kagato."  
  
Lord Yosho smiled at his grandson. "Yes, and that was a lesson well learned, Tenchi. Yet, we must moderate our confidence with caution, as Princess Ayeka has said. We are facing a powerful enemy and he does not play by any rules, not does he possess even a dark warrior's scruples, such as Kagato had. We must balance confidence with caution and any intelligence we can generate on our enemy will be beneficial. Yes, Sasami?"  
  
"Lord Yosho," said Sasami, standing up. "I'm going to fix dinner now. Perhaps everyone would enjoy a short break before we eat?"  
  
"Good idea! I know I'm tired of talking," Lord Yosho said jovially. "Let's do break and stretch our legs and perhaps even enjoy a bit of what I am told is a beautiful day outdoors...everyone?"  
  
That suggestion won immediate endorsement. Slowly, the group rose from the table.  
  
Kiyone took Mihoshi firmly by the arm and lead her away. The blonde Galaxy Police officer was already looking penitent by the time they disappeared from the dining room. Ayeka and Ryoko watched them go.  
  
"I hope Kiyone gives her hell," Ryoko said. "That ditz! Bad enough she blows her big nose in my silk handkerchief after I told not to, but to make cow eyes at Tris! She needs a boot in the butt!"  
  
"Oh, your handkerchief will be fine after a cleaning," Ayeka told her dismissively. "And I hope Kiyone only talks to her. I will never forget seeing Kiyone slap her, back in their old apartment. We laughed it off at the time, but I thought Mihoshi would curl up and die, the poor thing. After all, she is forgetful and she can't help being infatuated with Tristram...any more than she could help being infatuated with Lord Tenchi in the past."  
  
"Yeah, well, that's my point. We stopped her from mooning after Tenchi by making it clear we'd clean her clock if she did. Kiyone needs to do the same thing." Ryoko agreed partially with Ayeka, but she also believed Mihoshi required a firm hand. Not a hand that slapped or hit, necessarily.  
  
"But they are partners--and police officers. Kiyone cannot treat her as if she were a child," Ayeka objected. "Besides, you made those threats to Mihoshi, Ryoko, not I."  
  
"So? You were happy I did. Don't tell me you weren't."  
  
"I am happy that Mihoshi acts responsibly about Lord Tenchi now. I am not happy about your making threats to her about it. I have told you this before, Ryoko."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Ryoko shrugged. It was easy for the Princess to take the high ground, now that Mihoshi had been effectively warned off Tenchi. "Anyway, we accomplished what we set out to do. If Kiyone doesn't rein in that twit, there's gonna be problems with those two and Tris. Count on it."  
  
Ayeka was about to reply when she and Ryoko suddenly caught sight of Nobuyuki and Washuu strolling by.  
  
"Hey, Nobie," Washuu was saying. "Let's go to your office for a moment. I want to do some hugging and smooching. I'm getting tired of just holding hands...aren't you?"  
  
Both Ayeka's and Ryoko's mouths dropped open.  
  
Nobuyuki smiled. "Yes, I am. Besides, I want to show you some plans for an addition to a warehouse I've designed. It's energy efficient and--"  
  
"Oh...so you want to take me upstairs and show me your etchings, huh? Washuu asked. "Well, let's go!"  
  
Nobuyuki laughed and took Washuu's arm. They left the dining room.  
  
Tenchi walked up. He looked dumfounded. "Did I really hear...what I just heard?" he asked.  
  
"You sure did, sweetums," Ryoko said somberly. "You'd better start calling Washuu "Mom" from now on."  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka remonstrated.  
  
"Well, do you think they're just going to shack up and not get married?"  
  
"Of course not! Stop talking like that--you are speaking of Lord Tenchi's father, Ryoko!"  
  
"Oh, that's all right, Ayeka." Tenchi shook his head. "It's just that the very last one of your girls besides Kiyone I ever expected to have a romance was Washuu...and with Dad!" Tenchi looked slightly dazed. "I guess all that "Little Washuu" business made me forget that she's no kid."  
  
"No, she is not," Ayeka agreed. "With her new look, she does appear more mature."  
  
Tenchi nodded. "But still...it's hard to believe."  
  
"Hey, at least your new Mom will be a whiz at helping you with your homework," Ryoko told him slyly.  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka snapped. "It is not a joking matter!"  
  
Tenchi didn't seem to hear. "Washuu and Dad...and it's serious. Good grief!"  
  
A small distance behind them, both Tris and Lord Yosho stood watching the scene.  
  
"None of my business, sir," Tris said. "But...Tenchi's Dad...and Washuu?"  
  
"Why not, Tristram? My son-in-law is a healthy man, not out of his prime and, despite appearances, Professor Washuu is certainly a woman, with a woman's needs and wants. There is certainly nothing strange in that."  
  
"Then you...ummm...approve, sir?"  
  
Lord Yosho smiled. "I neither approve nor disapprove. My son-in-law is a grown man. He must make his own choices. I will say this...it is not good to travel through life alone, Tristram. There is no greater personal wealth than love and companionship. They are not free, but they are well worth the effort to earn them. Perhaps you'll remember that, Tristram. I hope you do." He inclined his head toward the dining room exit. "Perhaps you should see about our two Detectives now, Tristram."  
  
"Right...sure, sir." Still shaking his head at the spectacle of Tenchi's Dad and Washuu together, Tris started to leave. Then something occurred to him and he headed for the kitchen.  
  
------  
  
Outside the house, Kiyone and Mihoshi were standing on the front lawn, facing each other. They were engaged in a private discussion. That discussion was reaching its climax.  
  
"I should strangle you! Flirting with my boyfriend! With Ayeka and Ryoko watching!" Kiyone fumed.  
  
"I...I know, Kiyone," Mihoshi faltered. "I'm so sorry. It was just an impulse."  
  
"Impulse! I'll show you an impulse, Mihoshi!" Kiyone stepped toward her partner.  
  
Mihoshi just stood there and closed her eyes tightly.  
  
Kiyone stopped. She looked at Mihoshi's scared face, her flushed complexion, her eyes screwed shut. She seemed like a puppy about to be hit by its owner. Slowly, Kiyone felt the anger seep from her. Because suddenly, unbidden, a memory flickered in her mind.  
  
* * *  
  
The memory took Kiyone back to the Galaxy Police Academy, early in her matriculation there.  
  
She and Mitsuki had lingered after class to talk to Chief Instructor Bodai and tease him for another extra-credit assignment...the old softie would usually cave in. When he did, she and Mitsuki, laughing and talking trash and generally feeling wonderful, had walked to the canteen, for it was time for the midday meal. Just before they reached the canteen, Mitsuki had remembered a volume she had left in the classroom. She scooted back to get it. Kiyone now waited for her near the entrance to the canteen.  
  
As she waited, Kiyone noticed a tall, well-built blonde female cadet with the softest blue eyes she had ever seen standing at the entrance to the canteen. The girl's uniform was so severely starched that it looked as if she were wearing fiberboard rather than clothing. It amused Kiyone. She knew whom the cadet was. It was Mihoshi Kuramitsu, the girl known to be the Grand Marshall's own granddaughter. This Mihoshi was standing by the entrance to the canteen as if she were waiting for someone. Yet, as groups of cadets approached the entrance to the canteen, she smiled brightly at them--and they just ignored her and went in. This happened again and again. Each time it did, Kiyone saw the saddest look on Mihoshi's face. But then Mihoshi pasted on her smile again as she espied another group of cadets approaching the canteen--who, in turn, pointedly ignored her. On and on it went. Kiyone suddenly realized that Mihoshi didn't want to eat alone, that she desperately wanted some company, and was trying to attach herself to a group of cadets...and having no luck.  
  
Watching Mihoshi, Kiyone was been pretty sure she knew why. With the Grand Marshall for a grandfather, all the other cadets, including Kiyone, assumed Mihoshi would be a prima donna and get special favors and treatment. In addition, it was known that Mihoshi was of her planet's petit nobility--her correct title was Lady Mihoshi. Those were two strikes against her as far as the other cadets were concerned. In addition, it was a running joke around the Academy campus what a marginal cadet Mihoshi was. Only by performing extra duties and re-taking tests had the tanned blonde cadet managed to avoid being expelled. She was clumsy and slow to grasp some principles and didn't seem entirely grown-up, somehow. That was strike three for Mihoshi with her fellow cadets. As a result, she had become rather a pariah that no one wanted to hang around with.  
  
Yet, as she observed Mihoshi's hapless attempt to make friends or at least lunch acquaintances, Kiyone realized that she and the other cadets were wrong about Mihoshi. The blonde cadet was not a stuck-up snob. In fact, Mihoshi was willing to bear a little humiliation to make friends--she had been rebuffed by at least a dozen groups of cadets already and she still hadn't given up. And Mihoshi sure hadn't been getting any special treatment because of her grandfather--just the opposite. The reason Mihoshi's uniform was so severely starched was because that old witch, Inspector Maki, had it in for Mihoshi because of her family connections and inspected her at every opportunity for demerits. Finally, Mihoshi was certainly no outstanding student--but she was no quitter, either. And neither was Kiyone herself.  
  
At that moment, Cadet Kiyone Makibi saw Cadet Mihoshi Kuramitsu as she really was--a scared, lonely, warm-hearted, terminally immature young woman in a hostile environment who suffered small cruelties daily, but would never respond with cruelty herself. That insight prompted Kiyone to walk forward and ask Mihoshi to join her and Mitsuki for lunch. Mihoshi looked at her with an expression of overwhelming warmth and gratitude and she almost cried, even.  
  
When Mitsuki returned, she wasn't happy to have Mihoshi with them, but she didn't kick up a fuss, either--for which Mihoshi had been clearly grateful.  
  
* * *  
  
That had been the beginning. And now...she and Mihoshi were still together and Mitsuki was her implacable enemy. How the hell did all that happen? Kiyone didn't know. She did know, and knew with crystal clarity now, that Mihoshi would, in a way, always be standing at that canteen entrance, waiting for her friend to come. And that friend would always be Kiyone.  
  
Kiyone regarded her partner, her best friend, standing there before her, eyes closed, expecting a blow.  
  
"Oh, open your eyes, ding-dong. I'm not going to hit you," Kiyone said crossly.  
  
Mihoshi slowly opened one eye. She saw that Kiyone's face was not all angry and red anymore. She opened the other eye. She smiled gratefully.  
  
"Just tell me...why, Mihoshi? After you promised!"  
  
"Well..." Mihoshi lowered her blonde head. She studied the tops of her pretty blue canvas boat shoes with the flowery embroidery. She had bought the shoes in the village during a quick trip there with Kiyone. Tenchi had driven them to the village with Sasami, so he and Sasami could restock the kitchen larder. They had ridden in the funny old car that made awful noises when it moved. It was a reminder of happier times, before Professor Klove.  
  
"Mihoshi!"  
  
"Oh." Mihoshi looked up. "I'm sorry, Kiyone."  
  
"Don't "sorry" me--answer me!"  
  
Mihoshi thought a moment. "Well, sometimes Tris makes me laugh when I kind of need to laugh. It makes me feel...warm inside, Kiyone. I'm sorry. He's so cute sometimes! Don't you think so?"  
  
"Of course, I think so--ding-dong! Why do you think I go out with him?"  
  
"Um...but you don't go out, Kiyone. You two only had that one date."  
  
"You know what I mean!"  
  
"Okay." Mihoshi didn't want to argue about it. The fact was, though, she had gone on as many real dates with Tris as Kiyone had.  
  
"Look, Mihoshi, I know you can't help your feelings. God, do I know that! But if we're still going to remain partners, you have to observe the limits. Tris is off-limits, girl! You can hug him once in a while if you really need to. But no kissing, no little touches and caresses, and no flirting! That's it! Now, can you do that? Do you promise? Because I am dead serious about this, Mihoshi."  
  
"Yes, Kiyone." Mihoshi suddenly felt miserable, but she resolved not to cry. She felt guilty and crushed because for a moment it had seemed as if Kiyone was going to hit her. Up to now, Mihoshi had been very good about Tris...just as she had been very good about Tenchi. She knew Kiyone really meant it this time. She could not risk losing Kiyone as a friend.  
  
"Promise me!" Kiyone demanded.  
  
"I promise...I really do!" Mihoshi replied with a sob in her voice.  
  
Kiyone studied her partner. The latter's lower lip trembled. But Mihoshi somehow refrained from bawling. Suddenly Kiyone had the crazy impulse to hug Mihoshi--damn it! This was no time to get soft and sappy. Anyway, this time her words would sink in deep--for a while.  
  
"Okay, partner. I'll hold you to that promise. Don't forget it."  
  
"I won't, Kiyone!"  
  
Kiyone relaxed. She realized her anger and frustration were only partially due to Mihoshi's amorous gaffe. The horrible revelations of Professor Klove's wanton butchery had shook her up more than she cared to admit. As a police officer, Kiyone felt rage at the fact that this man could have committed such atrocities without legal retribution. As a private person...as a woman...she mourned the innocent people who had died at the whim of a truly heartless fiend.  
  
But there was more. Kiyone was professionally shocked and saddened to discover that her own service, the Galaxy Police, was covering up Klove's crimes from the citizens of the Galactic Union. The GP leadership hadn't meant to when the killings started, Kiyone was certain. But, as time had passed, and the murders had continued, unabated, with no solution in sight...the GP leadership, the former High Commissioner and the former Grand Marshall, hadn't wanted to publicly acknowledge they had a string of ghastly murders on their hands they couldn't solve. So they put the case files into close-hold security and doubtlessly assigned a squad--a covert squad--to do the investigating. When the current High Commissioner and current Grand Marshall--Mihoshi's grandfather--had taken over, they had been stuck with continuing the cover-up. Obviously, they could not reveal what had been happening without risking their own political necks.  
  
That GP covert squad would have quickly discerned the connection between the victims and Professor Klove. But since he seemed to be a human vegetable lying comatose in a mental institution, the squad would have looked--probably still was looking--for another culprit. The ghoulish irony of it didn't escape Kiyone: Some undercover GP team was no doubt chasing the same phantom suspect that she and the others had been "chasing" briefly, until the truth finally had emerged for them. But the truth might never emerge for that team--  
  
Wait a minute! That meant that she and Mihoshi were on the verge of cracking a case that even the best and the brightest of the GP could not solve. Kiyone tingled with the old excitement. This could prove to be a terrific coup for her and Mihoshi. It could even mean getting their rank back!  
  
"Kiyone? Is something the matter?" Mihoshi was staring at her partner with concern in her eyes.  
  
Kiyone snapped back to the here and now. "No, Mihoshi. I was only thinking."  
  
"Thinking about what, Kiyone?"  
  
"Oh, I'll tell you later. Now, let's--"  
  
Then they both heard a voice exclaim, "Hot dog! Just what I was looking for--two pretty women! This is my lucky day."  
  
Both Kiyone and Mihoshi turned. They saw Tris walking toward them. Both women smiled fondly at him. Grinning, Tris reached them.  
  
"Why were you looking for two pretty women, you clown?" Kiyone asked, deciding to humor Tris. Actually, she wanted to do more than humor him but not with Mihoshi present.  
  
"Well, I just happen to have a special mission to perform and the op orders call for two pretty women who know their chocolate from their vanilla."  
  
"Huh?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
"That Sasami!" Tris exclaimed. "Instead of just warming up the food left over from the coming-home party, she's resolved to cook us all a wonderful supper from scratch. She told me it would take around twenty minutes or so."  
  
"That long?" Mihoshi asked, dismayed. "Gosh, I'm hungry right now."  
  
"You're always hungry," Kiyone told her.  
  
"Kiyone! I am not!"  
  
"Well, it's going to take that long, anyway," Tris interjected hastily. "So I told Sasami that she was a perfect sweetheart and I asked her what she wanted for dessert that she couldn't make herself. Can you guess what she picked?"  
  
"Ice cream!" Mihoshi smiled with delight. "She wanted ice cream!"  
  
"You're right, Mihoshi." Tris smiled back at her.  
  
"Um...Kiyone, what did you think she wanted?" Mihoshi asked, realizing that she had left her partner out of the guessing game.  
  
"Oh, ice cream, naturally," Kiyone said, but without rancor. "So why do you need two pretty women, goofy? You still haven't answered my question."  
  
"Because I plan to drive to the village, to our favorite--should I say, "flavorite"?--confectionary store. But I'm just terrible about buying ice cream. Ask Tenchi. I need two pretty women who know their beans about the frozen stuff."  
  
Kiyone smiled at Tris. The wonderful goofball was striking again. He knew everyone was badly shaken by the revelations about Professor Klove's crimes. And he knew that she and Mihoshi had been seriously at odds. So he was going to try to lighten up the mood with something that would certainly be a treat for everyone, especially Sasami--who was herself trying to make everyone feel better with a nice hot meal. And Tris was going to let her and Mihoshi share in the fun. Mihoshi had said this was a reason that she was attracted to Tris...  
  
Suddenly Kiyone felt strange. Strangely good...strangely calm...and strangely tranquil. It was if she was seeing everything for the first time...and she was. She no longer had doubts. Everything was clear now. She should have realized it before. It was quite a realization. It should have perturbed her. But it didn't. It filled her with happiness and joy.  
  
What Kiyone experienced that moment was the strange and wonderful flash of clear insight known as an epiphany. It rocked her and awed her...and then enraptured her. Because she knew. She knew. Finally, she knew. And it was wonderful.  
  
"You all right, Blue Eyes?" Tris asked.  
  
"She's been acting kinda funny," Mihoshi said. Her concern for her partner was obvious. "Kiyone?"  
  
"What? Oh..." Kiyone shook her head. Then she looked at Tris and smiled again. "Well clown, if you're looking for two pretty women to pick out just the right combination of ice cream flavors--we're your team! Right, Mihoshi?"  
  
"Right!" Mihoshi was transported with happiness. "We're a team! We're going to ride in Tris's car! We're going to get ice cream!" She threw up her arms with joy. "Oh, yay! Yay!"  
  
Tris grinned at her. "That's right, Mihoshi. Yay!" He looked at Kiyone. "Life can be sweet sometimes, you know...like ice cream."  
  
"Even sweeter," Kiyone told him.  
  
------  
  
Although he was Chief of Patrol for four regions and held the rank of Commander, Chief Bodai considered his office to be pretty small--just a bit bigger than his old office at the Galaxy Police Academy, back when he had been Chief Instructor. It seemed even smaller now, filled with himself...and Lieutenant Zay're, Sergeant Katzaar, and Sergeant Mitsuki Sakakibara.  
  
The three had invaded his office, unannounced, at about the time a call had beeped in to him from ComSec (Communications Security) branch. Just as the face of a ComSec officer filled the Chief's viewscreen on his desk console, he was suddenly joined by the other three officers in the flesh. Truly, the Chief's cup had runneth over. He could have done without it.  
  
He held a hand up to the three GP officers, indicating that he needed to take the comm call first. They stopped before his desk and waited. Sergeant Katzaar shut the door behind him. Each of them, the slim, attractive redheaded Mitsuki, the tall, thin, ascetic Zay're, and the short, squat, beetle-browed Katzaar, seemed bursting with news, Chief Bodai noted, as he punched the touchpads to begin talking to the on- line ComSec officer.  
  
"Chief Bodai?" The speaker was a pale, moon-faced Lieutenant, whose most prominent feature was his huge, fan-like ears that seemed almost like wings extending from his bullet-shaped cranium. It was the unmistakable sign of a denizen of the planet Soyuzaka. For some reason, officers from there almost always ended up as ComSec officers or Crypto officers--"code heads" was the popular term for them. Perhaps it was because they were exceedingly un-humorous, literal- minded beings, who, if they enjoyed anything at all, enjoyed tracking down stray transmissions and encoding stronger and stronger firewall protection for secure communications and data access.  
  
"That's right. And you are?"  
  
"Lieutenant Ignitzu, Region Gamma ComSec. One of your regions, Chief."  
  
"I know that," Chief Bodai said and immediately regretted it. Impatience with the literal-minded Soyuzakan was a waste of time-- and wouldn't look very good to the three officers now observing him as they stood before his desk. "What's up, Lieutenant?"  
  
"We detected a hack into the Records Archive from outside the firewall, Chief. The hack was a get-sum type, probing specific records. These were highly confidential records, Chief, close-hold in fact. It was a very well executed hack. The probe constantly changed protocols and redirected itself, and used spoofing, and..."  
  
"Yes, yes," Chief Bodai said. He didn't feel like listening to a lecture on ComSec issues and practices, which was what this dutiful Lieutenant Ignitzu would surely deliver if not halted. "That is very informative, Lieutenant. But did you get a fix on the hack?"  
  
"I am glad to report that we did, Chief. We are very proud of that since it involved our newest sniffer--"  
  
"And you should be very proud. I assume the hack was traced to somewhere within Region Gamma?"  
  
"Yes, Chief."  
  
"Yes." Chief Bodai again curbed his impatience. "And where was it traced to...specifically?"  
  
"That is the odd thing, Chief. We traced it to a geographical location on a minor planet. This planet is not a member of the Union. It's not even above Level Four in technological development. The name of this planet is Earth."  
  
Earth! Immediately Chief Bodai guessed it all...why the three officers were in his office, what it might bode for Kiyone and Mihoshi. He fought hard to keep his face expressionless and his tone neutral. "I see. Have you sent us the coordinates of the hack trace? And the names of the confidential records that were accessed?"  
  
"Yes, Chief."  
  
"I have them, Chief," Sergeant Katzaar now spoke up.  
  
Chief Bodai nodded at Katzaar. "Thank you, Lieutenant," he said to the face on the viewscreen. "We will follow this up."  
  
"You are welcome, Chief. We apologize that the geographical coordinates are so wide. We were lucky to have latched onto that hack at all. It was brilliantly executed and--"  
  
"Yes, I'm certain it was. Thank you again for your splendid work. Chief Bodai out." He punched a touchpad and the image of the Lieutenant faded out. That was one good thing about being superior in rank; one had the privilege to terminate a communications session first.  
  
Now he looked up at his three visitors. "That no doubt explains why you are here, Lieutenant, and you too, Sergeant Katzaar." Lieutenant Zay're was the Provost for Region Gamma, and Sergeant Katzaar was his Regional Executive Officer. Of the two, only Lieutenant Zay're reported to Chief Bodai directly. "I can't understand why you are here, Sergeant Sakakibara. This is not a logistics issue, is it?"  
  
"No, sir," Mitsuki confirmed. She seemed strangely subdued. "Lieutenant Zay're asked me to join in this meeting since I know one of the officers involved in this situation so well."  
  
Chief Bodai nodded, his manner still ostensibly neutral. Inside, he was boiling. Lieutenant Zay're was already trying to establish that some sort of serious breach had been committed by Kiyone and Mihoshi over this hack attempt--this successful hack attempt. It had certainly occurred in the two officers's patrol sector and they would be tapped to investigate the incident, of course, but that was all. It was a typical "staff officer shuffle" to artificially raise the seriousness of a situation by ushering in this impromptu meeting. Lieutenant Zay're was a master at such maneuvering.  
  
"I don't want to misunderstand you," Chief Bodai told them. "Are you alleging that the two officers who patrol that sector may have something to do with the hacking of these confidential records?"  
  
"We do not know for certain, Chief," Lieutenant Zay're replied in his usual officious manner. "However, the hack was traced to an island nation on planet Earth, where the two officers have chosen to home- base themselves. The island nation is called Japan."  
  
"Yes, I am familiar with that Earth nation-state, Lieutenant," Chief Bodai said, managing to suppress any indication of the sinking feeling that gripped his stomach. "That is also where Princesses Ayeka Jurai and Sasami Jurai are...visiting...as well as the location of the Juraian Princes Yosho and Tenchi."  
  
He noted that Sergeant Katzaar's usually sour expression had soured even more. "Something to say, Sergeant?"  
  
"No, Chief...except that the First Princess's alleged "visit" to that backwater planet has been interminable. As she is so friendly with those two officers, I would have thought it their duty to convince her to return--"  
  
"That is a personal friendship, I believe, Sergeant, and their duties do not include shepherding members of the Jurai royal family. Correct?"  
  
Sergeant Katzaar stirred uneasily. Clearly, he knew he had put his foot in it. His antipathy toward Kiyone and Mihoshi had prompted his unwise outburst. Lieutenant Zay're glared at him.  
  
"Yes, Chief," Katzaar replied.  
  
"This visit is due to concern on your part that the hack originated in the same Earth nation-state that Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu are home-based...is that correct?" Chief Bodai returned to the subject at hand.  
  
"That is correct, Chief," Lieutenant Zay're said.  
  
"Well, that is a heavily populated nation as I recall...many millions of inhabitants. The evidence hardly points a finger at anyone in particular."  
  
"There is more to consider than just population numbers in this case, Chief," Lieutenant Zay're persisted.  
  
"Such as?" Chief Bodai still kept his tone carefully neutral. He knew that any show of impatience or partiality would find its way to very influential people. It was a rotten situation to be in, having to watch his tongue and his manner around his supposed subordinates, but there was nothing he could do about it...yet.  
  
"I made a small study of Earth after the Kagato Rebellion was quashed and the whereabouts of certain renegade Jurai royal family members were disclosed...that is, of course, they are no longer considered renegades," Lieutenant Zay're added hastily. In his personal opinion, Lord Yosho was a renegade and a traitor to the Union to boot, for abandoning his royal responsibilities. Princess Ayeka was behaving no better in that regard, but of course he would never say that publicly.  
  
"Yes, yes," Chief Bodai waved a deprecating hand. "There was a lot of media coverage and news features on Earth back then. There was even an "Earth fad" as I recall for a short time." That fad had only amounted to the adoption of Earth fashions and food amongst the trendy set in the galaxy. It had quickly died to make place for the next fad.  
  
"Yes, Chief. Well, I just checked the research I did back then." Lieutenant Zay're refused to admit he had participated in the "Earth fad," although that was exactly what he had done, along with his high-caste friends. "As that ComSec officer stated, Earth is a low- development planet, incapable of manned interplanetary flight, incapable of transmitting media packets outside their atmosphere except as broadband or amplified light, unsuitable for membership in the Union for the forseeable future, and..."  
  
"I know all that, Lieutenant." Chief Bodai tapped his desk, his first overt show of impatience. "What is your point?"  
  
"My point, Chief, is that no one on Earth--no Earth native--could possibly send even a non-directed teleband transmission to our Headquarters. Much less direct it to our records...even much less so adroitly dodge our firewall defenses. Such an achievement is far beyond current Earth technology." Sergeant Katzaar nodded vigorously. Sergeant Sakakibara did not nod. She just stood there, quiet and demure. Chief Bodai wondered about that. First, however, he had to deal with Lieutenant Zay're's accurate and quite appropriate observation.  
  
"I think you're right about that, Lieutenant. However, we cannot know that for certain on a planet that contains billions of beings, where some scientific research is certainly being conducted outside of even our purview. It's highly unlikely, of course, in fact, all but impossible...but not impossible. Remember the Earth's little SETI program? Had the Union not begun scrambling all transmissions reaching Earth to look like meaningless garbage, folks on that planet might now watching the latest episode of "The Goriron Show."" Chief Bodai was referring to the most popular program on galactic video, according to the rating services.  
  
In fact, Chief Bodai knew, the Union had been obliged to do some adroit programming with the comm barrier reef it had deployed around the solar system. The reef's scrambling and quenching functions had to be tweaked to allow the Earth's so-called Deep Space Network to continue to broadcast to and receive transmissions from that planet's unmanned vessels and radio astronomy and telemetry efforts. Otherwise, the Earthlings might have become suspicious. Well, that was neither here nor there. It was interesting, though.(4)  
  
"Yes, Chief. But that was just passive transmission reception, requiring nothing but the crudest of receptors. To hack our records as well as this intruder did would require a level of technology that some of our Union planets don't even possess. Sergeant Katzaar has the full report from ComSec, if you would like to glance at it--"  
  
"Later." Chief Bodai felt himself being ensnared in Zay're's trap. He now wriggled out of it. "All right, so perhaps impossible is the right word for an Earthling to be the hacker. So what is your suggestion?"  
  
"The most likely suspects are the only inhabitants of that backward planet who are conversant with our technology. Specifically, Chief, that means Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu."  
  
"Oh? What about Princess Ayeka Jurai...and, for that matter, her sister, Sasami Jurai?"  
  
"Chief, those royals have no interest in technology...they don't live on the same plane as we do," Lieutenant Zay're said flatly. "Besides, if they did want any information that our records possess, all they would need to do is go through their envoy, the Juraian GP liaison officer, and they would get that information, no matter how close- hold. They certainly would not dirty their hands with a hacking attempt."  
  
Chief Bodai nodded neutrally. But inwardly he groaned. That last statement was so true, it hurt. In no way could the Princesses Ayeka and Sasami be suspected of hacking records. And, aside from them, the only technologically capable persons known to be on Earth were indeed the two GP officers assigned to that sector. The now disgraced Professor Washuu Hakubi had lived on Earth, but that was before the Kagato rebellion. After her condemnation by the Royal Science Academy, she had disappeared. Her whereabouts were still unknown. Too bad! She would have been a prime suspect.  
  
Of course, any Union citizen could have possibly wormed their way through the security-programmed nav buoys--those young techie geeks from Souiis had certainly accomplished that--and landed on Earth to carry out a hacking attempt. But chances of that were pretty remote, Chief Bodai knew.  
  
Now both Lieutenant Zay're and Sergeant Katzaar were looking at him with a faint trace of triumph on their faces. Sergeant Sakakibara just looked at him stonily. Rather than reply to Zay're, Chief Bodai now said to Mitsuki, "You're awfully quiet, Sergeant. What do you say about all this?"  
  
Mitsuki blinked. "I am just here to answer any questions I can about Detective First Class Makibi, Chief. I don't really have an opinion."  
  
The Chief's eyebrows raised. Mitsuki was clearly distancing herself from her own allies. She obviously didn't want to be here. Both Zay're and Katzaar shot her irritated looks. Hmmmm. This was interesting...  
  
"I see, Sergeant. Do you have an explanation for any of this?"  
  
"No, Chief. I do not." That earned her another aggravated glance from Lieutenant Zay're. Those two certainly didn't appear to be a loving engaged couple. The situation was becoming even more interesting to Chief Bodai.  
  
"Perhaps Sergeant Sakakibara has a misplaced sense of loyalty to Detective Makibi, her former friend," Lieutenant Zay're said. "I think that is understandable. However, the most likely suspects in this hacking offense--indeed, the only suspects--are Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu. They have made a habit of bypassing proper procedure, Chief. That is well known. They lost their Sergeant's rank over a similar breach."  
  
That was, at least, the common perception of the pair around Headquarters...and they did have those reprimands in their official records and the loss of rank. Chief Bodai didn't bother to quibble about Zay're's overly negative phrasing.  
  
"I see where you're coming from now, Lieutenant," he said. "But there is one obvious question--why would those two hack into a records database that they already have full and lawful access to?"  
  
Chief Bodai's excellent counter-move did not faze Lieutenant Zay're a bit. In fact, the lieutenant appeared to welcome the question.  
  
"One reason, Chief, is that the only way for those two to get that information--which is close-hold, remember--would be to take more PT or get special permission and travel back here to Headquarters. As you know, close-hold records cannot be accessed outside Headquarters, thanks to the new Security Directive. Therefore, Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu could not get that information from the data module in that old Avatar-class ship of theirs, the Yagami. They would have to come here. To avoid that, they did the hack. Cutting corners to get around regulations is quite consistent with their past records."  
  
It took a real struggle not to register dismay. But Chief Bodai maintained his poker face, somehow. Yet he knew Lieutenant Zay're's scenario held water. Could this be the suspected trap for Kiyone and Mihoshi that he and Lieutenant Ketquaraz had discussed? If so, those two seemed to have fallen into it! And he could do nothing for them-- nothing at all--if they had.  
  
"I don't agree with your assessment of these two officers, Lieutenant," Chief Bodai said, stalling a little.  
  
"We know you don't, Chief. We respect that. But there is more." Lieutenant Zay're now looked quite pleased with himself.  
  
"More?" Damn it!  
  
"Yes, Chief. When Detective Makibi arrived here on PT a few days ago, she visited the Headquarters. Specifically, she went to the Records Depository and looked up one record in particular. It was a particularly sensitive close-hold record and it required flagging if accessed. It seems that the Records Officer, Lieutenant Ketquaraz, somehow mishandled the required flagging." Lieutenant Zay're's expression registered his low opinion of Lieutenant Ketquaraz. "I was not able to determine what record it was until just now. The confidential case Detective Makibi looked up was one involving some abuse of children at a deportment school that once existed on Jurai. The culprit was a Professor Tchaka Klove, who operated the school. He's now incarcerated in an institution on Souiis."  
  
"Yes. I seem to recall that case." Actually, the Chief had meant to look it up after his conversation with Zuun, but he simply hadn't had time. Now he was glad he hadn't. Otherwise, his own perusal would have been flagged, too.  
  
"Indeed, Chief? Well, it's an old case, basically solved, with the culprit institutionalized. Not a case worth researching, I would think. Anyway, I have seen the list of files that were hacked by our intruder. They are the close-hold case files on the former students of this Professor Klove at that school on Jurai. In other words-- additional files stemming from the very case Detective Makibi had been researching just recently."  
  
Chief Bodai sat quietly for a moment. He looked at Lieutenant Zay're...and at the now almost beaming Sergeant Katzaar...and at the stone-faced Sergeant Sakakibara. His own face didn't register a flicker of emotion. But he could envision the trap closing, firmly, around the hapless Kiyone and Mihoshi. They were through. They would be lucky to escape without a formal charge against them to go with their dismissal from the service.  
  
But Chief Bodai would not give these three staff weenies the satisfaction of hearing him admit that. Instead, he said, "Despite what seems somewhat persuasive information, Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu are the officers assigned to that sector. They must be allowed to at least conduct an investigation. Your information may be misleading, Lieutenant, and they may come up with a culprit."  
  
Lieutenant Zay're nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "Of course, Chief. That is proper procedure. Sergeant Katzaar here will issue the appropriate orders to them. How long will you allow them to, um, investigate, Chief?" The lieutenant's tone of voice made it clear that he felt such an investigation was a farce, but a farce that must be played out.  
  
"I'll make that decision after I review the facts you just presented to me," Chief Bodai said tersely. He would at least reserve that decison to himself. As it was, some higher GP official would likely question his allowing Kiyone and Mihoshi to investigate this case at all, since they were so clearly the chief suspects.  
  
"Very well, Chief. The orders will be issued. Thank you for your time, and--" Lieutenant Zay're stopped.  
  
The door of Chief Bodai's office had just slid open.  
  
Captain Tookal stood there. The executive officer to the Grand Marshall. The same officer who never left his office, except on very singular occasions. The expression on the Captain's saucer-eyed face made it clear that this was such an occasion. Whatever he wished to impart was too sensitive to entrust to the comm system.  
  
"All of you," he said tersely. "Himself wants to see you. Now."  
  
All four officers simply stared at Captain Tookal, even Chief Bodai. A direct summons to the Grand Marshall's office! Such as thing rarely happened--at least, to officers in their pay grade.  
  
"Come on," Captain Tookal said. His saucer-shaped eyes were hard. "Don't keep Himself waiting. He is in a foul enough mood already." Without another word, he turned on his heel and left.  
  
Chief Bodai rose from his chair. "Let's go. When the Grand Marshall says now, he means now."  
  
Silently, Lieutenant Zay're, Sergeant Katzaar, and Sergeant Sakakibara filed out the open door. Mitsuki's face had gone pale, Chief Bodai noticed. He again wondered about the red-haired officer who seemed so diffident lately. Perhaps...just perhaps...it was time to have another frank talk with her.  
  
Then, sighing, he followed the three out the door. His second contact with the Grand Marshall in as many days. He knew it boded ill. He also knew that in a very short time, Kiyone Makibi and Mihoshi Kuramitsu would likely cease to be Galaxy Police officers. And who knew? He might end up joining them in the unemployment line.  
  
With those gloomy thoughts, Chief Bodai followed the others on their trek to visit the Grand Marshall.  
  
_________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) Indeed. Sherlock Holmes is almost as popular in Japan as he is in Europe and the Americas.  
  
(2) "Robot Monster," one of the worst films of all time, features a space alien composed of a guy in a gorilla suit wearing a diving helmet who threatens Earth with, among other horrors, a bubble-blowing machine. Take Tris's advice--avoid it at all costs.  
  
(3) This is the final spoken line in the classic Sherlock Holmes film, "The Hound Of The Baskervilles" (1939). It is a surprisingly frank reference to Holmes' use of cocaine...a seven-percent solution.  
  
(4) The SETI project and the Deep Space Network are real, of course, and continue to operate with full vigor. If you've every wondered why the SETI project has returned such dismal results...well, maybe this provides an explanation. 


	20. CHAPTER 19: No Need For An Alibi

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER NINETEEN  
  
No Need For An Alibi  
  
____________________  
  
"Is there any more ice cream?" Mihoshi asked, setting down her bowl and the plastic spoon that had been purchased at the confectionary  
  
shop, along with numerous flavors of the cold, creamy confection.  
  
"Mihoshi...you had four bowls already." Sasami smiled with fond exasperation at her friend.  
  
"Oh. I'd just like some more." Mihoshi looked at Kiyone, expecting her partner to razz her about all the ice cream she had eaten, especially after she had really gone to town on the fish cakes and rice and vegetable pilaf Sasami had served for dinner.  
  
However, Kiyone just smiled softly at her and said, "Of course you do, partner. There's plenty left."  
  
"Really?" Mihoshi had not expected that response from Kiyone. In fact, Kiyone had been acting unexpectedly sweet to her ever since their confrontation over Tris. All the way to and from the confectionary store, Kiyone, riding in front with Tris, had even sung along to Mihoshi's new favorite song--"Octopus's Garden," by the Beatles. (Mihoshi's mind occasionally wandered back to Abbey Road. She had loved that album as well as the trip to the department store.) Mihoshi was happy about it, but she could not understand why Kiyone had suddenly become so sweet tempered.  
  
"Really. In fact, I think Tris is already getting you some more--"  
  
Almost immediately, Tris appeared from the kitchen with another Mihoshi "special"--scoops of chocolate and peach ice cream heaped in a bowl.  
  
"Here you are," he told Mihoshi, walking to where she sat at the table and setting the ice cream down in front of her, beside her empty bowl.  
  
"Gosh!" Mihoshi was gratified beyond measure. "How did you know, Tris?"  
  
"I saw your bowl getting low," Tris explained. He slightly raised his voice. "How's everyone else doing?"  
  
Everyone else just nodded, mainly because most of them had their mouths full of ice cream. They seemed fine for the moment--except Washuu, who suddenly asked, "Hey, is there any more of that cherry ice cream, Tris?"  
  
"Yep," Tris said amiably. "How many scoops?"  
  
"Just two, cutie. We girls have to watch our figures." Washuu grinned. She glanced sidelong at Nobuyuki. "So our fellas will watch our figures."  
  
Nobuyuki laughed. He didn't notice that his son was staring at him. Tenchi was still a bit bemused over the rapid ripening of his father's romance with the red-haired super scientist. And they still needed to have that talk.  
  
Lord Yosho asked, "Tristram, have you had any ice cream at all? You've been busy serving the rest of us, and I don't believe you have."  
  
"Oh, I will in a moment, sir. I'll just get Washuu's order." Tris walked back to the kitchen.  
  
"Can't someone get Tris to sit down and enjoy a little of the ice cream he got for us?" Sasami wondered aloud.  
  
Almost simultaneously, Kiyone and Tenchi rose...then, seeing each other, they laughed.  
  
"Okay, Kiyone." Tenchi grinned. "He's all yours."  
  
Kiyone smiled. "That's right, Tenchi...he is."  
  
Tenchi looked at her, puzzled. What did she mean by that? She had said it in such an odd way, as if she meant something by it. Then he felt someone tug at his arm. He looked down. It was Ryoko. She grinned up at him. "More chocolate, please, sweetums!"  
  
"I'll get it, Ryoko," Kiyone said.  
  
"Thanks, Kiyone, but I was kind of hoping Tenchi would."  
  
"I'll get it, I said," Kiyone said firmly. She reached over and snatched up Ryoko's empty bowl.  
  
"Uh...okay, girl." Ryoko looked a bit startled. Tenchi started to ask Kiyone if anything was wrong, but she was already on her way to the kitchen, carrying Ryoko's bowl.  
  
"What's up with her?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"I don't know," Tenchi admitted. He settled back down on his mat.  
  
"Why should anything be up with Kiyone?" Ayeka asked, after finally swallowing the rather substantial chunk of strawberry ice cream she had crammed into her mouth (ice cream made her lose all decorum...she loved it so). "She merely wanted to get you your ice cream, so Tristram can finally have a chance to sit down."  
  
"Yeah, but he had to go to the kitchen anyway to get Washuu's order," Ryoko pointed out. "Hey, I know--she wanted some time alone with Tris in the kitchen. Now I understand! Even ice cream can't cool those two off!" The space pirate smirked.  
  
Ayeka noted the smirk. She bristled at what she felt Ryoko was implying. And after they had that discussion, too! "Yes, I am quite certain you understand, Ryoko. You would have us think they are going to make mad, passionate love on the kitchen table," she snapped. Then she blushed as she realized what she had said.  
  
"Ayeka!" Tenchi cried.  
  
"Hah, Princess! Get your mind out of the gutter!" Ryoko laughed with unholy glee.  
  
"Good heavens!" Ayeka said, abashed. "Did I really say that?"  
  
"Yeah, you did!" Ryoko tossed her platinum hair. "But you're right, really, Princess, about what you said before about those two. She's probably in the kitchen right now telling him to go sit down and have some ice cream and he's smarting off to her and she's about to belt him one. Real hot stuff!"  
  
"Oh, Ryoko, I did not mean they do not get romantic. Of course they do. It is just that they are not--not--you know what I mean!"  
  
"What do you mean, Ayeka?" Tenchi asked, curious.  
  
"Why, Lord Tenchi...I...I could not discuss such a thing with you!" Ayeka was aghast. Oh, why did she say what she did? That Ryoko! It was all her fault.  
  
"The Princess just means that Kiyone and Tris as a hentai book would bomb," Ryoko explained guilefully.  
  
"Huh?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"I do not! Oh, Lord Tenchi...you know I would not say such things." Ayeka felt miserable now.  
  
"I know, Ayeka," Tenchi said placatingly.  
  
"Hey, where's my ice cream? What's holding it up?" Ryoko asked. She glanced at Ayeka and winked. "Boy, I hope it hasn't all melted. It must be mighty warm in that kitchen right now, huh, Princess?"  
  
Ayeka's face reddened with aggravation. She rose. "So, it is ice cream you wish, Ryoko? I shall get you ice cream!" She stalked to the kitchen.  
  
"Remember...chocolate...at least two scoops!" Ryoko called after the Princess.  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi said, exasperated. "Why you must stir Ayeka up?"  
  
Ryoko regarded him with innocent golden eyes. "But sweetums, if you had gone to get my ice cream like I asked you to..."  
  
------  
  
In contrast to Chief Bodai's cramped office, the office of Lord Kuramitsu, Grand Marshall of the Galaxy Police, was spacious, almost jarringly so. Yet, aside from a small desk and desk module, set on a jet-black marble-like platform with the oversized, high-back chair Chief Bodai had seen during his earlier one-sided comm call with the Grand Marshall, all the open space was basically bare. A few images dotted one wall, one of them a Kuramitsu family portrait that included Mihoshi (looking very young and sweet), and two couches squatted in the center of the room, facing the elevated desk and chair. That was all.  
  
The four summoned officers stood before the desk of the Grand Marshall who was seated behind the desk. He had not invited them to sit and was not likely to. Never in the sweetest of tempers, Lord Kuramitsu was definitely not amused at the moment. He sat stiffly in his chair, staring at a report, ignoring the small group of mid-range Galaxy Police staff officers standing ill at ease before him. Chief Bodai recognized the technique with a tiny wry grin. It was one he used himself.  
  
Chief Bodai had only seen the Grand Marshall up close and personal a few times. Now, once again, he could see the resemblance to Mihoshi, in that the Grand Marshall was tall and well proportioned, rather fit in fact. His eyes were blue and his gray hair had obviously once been as blonde as his granddaughter's. However, there the resemblance ended. The Grand Marshall was not the possessor of a cheery personality. Instead, he had permanent worry lines on his forehead and equally indelible frown lines at the corners of his thin lips. He boasted a rather full and luxurious moustache and a hint of a goatee showed on his chin. He must have been at a very advanced age, but he radiated such tension, power, and vitality that Chief Bodai was certain the Grand Marshall could keep up with the youngest and fittest GP officer in any physical or mental contest.  
  
It was instantly obvious upon first acquaintance how Lord Kuramitsu had achieved his lofty post. He was a human dynamo who would never rest in accomplishing a goal. The contrast between him and his granddaughter was immense. Yet, Chief Bodai knew, deep within her, Mihoshi had the same iron resolution...she would always try, no matter how many failures she suffered, and she would never give up.  
  
For a moment, Chief Bodai recalled an incident involving Mihoshi when she was a cadet at the Academy. In a training exercise, she had resolutely refused to destroy a "fugitive" while involved in a simulated starship pursuit. Her "partner" in the simulation had been, interestingly enough, Mitsuki. Mitsuki had raged at Mihoshi to destroy the fugitive when the fugitive had "fired" on them. But Mihoshi, who had been Weapon Systems Officer for the simulation, had refused, even though Mitsuki's harsh words had caused tears to stream down her cheeks. Instead, taking navigational control from Mitsuki, she had adroitly dodged the blasts from the fugitive, until the simulation had declared that the fugitive's weapons system was exhausted. Mihoshi had then fired into the fugitive's engines, rendering the ship helpless. The simulation had graded her and Mitsuki poorly (Mitsuki's only poor grade at the Academy) for their performance...but it did not flunk them, since the culprit had been neutralized and captured. It had taken real resolution for Mihoshi to absorb her partner's angry taunts and insults and manage to capture their simulated quarry in a way that spared the fugitive's life. It was not the GP way; when fired upon, GP officers were supposed to fire back. But it was Mihoshi's way. And perhaps, at least in that instance, it wasn't a bad way at that.  
  
Now the Grand Marshall looked up from the report. His blue eyes were icy. His voice, however, was quiet and measured in tone.  
  
"You are all here because in the course of carrying out your duties, you stumbled across something you were not supposed to. I am not pleased that you all have opened up the can of worms that you have. However, since you did it unknowingly and again, while performing your duties, I am not displeased with any of you. Please understand that."  
  
He received tiny nods from the largely cowed and worried group of officers facing him. That the Grand Marshall knew so quickly what they had discovered was simply a testament to the fact that Lord Kuramitsu truly had eyes and ears everywhere at Headquarters.  
  
"In our service, you have nothing to fear if you do your duty," he said. "But you must do your duty, whatever it demands of you. Now your duty demands that you keep what I am about to tell you a secret. This is not to be revealed to anyone outside of this office, and you are not to discuss it amongst yourselves once you leave this office. Is that understood?"  
  
More nods.  
  
"Very well. I want your words of honor to obey that last command."  
  
Trying to be helpful (and to toady up to the Grand Marshall), Sergeant Katzaar said, "Excellency...I can prepare written affidavits for all of us to sign to keep the secret. I can have those prepared in five minutes."  
  
It was a fatal blunder. Although Chief Bodai did not like Sergeant Katzaar much, he mourned for him now. He could see Lieutenant Zay're grimace. Even Sergeant Mitsuki Sakakibara showed a bit of animation, looking at Katzaar with deep pity.  
  
The Grand Marshall aimed his frosty blue eyes at Sergeant Katzaar. "If I need paperwork, I have a staff," he rapped. "If I need something in writing from you that you will keep your spoken pledge-- if your word of honor is not sufficient--then you should not be in that uniform. You are dismissed. From the service."  
  
Sergeant--now, no longer a sergeant or even a Galaxy Police officer-- Katzaar gaped at the Grand Marshall, open-mouthed.  
  
The office door slid open. Captain Tookal appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Will you resign? Or must we file charges for your dismissal?" the captain asked Katzaar mildly.  
  
"I...I..."  
  
"The Grand Marshall can dismiss any officer on the spot, as you know. Dismissal paperwork only confirms the decision and leaves you with a dodgy record for the future. Now...will you resign?"  
  
Youri Katzaar looked at the Grand Marshall. Lord Kuramitsu just looked back at him with a stern expression on his face. Clearly, an officer's honor was a most important thing to the Grand Marshall and he was willing to make that point quite ruthlessly. This dismissal would reverberate in the ranks and enforce the concept that a GP officer's word was his bond and any officer who thought written reinforcement of that word was necessary would not be retained. It was an old-fashioned concept, but then, the Grand Marshall was an old-fashioned cop.  
  
"Excellency," Chief Bodai spoke up. "This officer is in my chain of command. He made a grievous error, I know, but he did not do so intentionally. Staff work tends to make one think in terms of paper and records."  
  
Now the Grand Marshall trained his cold blue eyes at Chief Bodai. "Bodai...yes, I've heard about you." He did not indicate whether he had heard good things or bad things. "Are you telling me that you defend this officer?"  
  
"Yes, Excellency, because he only made a thoughtless mistake. He is a good officer. At any rate, he is my officer and I am responsible for his behavior."  
  
The Grand Marshall's bushy gray eyebrows lifted, perhaps a millimeter or so. He was recognizing another old-fashioned cop--one that stood behind his people. He had also noted that Lieutenant Zay're had said nothing on behalf of Katzaar, although the Grand Marshall knew that Zay're was Katzaar's direct supervisor. So be it. He made a mental note that Lieutenant Zay're's career was finished at that point. He would not be promoted again, not while Lord Kuramitsu was Grand Marshall.  
  
"Captain Tookal," he said quietly, "I don't believe we will need your services after all. Thank you."  
  
"Very well, Excellency." Captain Tookal left. The door slid shut after him.  
  
"Now, all of you please give me your word of honor to obey the command," the Grand Marshall resumed.  
  
He got what he requested. Sergeant Katzaar was so relieved that his voice drowned out the others as he gave his oath.  
  
"Very well. Now, I must tell you about a special case that some of your colleagues have been investigating without fanfare and without publicity. In fact, they have been investigating this particular case secretly and for a long time. The case is one that a certain junior-grade officer reviewed recently while on her Personal Time, and is the same one that some damned hacker accessed just now."  
  
Chief Bodai, Lieutenant Zay're, Sergeant Katzaar, and Sergeant Sakakibara just stared at the Grand Marshall with varying degrees of disbelief. A secret investigation? Conducted over a long period? It seemed incredible--that sort of sub rosa activity supposedly ended with the old regime. Besides, the case the Grand Marshall mentioned was solved, with the culprit in custody.  
  
"I know what you all must be thinking. I offer no excuses, but I will say that I and the High Commissioner inherited this case. When we did, it had progressed--perhaps I should say degenerated--to such a point that making it public would have caused serious damage to the service and possibly tipped off the villain whom we are seeking. There is more to the Professor Klove case than you know. Much more. I will enlighten you about it. And then you must refrain from accessing the case and also not reveal what I'm about to tell you to anyone. Understood?"  
  
He was answered with silent nods.  
  
"Good. Well, here is the real situation..."  
  
When the Grand Marshall had finished, his audience appeared even more shocked and amazed than before. Of course, he was expecting such a reaction.  
  
"Again, I will not defend what has happened up to now. The fact is, we have a serial murderer on our hands. The only connecting link is the fact that a family member of each of the massacred families once attended Professor Klove's ill-fated Lyceum on the planet Jurai. Since this Professor Klove is incapacitated for all intents and purposes, we have an unknown killer who possesses extraordinary power and is likely using the Lyceum's class list for whatever twisted reason. That's the challenge our investigative team faces. There are no further clues or leads. Nothing."  
  
"Excellency, we are monitoring the surviving former students of this Lyceum and their families?" Lieutenant Zay're asked.  
  
Lord Kuramitsu glared at him. "Of course!"  
  
"Ayeka Jurai is on that list, Excellency," Chief Bodai pointed out. "She is on Earth and quite separated from our forces. Do I take it that her friendship with the two GP officers assigned to that sector suffices for keeping her under protective monitoring?"  
  
"That, at least, is a sensible question. No, you may not take it that way. Princess Ayeka Jurai possesses the Juraian royal power, plus two well-armed robotic Guardians that monitor her constantly. She is safe. The other former students are not. Those are the ones we now have a constant watch on."  
  
Chief Bodai nodded. He noted that the Grand Marshall did not mention the fact that Princess Ayeka was rather above the GP's area of responsibility, really. In addition to Princess Ayeka's protean power and her programmed bodyguard bots, she also had the Royal Yeoman available to defend her person. But having two GP officers living in the same geographical area as Princess Ayeka should count for something. Chief Bodai decided not to press the point, however.  
  
The Grand Marshall continued:  
  
"Now that you know...well, you also now know why this must remain close-hold information. That is why it disturbs me that not only a low-ranking GP officer has accessed the Klove case file, but also a hacker has delved into the very files which are most critical--the records of the dozen family massacres I've described to you all. And that hacker did so from Earth, where Princess Ayeka is...visiting."  
  
Like many high-caste Union citizens, Lord Kuramitsu chose to regard the Princess's long sojourn on Earth to be merely a visit. The prospect that she would remain forever on that backwater planet and renounce her royal responsibilities (as in the case of Lord Yosho) was unthinkable to him.  
  
Chief Bodai sensed that Lieutenant Zay're was bursting to tell the Grand Marshall about his suspicions concerning the hack on the close- hold records. Zay're would likely paint Kiyone as the real suspect, with Mihoshi as her unwitting accomplice, to avoid angering Lord Kuarmitsu. Bodai forestalled him, quickly.  
  
"Excellency, I am convinced that Detective Makibi was simply looking up an old case, based on something her friend, Princess Ayeka Jurai, likely mentioned to her in passing. We are going to assign her and her partner"--Chief Bodai was careful not to mention the Grand Marshall's granddaughter's name--"to investigate the hacking. Personally, I suspect a member of the news media who has perhaps garnered a tip. Earth would be a good place to carry out a hacking attempt, since it is not normally within our jurisdiction."  
  
The Grand Marshall regarded him coldly...then nodded. Chief Bodai was not sure then--and would never be sure--if the Grand Marshall really bought his story. But he certainly acted as if he did and that was all that mattered.  
  
Standing beside Bodai, Lieutenant Zay're sagged inwardly. He had been out-maneuvered by someone who, in the final analysis, could not only out-police him but also out-staff him, too. That second fact was a prime humiliation to a born politician like Kamin Zay're.  
  
Zay're had sensed that the Grand Marshall was not pleased with him, and tossing him Kiyone--but not his granddaughter--as a sacrificial lamb had been his last chance to make up for whatever mistake he had made. It was very much like Zay're and his ilk that he was ignorant of what had set the Grand Marshall against him.  
  
Sergeant Katzaar just stood silently. He would never forgive Lieutenant Zay're for not sticking up for him before the Grand Marshall...and he would always be grateful to Chief Bodai for defending him. From that point on, Katzaar more or less mentally resigned from Zay're's clique.  
  
He would never make high rank now, Katzaar knew...but better to be an old Sergeant, with a chance to make Lieutenant and collect his pension, than a fired and disgraced toady to an officer who would not lift a finger to help him when the chips were down. Katzaar also resolved then and there to request a transfer to field duty. He had changed his outlook--chasing crooks beat the hell out of paper pushing! And he would lay off Kiyone and Mihoshi. He still despised them for what he considered their breach of duty and still felt they should be dismissed, but he no longer wanted to be an instrument of their career destruction. When those two failed to turn up a suspect in the hacking case, the wheels of justice would grind them down. And that was more than all right with Youri Katzaar.  
  
Sergeant Mitsuki Sakakibara continued to stand quietly and look over the Grand Marshall's head. She had kept silent and diffident throughout the meeting. Oddly enough, that ingratiated her with the Grand Marshall, despite the fact that she was instrumental in the career downfall of his granddaughter. Keeping quiet, after all, was what she was supposed to do, unless she truly had something to contribute.  
  
"I will leave it to you, then, Chief Bodai and to you, Lieutenant Zay're. Once you have something concrete to report on the hacker investigation, contact Captain Tookal directly. Sergeant Katzaar, Sergeant Sakakibara...you know to keep silent. I think that is all."  
  
The Grand Marshall bent over his report again. Slowly, the group of officers turned and walked to the door that had slid open for them.  
  
Just as Chief Bodai reached that door, the Grand Marshall spoke:  
  
"Bodai. Hold up a moment."  
  
Chief Bodai stopped. He turned and walked back to the Grand Marshall's elevated desk. The others filed out the door.  
  
"Let's talk," the Grand Marshall said. Chief Bodai nodded. The Grand Marshall liked that...wasting words galled him. He pressed a touchpad on his desk module.  
  
The doorway now filled with the tall, reed-skinny form of Captain Tookal. He entered the office. The door slid shut behind him.  
  
"When one of my officers thinks he needs to sign a piece of paper to affirm his honorable oath...and when his direct supervisor just stands there while his subordinate is being read out of the service...well, something is wrong. Horribly wrong." The Grand Marshall glared at Chief Bodai. "What is wrong, Bodai?"  
  
Chief Bodai did not hesitate. "Too much emphasis on staff work, Excellency. Too much career credit placed on being on Headquarters staff as opposed to arrests and field accomplishments. Too easy to use a staff position to create a little empire and earn promotion for highfalutin programs that don't mean anything to our field officers."  
  
The Grand Marshall looked at Captain Tookal. "What do you think about that?"  
  
"I think he's right, Excellency. I want a transfer," Captain Tookal said mildly.  
  
The Grand Marshall glared at Captain Tookal...then, unexpectedly, he roared with laughter.  
  
"That's right! The only good staff officer is one who wants a transfer back to the field!" Lord Kuramitsu now looked at Chief Bodai. His expression was almost amiable. "That describes you, Bodai. You're a working stiff type of officer. I know all about you. You're considered old-line and reactionary by a lot of folks around here. I would please them very much if I sent you back to the field and or let you wipe noses at the Academy again. What should I do with you? Hey?"  
  
"I'd be happy to go back to the field, Excellency. But if the Headquarters doesn't reform, I can't offer my people any incentive to stay out in the field and do the job we're supposed to be doing. So I think you should keep me here...and if I make a lot of staff weenies upset, well, at least I'm accomplishing that." Chief Bodai had decided to just speak his mind and not quibble or equivocate.  
  
The Lord Marshall laughed again. "Zounds! What a fox amongst the chickens we have here, Tookal! Perhaps we do need a little chicken coop cleaning, at that. All right, Bodai, what would you do first if I gave you carte blanche as Director of Personnel?"  
  
Director of Personnel! That was a command staff position--it meant promotion to Field Marshall! Chief Bodai was electrified. But he knew he had to answer the Grand Marshall's question. He also knew that his answer would determine his future in the Galaxy Police.  
  
"Excellency, without undo disruption, I would reassign all Headquarters staff who have been here more than two Vestran years to field assignments and I would bring in officers from the field who have not had staff experience before. I would do this in a rotation that would ensure fifty percent of staff personnel are at least not brand spanking new to Headquarters. I would make a Headquarters assignment a controlled duty assignment, one that lasts only for two Vestran years. This would apply to all but command staff. That will demolish all present staff empires and prevent any more from forming. That way, we will regularly get fresh blood, new ideas, and field- trained staffers who know what works out in the field and what doesn't." Chief Bodai stopped. Well, he had shot his bolt. Now he would see where it landed.  
  
The Grand Marshall turned to Captain Tookal. "Well, Tookal? What do you think? Shall we hire this madman to be our personnel chief?"  
  
"Only if I can be his exec," Captain Tookal said. "Excellency."  
  
The Grand Marshall laughed once more. He was in a rare good humor, it seemed.  
  
"Forget it! I would never hamper a new field-grade officer with the likes of you!" Captain Tookal actually smiled at the jibe. Both of them had a sense of humor, after all...and both knew damned well what had been happening at their Headquarters. It was quite a revelation for Chief Bodai--and a welcome one.  
  
"Very well. We must hold off until I can unload that political sewage that the High Commissioner forced on me," Lord Kuramitsu said. He was referring to the present Director of Personnel, probably the premier staff empire-builder of them all. "But he's played too many favorites and I have it all down on the record. Don't worry, Bodai. We'll announce his retirement before that blasted planet down below completes many more orbits around that sorry excuse for a sun. Tookal, start a rumor that the present personnel chief is being groomed as my successor--which he is, damn it--and that the only problem is that he lacks logistics experience, which he does. That'll get him in here demanding a reassignment to logistics, post haste! That, in turn, will clear the way for you, Bodai." The Grand Marshall smiled a wintry smile. "Of course, once he accepts the post in logistics that I'll offer him, which will be below his pay grade, he'll be subject to involuntary retirement. You'll see to it, Bodai, and never mind any protests from the High Commissioner. I need a personnel chief with guts and we need that sewage gone. Right?"  
  
"Right, Excellency." Chief Bodai nodded.  
  
"So...how do you like the way we really do things here?" Lord Kuramitsu looked at Chief Bodai narrowly.  
  
"I could learn to like it, Excellency."  
  
"Good enough! Now, off with you. Let Tookal know what your two detectives turn up about that hacker. By the way, once you become my personnel chief, your days of mentoring and sponsoring junior officers will be over. Right?"  
  
Again Chief Bodai was caught by surprise. He knew the Grand Marshall was referring to his efforts on behalf of Kiyone and Mihoshi. Was there anything, even at the lowest level of the GP, which the Grand Marshall did not know about? Chief Bodai doubted it.  
  
"Right, Excellency. If I do my job properly, such practices won't be necessary."  
  
"You already sound like a personnel chief," the Grand Marshall growled at him, but not with anything resembling rancor. "Off with you!"  
  
------  
  
Meanwhile, another revelation was taking place...this time at the Masaki manse.  
  
Princess Ayeka, in rather a snit, had walked into the kitchen--or, rather, had stormed into it. She was still upset about being bested by Ryoko--it always rubbed her nerves raw. Thus, she had almost reached the sink where the opened containers of ice cream were stored before she took notice of Tristram and Kiyone.  
  
Tristram was scooping ice cream into a bowl...cherry, so it was Miss Washuu's order. He was whistling some tune, off-key of course. Kiyone stood behind him. She was staring at him. Ayeka realized that Tristram didn't know Kiyone--or she--was in the kitchen, thanks to his rather loud, discordant whistling. Kiyone seemed similarily unaware of Ayeka's presence.  
  
Ayeka was puzzled by what she saw. Kiyone was just standing there, staring at Tristram, as if she had never seen him before. It was certainly strange behavior, particularly for Kiyone, who was hardly the shy type--not around Tristram, at any rate. Ayeka studied Kiyone's expression for a moment. It seemed vaguely familiar. Then Ayeka realized what she was witnessing. Good heavens!  
  
Then Ayeka deliberately cleared her throat, loudly. Tris stopped whistling. Both he and Kiyone turned to look at her.  
  
"Hi, Ayeka...Kiyone, hi, didn't hear you come in," Tris said. He began to walk out of the kitchen, carrying the bowl full of ice cream. "Can I help you, Ayeka?"  
  
"No, Tristram. Actually, I need to ask Kiyone...something."  
  
"Well, just don't ask her about her age, her career, her family, her school days, her thighs, or her favorite color." Tris grinned. "You should be safe then." He then dodged. But Kiyone hadn't moved at him. She just continued to stare at him. "You sure you're all right, Kiyone?" he asked, nonplussed.  
  
"I'm all right, Tris," Kiyone said softly.  
  
"Uh-huh. Okay. Well, I'd better get out there before Washuu starts screaming for ice cream. See you two in the funny papers." Tris left with the bowl heaped with cherry ice cream.  
  
When he was gone, Ayeka said, "Well, Kiyone...when did you finally realize you were in love with him?"  
  
Kiyone whirled to face her. "What? Ayeka--where do you get these notions?"  
  
Ayeka smiled knowingly. "Kiyone, you forget. I am a woman in love, too. I can certainly spot it in another woman. I watched you just standing there, staring at Tristram with that expression, acting like butter would not melt in your mouth...Kiyone! I thought we were friends."  
  
Kiyone smiled dolefully. "We are, Ayeka. All right...I'll come clean. Yes, I'm in love with that goofball. I've just never felt this way before and I didn't realize what it meant. Then tonight Tris went to get the ice cream and he took Mihoshi and me with him. Suddenly...it all just hit me."  
  
Ayeka walked up to Kiyone. She took her hands gently. "What hit you, Kiyone?"  
  
"Well...it just all became clear. There I was, surrounded by so much love and support, just as I had been the first time I came here, only I didn't appreciate it then and left it without a thought. Suddenly I knew I wanted it and needed it, just like anyone else. I realized I don't have to give up one thing to have another thing. You have to work harder to have both, but it's worth it. Someday, Tenchi will marry one of you two girls and this family will scatter. But it will still be a family. And I can have my own family too...you know?"  
  
"I know, Kiyone," Ayeka said softly. She released Kiyone's hands. "Kiyone, I recall back when we were all caught up in that malfunction of Miss Washuu's dreadful Dimensional Tuner machine. I particularly remember when you were trying to escape Mihoshi. I felt your true desire then was to be part of a close and caring group of friends--to feel safe enough to open your heart. Do you recall that?"  
  
"I sure do, Ayeka. That was a nice interlude--until Mihoshi showed up!"  
  
Ayeka laughed. "Well, what you only fantasized about then has come true. That is all."  
  
"Well...maybe."  
  
"Undoubtedly, I would say."  
  
Kiyone ruefully shook her head, causing her long dark teal hair to swirl around her shoulders. "But why him...that Earthling! That goofball! And why now? When I could end up losing my career if I don't concentrate completely on my job?"  
  
"But why not him? I think I have had deeper reservations than even you about Tristram, Kiyone. But I have come to a realization, too. I had almost forgotten that I was attracted to Lord Tenchi, drawn to him, and yes, fell in love with him, long before I found out that he had royal blood in him. That Earthling! That...high-school boy! But he made me happy...gloriously happy. No one had ever made me so happy before."  
  
Ayeka smiled tenderly, remembering. "And as far as the timing is concerned...well, back then I was supposed to be completing my marriage preparations so that I would be properly wed to a suitable Consort and take my place on the throne of Jurai. The notion that I would spend time away from my duties on some insignificant planet, romancing a boy who was not even a citizen of the Galactic Union...it was impossible. But the impossible happened. So do not talk to me about unsuitable swains or inconvenient timing, Kiyone!"  
  
Kiyone now smiled, too. "Okay, you've made your point, Ayeka. I guess I've always wanted my life to be neat and orderly and to do things one at a time. You know, get my career firmly on track, dump that Mihoshi somewhere, then marry a guy, probably another GP officer, maybe have kids...like that. First things first."  
  
"Yes, but life is not neat and orderly, Kiyone, and you either take the gifts that life offers you when they are offered to you, or you spend your life regretting that you did not. I have learned that, too. I know Lord Tenchi may not choose me. But if I had not come back and made a valiant attempt for him, I know I would have regretted it all my days. Kiyone, tell me...do you want to end up like that Inspector Maki woman?"  
  
Kiyone shuddered. "God, no!"  
  
"Well, then. The choice is clear, is it not?"  
  
"Yeah...some choice!"  
  
Ayeka shook her head. "Kiyone, some people do not even have that choice. Believe me, you are fortunate, even if you think you are not."  
  
Kiyone sighed. "I still need to get my career back on track. I'll never give up my career, Ayeka, period. I think Tris understands that. His mother was an officer in the armed forces here, you know. That helps." Kiyone regarded Ayeka with deep warmth. "It also helps that I have you to talk it over with, Ayeka. It really does. I never thought that someday I would have a Princess for a friend--never in my wildest dreams."  
  
"Well, Kiyone, I never thought I would have a police officer for a friend, a very dear friend. But thank heavens that life is so very unpredictable!"  
  
Impulsively, the two women hugged each other. When they parted, Ayeka said, "Dump Mihoshi? You are no more going to dump her than I am going to dump Lord Tenchi. You and Tristram might as well adopt her. You will never be rid of her, Kiyone."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I realize that now...damn it! Adopt her? I'll tell you right now, she's not going to live with me and Tris--she'll live in her own place, by God, and..." Kiyone's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her right hand. Slowly, she lowered that hand. "Yipes! What am I talking about?"  
  
"The future, of course," Ayeka told her with a wry smile.  
  
Suddenly the kitchen was invaded, noisily. Ayeka and Kiyone turned to look at the invader. Ryoko stood there.  
  
"Hey, you two--where the hell's my ice cream?"  
  
Ayeka and Kiyone both stared uncomprehendingly at the rather perturbed space pirate. Then they burst into laughter.  
  
As it turned out, Ryoko was obliged to get her own ice cream. She was glad to. She wanted to get out of that kitchen, fast. She was convinced that the Princess and Kiyone had finally gone off their rockers.  
  
------  
  
Back at Galaxy Police Headquarters, Chief Bodai was deliberating a question posed to him by Sergeant Katzaar. He now announced his decision.  
  
"No limit on their investigation time. They are not suspects, despite how it may look to some. We will not treat them as such. Do you understand, Sergeant?"  
  
"Yes, Chief," said Sergeant Katzaar. He stood before Chief Bodai's desk, looking as squat and stolid as ever. But it was a different Katzaar, nonetheless...one that was respectful in his attitude toward the Chief, was completely correct in his manner, and seemed neither pleased nor upset at the change in orders.  
  
Chief Bodai suspected Sergeant Katzaar would have preferred a short suspense for Kiyone and Mihoshi to complete their investigation of the hacker, but he had learned to keep such things to himself. Thanks to the Grand Marshall, Youri Katzaar would carefully weigh each word before he ever spoke to a superior officer again.  
  
"I want you to inform your immediate supervisor, Lieutenant Zay're, of my decision. Understand, Sergeant?"  
  
"Yes, Chief, I do." And Sergeant Katzaar did. Chief Bodai was purposely undermining Lieutenant Zay're's status. It was the first move in marginalizing the Lieutenant, until he became merely an entity filling a position, with no authority or respect. It seemed that Chief Bodai could play staff games, too. And he was obviously determined to get Zay're out of Headquarters. All of which now did not bother Katzaar a bit.  
  
For his part, Chief Bodai was pleased with his decision concerning the hacker investigation. He had bought Kiyone and Mihoshi some more time. That time might provide a solution to their dilemma. At least, it would postpone their career execution. His decision would likely be questioned by some higher-ups, who would take the tack that Kiyone and Mihoshi were themselves prime suspects, but Chief Bodai knew now that he soon would be a "higher-up" himself. So let them question him! He would remind them that GP officers were entitled to a presumption of innocence as much as any citizen of the Union. Let them chew on that.  
  
That reminded him. Mitsuki. He would have to deal with her swiftly, or not at all. Once he was promoted to a field grade position, he would be unable to pursue the re-investigation of the Slaakive mis- identification case. Perhaps Katzaar could help him with that.  
  
"Sergeant Katzaar, I am going to ask you a question and I want a frank answer. Don't be afraid to answer honestly. It will not reflect on you."  
  
"Yes, Chief."  
  
"You know, of course, about the episode involving the arrest of a vagrant that resembled that fugitive kidnapper, Slaakive. It ended up with Kiyone Makibi and Mihoshi Kuramitsu both stripped of their Sergeant's rank."  
  
"Yes, Chief. I worked very briefly with Kiyone here at Headquarters. I was in logistics then."  
  
"Yes. In fact, you took her position when she was reduced in rank."  
  
"That's corrrect, Chief."  
  
"So I can assume you aren't exactly a partisan for her cause?" Chief Bodai asked.  
  
Sergeant Katzaar obviously didn't like the question, but he answered it. "No, Chief. I'm no supporter of hers."  
  
"Good. Then please think carefully and give me your frank opinion on this next question. If Kiyone was truthful in what she said at her hearing, someone must have produced a foolscap copy of a faked fully articulated ID-comparo report on that transient and the real Slaakive, one that said the two were identical. Kiyone testified she asked Mitsuki to generate that report. Which would mean that Mitsuki faked the report, again assuming that Kiyone is telling the truth. Now, Sergeant...knowing Mitsuki as well as you do...is she capable of such an act, do you think?"  
  
The question rather stunned Sergeant Katzaar. Truly, he had not even entertained the notion that Mitsuki could have been lying. Mitsuki had been his ally, while Kiyone had been a pushy, brusque, unwanted newcomer to Headquarters. He had, of course, assumed that Kiyone had taken a chance that the preliminary comparo-ID was right on the money and grabbed her buddy, Mihoshi, to make a vainglorious arrest of a high-profile fugitive--and then had lied when it all had come a cropper. But now that he had worked closely with Mitsuki and seen Mitsuki's own overweening ambition...  
  
Sergeant Katzaar nodded. "I have to admit, Chief...that, yes, I now think Mitsuki is capable of having faked that report. I do know she was horribly humiliated at being reprimanded and re-assigned as Kiyone's assistant after the Kagato rebellion."  
  
"I can understand that," Chief Bodai said.  
  
Katzaar now decided to make a clean breast of it. He owed the Chief that much. "In fact, a lot of us were upset at Kiyone's promotion, Chief. She had defied orders, was involved in attacking GP ships and officers only doing their duty, and seemed to have only stumbled into the right side of that conflict by accident. And she rubbed a lot of us the wrong way when she came to Headquarters. Frankly, since her partner is the granddaughter of the Grand Marshall, we suspected his influence had more to do with her promotion than any merit on her part."  
  
"I see. Now that you've met the Grand Marshall...do you entertain those suspicions still?"  
  
"No, Chief," said Sergeant Katzaar ruefully. "He's the last one who would act like that. I know that now."  
  
Chief Bodai nodded. "Certainly, Kiyone could have handled herself better while she was here and I think Mitsuki was treated unfairly overall. And making her Kiyone's assistant--well, that was just asking for trouble." Those actions had been taken before Chief Bodai was assigned to Headquarters. "But none of that would justify a scheme to get Kiyone busted down in rank. Do you agree?"  
  
"Yes, Chief."  
  
"All right, then. I'm not asking you to spy on Mitsuki. But I would like you to keep an eye open for anything that may help bring new light to that Slaakive mis-identification case...either for or against her. Understood?"  
  
"Understood, Chief."  
  
Chief Bodai smiled. "Thank you, Youri." It was the first time that Chief Bodai had called Sergeant Katzaar by his first name. The latter seemed touched by the familiarity.  
  
"Chief, you went to bat for me, and I..."  
  
"I did what a supervisor is supposed to do, Youri. If you feel gratitude about it, then do likewise when you face a similar situation with your own subordinates. All right?"  
  
Now Sergeant Katzaar smiled, and for once it didn't look a bit forced or unnatural. "All right, Chief."  
  
------  
  
"Well, Kiyone, now that you are certain...what do you intend to do about it?"  
  
Princess Ayeka put the question to Kiyone as the two finished washing and drying the dinner and dessert dishes in the kitchen. Both had volunteered to do the dishes, an offer that Sasami had accepted with gratitude. She, Tenchi, Tris, and Mihoshi were now watching television in the living room. Ryoko had announced a desire to take a short walk outdoors, with a wink at Tenchi, which Tenchi had ignored, but she had gone outside, anyway. Lord Yosho, Nobuyuki, and Washuu had gone upstairs to Nobuyuki's home office to discuss a sub-contractor opportunity for his new firm that he wanted their feedback on before he discussed it with his partners. Ryo-Ohki, having been fed some nice crisp carrots, drowsed in a corner of the kitchen, mulling over whether she would sleep that night in Tenchi and Tris's bedroom or in the women's bedroom.  
  
"Do about what?"  
  
"Kiyone!" Ayeka exclaimed with fond exasperation.  
  
Kiyone smiled. "Oh, all right, Ayeka. The fact is...I'm going to do nothing about it." She opened a kitchen cabinet and began placing freshly washed and dried cups in it.  
  
"What?" Ayeka was dumfounded. "But, after you said..."  
  
"I know what I said, Ayeka. But I'm not going to do anything. What can I do?"  
  
"You could...well..." Ayeka considered. "I suppose you might...tell him?"  
  
Kiyone shook her head. "No, Ayeka. I won't do that. I'm not brave like you and Ryoko. I'm too scared to take that gamble--and then have Tris say that he likes me a lot but he doesn't love me."  
  
"But, Kiyone--he may say he does love you."  
  
"Sure! But who knows what he'll say, the big stiff! He's so damned honest, he'll just blurt it out, the idiot. He's like that, Ayeka, you know that." Kiyone turned away from Ayeka as she closed the cabinet door and collected more dessert bowls to plunk into the sink's soapy water. "If he told me he doesn't love me..." her voice trailed off.  
  
"Oh, dear." Ayeka understood now. She herself had gambled that Lord Tenchi would reciprocate her love when she had made her feelings quite clear to him. As it turned out, Ayeka's gamble had not paid off...not yet, anyway. Kiyone was a strong, proud woman and she did not want to risk the crushing defeat of rejection--even a mild rejection, spoken kindly by a typically well-meaning but clueless male.  
  
"So you understand."  
  
"I understand. But Kiyone, men are rather afraid themselves to say they are in love. It is due to some awful primitive instinct that urges them to run away from commitment. It is terrible! All of these centuries have passed and we have not beat it out of their stupid heads yet." Ayeka grimaced as she thought of how a few women of her acquaintence had actually been left--yes, even at the altar-- by men who had gotten an urge to flee matrimony. Some of those men were still fleeing. It was no small matter to break a matrimonial contract. The would-be bride's parents often felt they had the right to track down the departed swain. That formidable bounty hunter, Nagi, had made a small fortune out of finding and bringing back fugitive bridegrooms. And still they ran away! Ayeka herself had made it very clear to her father, the King, that Lord Tenchi had made no formal pact of marriage with her...otherwise, if Lord Tenchi chose Ryoko, he might end up facing Nagi.  
  
"You're telling me, Ayeka? I'm a cop, remember? You know how many runaway groom reports we get in? Mihoshi and I used to laugh at them..." Kiyone wasn't laughing now. She plunged her hands into the soapy water of the sink and began scrubbing bowls with, perhaps, a bit more vigor than was called for.  
  
"That is my point, exactly. Tristram may well wish to tell you that he is in love with you. But that stupid male instinct may be holding him back. It is up to us sometimes, Kiyone, to get such things settled. Otherwise, many couples would not be married now!"  
  
"Who's talking about marriage, anyway?" Kiyone irritably handed a washed and rinsed dish to Ayeka for drying. But Kiyone was too impatient and the slippery dish dropped from her wet fingers before Ayeka could grasp it. It fell to the floor and shattered. In the corner, Ryo-Ohki hopped with alarm. "Meow-er?"  
  
"Hey...you all right in there?" It was Tenchi's voice from the living room.  
  
"We are fine, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said loudly. "Just a small mishap."  
  
"Hey, tell that cop in there that she shouldn't juggle more than five bowls at a time," Tris's voice called out. Kiyone and Ayeka heard laughter now issue from the living room.  
  
"That big stiff! Wait until I get my hands on him!" Kiyone grated. She attacked the dishes in the sink with renewed ferocity.  
  
"Yes," Ayeka murmured as she bent down and collected the pieces of the shattered bowl. "No doubt you will kiss him until he begs for mercy." She smiled and carried the dish shards to the dustbin.  
  
"I'll strangle him! I'll punch his gizzard out!" Kiyone vowed.  
  
"You know, I never really understood the concept of "love taps" until I watched you jab poor Tristram." Still smiling, Ayeka dropped the dish pieces into the dustbin. She walked back to the sink.  
  
"Ayeka!"  
  
"Well? If you care for a man enough to turn him black and blue, perhaps you should not wait around until he screws up the courage to tell you he loves you. You may wait a long time, Kiyone. You may wait forever."  
  
"Yeah, but..."  
  
"Hey, want me to tell him?"  
  
The voice asking that question seemed to have issued from thin air. Both Kiyone and Ayeka looked around the kitchen. They both saw that the ceiling appeared to have grown a head...a head with spiky platinum hair, golden eyes, and a wide grin. They groaned with comprehension. "Ryoko!"  
  
"You called?" Ryoko now fully passed through the ceiling, righted herself, and floated down to the floor.  
  
Ryo-Ohki was pleased to see her mistress. "Meow-er!" She trotted up to Ryoko and began to rub against her ankles with loving devotion.  
  
Kiyone and Ayeka seemed distinctly less pleased. "Spying!" Ayeka exclaimed. "You...you spy! Ryoko!"  
  
"That's me." Ryoko grinned, unconcerned with their displeasure. "Just call me Secret Agent Double O-Sexy."  
  
"With a license to snoop, I presume?" Ayeka asked acidly.  
  
"Whatever it takes, Princess--when it comes to getting some "gold" on my "finger"!" Ryoko laughed. "Tris told me that one!"  
  
"It figures," Kiyone muttered.  
  
"Well, it is not a bit funny, Ryoko. When will you learn to respect other people's privacy?" Ayeka demanded.  
  
"Privacy? In this house?" Ryoko grinned and shook her platinum- haired head. She bent down and stroked Ryo-Ohki. "Aren't these girls silly, Ryo-Ohki?"  
  
"Who's silly?" Kiyone snapped.  
  
"You are! Mooning around Tris so that even Ryo-Ohki here can tell you've gone off the deep end over him. You're lucky he's as dense as a dark star--otherwise, he'd be skedaddling back to that college right now!" Ryoko rose and proceeded to do a fair imitation of Tris's voice: "'Uh, say, Tenchi, old buddy, old pal, I forget to turn off the shower back at the old dorm room. Bet the tub's real full now. Better go shut it off.'" She smiled sassily at Kiyone.  
  
"Maybe I ought to shut you off," Kiyone told her.  
  
"Ryo-Ohki--please protect me!" Ryoko snatched up the cabbit and pressed her against her ample bosom. "The mean cop's gonna hurt your mistress! Oh, save me!"  
  
"Meow-er?"  
  
"Can the comedy, Ryoko," Kiyone said gratingly. "You don't know if Tris would skedaddle--I mean, run off--or not. Besides, it's none of your business."  
  
"Oh, but it is." Ryoko placed Ryo-Ohki back on the kitchen floor. The cabbit decided to check out things in the living room and trotted off. "I've just appointed myself the Love Monitor around here. I was going to fine the Princess two weeks of taking out the garbage for making cow eyes at Tenchi during dinner. But now I see I'll have to settle your case first."  
  
"Love Monitor!" Ayeka exclaimed. "The Love Meddler, you mean! And I was not making cow eyes at Lord Tenchi!"  
  
"Hah! Keep telling whoppers like that, Princess, and I'll have to fine you two weeks more. Cow eyes it was! Moo, Moo, see how I love you, Tenchi?" Ryoko laughed. "But you'll have to wait, Princess. This isn't the old maid docket. We're on the Case of the Dateless Detective now."  
  
Ayeka's face purpled. But she collected herself. She was resolved not to let Ryoko prod her into another embarrassing outburst.  
  
"Dateless! Like fun!" Kiyone snapped. "That sounds more like you, Ryoko."  
  
"That actually sounds more like two weeks of scrubbing the toilet for contempt of court," Ryoko told her. "But the Love Monitor will be lenient. One week! And before you spout off again, even Mihoshi has said she's had as many dates with old One Dimple as you have--and you told her they weren't dates, anyway, remember? So...the Dateless Detective!" Ryoko smiled, obviously pleased with herself. "And now the Dateless Detective is the Clueless Cop." Ryoko clasped her hands together and assumed an expression of exaggerated yearning. "'Oh, I love the goofball, but I won't tell him so...he might not melt into a puddle at my feet. I shall become an old maid like my idol, Princess Spinster.'" Ryoko shook her head. "That's the way to fix things, Kiyone. Not!"  
  
"Princess Spinster!" Ayeka rapidly lost her resolve to avoid a verbal confrontation. "How dare you! I was negotiating a marriage contract with Prince Seiryou before I even met Lord Tenchi. He could not wait to wed me! Now suppose you inform us about your past matrimonial prospects, Ryoko."  
  
"Hey, we're not talking about your busted engagements, Princess," Ryoko retorted. She didn't have a good answer to that question, anyway. The last guy who had showed interest in marrying Ryoko was now serving twenty-to-life on a prison planetoid. "You're just waiting around until Tenchi chooses me and then you can go find some noble wet-smack who wants your money in his pockets. The court is considering Kiyone's case. The court has generously offered to tell that goofball in the living room about Kiyone's burning passion for him. The court is waiting for an answer."  
  
"If you tell him, Ryoko--you're dead!" Kiyone all but shouted.  
  
"Is that any way to speak to the Love Monitor?" Ryoko grinned.  
  
Kiyone just glared at her.  
  
"Princess, tell this cop that I'm talking sense. Even you know I am."  
  
"You may be talking sense, Ryoko," Ayeka said. "But to mix in your insults and aspersions--"  
  
"The court is entitled to a little fun, Princess. The court likes this cop and even likes that goofball in there. The court would really like to help a certain clueless couple." Ryoko smiled with genuine warmth at Kiyone. "Com'on Kiyone, lighten up. And wise up. In about a week or so, Tris goes back to college with Tenchi. A college full of co-eds. You want to let him go back there without telling him how you feel? I wouldn't! Not on your life!"  
  
"I'm not you, Ryoko."  
  
"Worse luck! If you were, you'd have him all packaged up, nice and pretty." Ryoko's voice lost some of its banter. "And maybe even I'd envy you, girl, for being able to have your guy and hold him, too."  
  
Kiyone expression slowly relaxed. She managed to post a tiny smile.  
  
"Well, perhaps I wish I were more like you, Ryoko...a little. But I'm not. Old One Dimple will have to tell me first how he feels. Maybe I can kind of hint to him where things stand. But that's all. That's just how I'm made, Ryoko."  
  
Ryoko shook her head. "The court is not pleased, but the court understands--sort of. The court will remain silent on this case. Now..." Ryoko smiled saucily at Ayeka. "We have the Case of the Cow Eyes to finish."  
  
"I shall finish you," Ayeka promised angrily, "if you do not drop this ridiculous charade right here and now!"  
  
"Like you could! But okay, court's adjourned--for now." Ryoko turned to leave. "You girls go ahead and finish the dishes. Guess I'll go see what they're watching on TV. Maybe I can get them to watch a little wrestling."  
  
"Ryoko! You will not!" Ayeka cried.  
  
"Why not? It's a great sport. I'm going to teach Tenchi a few wrestling holds myself. I can see us now...just him and me on the mat. I'll teach him some nice holds, all right. Might even let him pin me. Be sure you get those dishes dry now, Princess. And don't drop any more dishes, Kiyone--we're on a budget, you know."  
  
Ryoko left the kitchen with a smile.  
  
"Kiyone...would you mind finishing up in here?" Ayeka asked grimly. "I believe I would like to watch a little television myself."  
  
"I don't mind, Ayeka," Kiyone replied. smiling. "You go right ahead."  
  
------  
  
"It's a good thing I've finally landed this contract," Nobuyuki told Lord Yosho and Washuu in his home office/bedroom upstairs. "If they're going to break dishes like that!" He smiled. They had all heard the dish shatter in the kitchen.  
  
Lord Yosho chuckled. He and Washuu had been studying the contract's terms on the screen of Nobuyuki's Apple. All three of them were sitting on chairs facing the computer screen.  
  
"Dropping dishes...that's sure not like the Princess or Kiyone," Washuu commented with a grin. "Must be a disturbance in there--a disturbance spelled R-y-o-k-o!"  
  
"Washuu, you're a most discerning young woman," Nobuyuki told her.  
  
"You sweet-talking man." Washuu slipped her hand over his.  
  
Lord Yosho smiled, amused. He said, "I think, and of course I am no businessman, that this contract offers a fair proposal. There does not seem to be a very heavy layer of processing between acceptance and payment. That is good, at any rate."  
  
"You bet it is, father-in-law. We can't spend time drafting all the designs and working out all the specs and then wait months for payment. I just don't like the fact that we will be under the thumb of a bigger architectural firm."  
  
"At least it's not your old firm," Washuu pointed out. "And you won't be performance-judged on what they do. Your work will be evaluated separately."  
  
"That's true," Nobuyuki admitted.  
  
"And you can't blame the developers," Washuu continued. "You're an unknown quantity to them--they'll take a chance on you because you'll work cheap, but they still want the security of an established firm over the whole project. You'll just have to prove you work cheap and good and later you won't have to have a bigger firm as a nanny."  
  
"That is it exactly, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho agreed. "These are early days for your new company, son-in-law. I would not be afraid to be wedded to another firm just now...just as long as you will be judged by your own efforts."  
  
"That's right!" Washuu smiled coyly at Nobuyuki. "Grandpa is right. You shouldn't be afraid to be wedded." She winked. "You might like it."  
  
Nobuyuki laughed. Lord Yosho uttered a small chuckle. Washuu was able to switch from practical business discussion to amorous joking in a twinkling. It was just a tiny indication of how razor sharp she was.  
  
"And you're making money--good money--even at your low bid," Washuu added.  
  
"Indeed?" Lord Yosho asked.  
  
"Yes, father-in-law. Washuu and I worked out the costs and the office expenses and we threw in a decent profit, too. By working with a small margin, we'll able to make money on these low-end projects."  
  
"That is excellent," Lord Yosho commented appreciatively.  
  
"That's right, Grandpa," Washuu said. "Nobie here hit it perfectly. Slow economy, lots of renovation and repair instead of new building-- so, small contracts, but with low overhead--presto, decent profits. That's what I call making an opportunity where others see no opportunity at all. That's what I call being a winner!" Washuu squeezed Nobuyuki's hand.  
  
"Absolutely," Lord Yosho agreed. "And this contract...I should say, perhaps, opportunity...is a start. It's more than you had a short time ago, son-in-law. And you made it for yourself. You won a victory in an arena I would not even presume to enter."  
  
Nobuyuki smiled at his father-in-law. "Thanks. But it was done with everyone's help and support--especially a certain pretty woman who happens to be a real genius."  
  
"Awww..." Washuu rested her head against Nobuyuki's arm. "You say the sweetest thing, Nobie."  
  
Lord Yosho saw it was time for him to leave. "Well, I believe I shall retire to bed early this evening. Old bones need lots of rest, you know." He stood. "It's a fair contract, son-in-law, I believe. You will give them their money's worth, I know."  
  
"That I will. Thanks again, father-in-law. Good-night."  
  
"'Night, Grandpa," Washuu said cheerily.  
  
"Good night to you both," Lord Yosho said. He walked to the door, slid it open, and departed.  
  
As he walked down the hallway, Lord Yosho thought he heard some sort of commotion from downstairs. He shrugged, unconcerned. That was one thing he was certainly used to.  
  
------  
  
When Kiyone finally finished the dishes, she hung the towel over the sink to dry and wandered into the living room. She was resolved to get Tris outside, where hopefully the moon and her own stratagems might begin laying the groundwork for...well, for helping the idiot to get a clue and start thinking about three little words.  
  
In the living room, she saw that Tenchi was standing before the television set, as were Ryoko and Ayeka. Ryoko held the remote control above her head, grinning.  
  
"What democracy?" she was saying. "I'm the absolute ruler of TV Land. I have the remote!"  
  
"Hey," said Tris from one of the couches. "Let's watch that channel, Ryoko. They show "Green Acres" sometimes. It kinda reminds me of this place." He was sitting with Mihoshi and Sasami, neither of whom looked pleased. He nudged Sasami. "You know, on that show they had a pig who hogged the TV."  
  
"Really?" Sasami smiled. Mihoshi laughed.  
  
"A pig! Did he grab the remote, too?" she asked.  
  
"What? Who's a pig?" Ryoko demanded, having heard only part of their conversation.  
  
"If the oink fits, say it," Ayeka suggested.  
  
"Listen, Princess..." Ryoko began. She wasn't watching Tenchi now. He leaped and grabbed the remote control.  
  
"Coup the grass!" Tris proclaimed.  
  
"Huh?" asked Mihoshi.  
  
"Something about grass," Sasami guessed.  
  
"You have been de-throned, I see," Ayeka told Ryoko. "Pretenders usually are, sooner or later."  
  
"I was robbed!" Ryoko smiled at Tenchi. "But my sweetums can have anything from me he wants...just anything."  
  
"Okay, then," Tenchi said. "Sit down."  
  
"But, sweetums..."  
  
Tenchi gave her that very special look he reserved just for her. Ryoko quickly sat down on the couch opposite the one Tris, Sasami, and Mihoshi occupied. Ayeka sat down, too.  
  
Kiyone smiled as she stood and watched her friends. Tenchi noticed her. He smiled back at her.  
  
"Since Kiyone just finished the dishes, she should pick what we watch," he declared.  
  
"That is right," Ayeka agreed virtuously.  
  
"Stop trying to brown-nose Tenchi, Princess," Ryoko said, disgruntled. "All Kiyone wants to watch are cop shows--the boring ones. Where the cops just sit around and yak."  
  
"Wrestling would be better, I suppose?" Ayeka asked with heavy sarcasm.  
  
"Sure would, Princess. Lots of action and a lot less yakking...which is a good idea for this household, too."  
  
Before Ryoko and Ayeka could get embroiled again, Tenchi asked, "Kiyone, what would you like to watch? A movie? A show?"  
  
"Well..." Kiyone grinned. "Actually, a certain idiot boy promised to take me for a walk after dinner. I'm going to hold him to that promise."  
  
"Huh?" Tris said. He didn't recall that.  
  
"Idiot boy? She means you, Tris," Mihoshi said helpfully.  
  
"Thanks a heap, Mihoshi!"  
  
"You're welcome a heap, Tris." Mihoshi smiled, always glad to help. "What's so funny, Sasami?"  
  
"Oh, nothing," Sasami replied, quickly stifling a giggle.  
  
"Get up, you," Kiyone ordered Tris. "And take me for that walk!"  
  
Tris rose. "How could I resist such a nice request?" He walked over to Kiyone. "You lead the way. If you don't hear me behind you, don't worry. I'll be walking real quiet. You just keep going."  
  
Kiyone grabbed his arm. "March!" She dragged him to the front door and slid it open. They both disappeared outside, the door sliding shut behind them.  
  
"How romantic," Ryoko cracked.  
  
"Kiyone sure wants to take a walk," Sasami said, puzzled. "I wonder why that is?"  
  
"Maybe she just doesn't want to watch TV," Mihoshi reasoned.  
  
Ryoko rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Jeeze, but you two have a lot to learn!"  
  
"Well, you are not going to teach them," Ayeka said. "And now that Kiyone has left, I believe Lord Tenchi should pick another person to decide what we will watch."  
  
Ryoko grinned. "Me, Tenchi, pick me! Pick your love toy! She'll make you glad you did!"  
  
"I am going to be ill," Ayeka said. "I just know that I am."  
  
"Forget it, Ryoko," Tenchi said. "Sasami's the one to pick the program."  
  
"Me? Really?" Sasami was excited. "That's cool!"  
  
"Yay!" said Mihoshi, happy for her young friend. "What do you want to watch, Sasami?"  
  
"Well...I guess it's too late in the evening for our pretty magical soldier show to be on, Mihoshi," Sasami deliberated.  
  
"Thank heavens," Ayeka murmured.  
  
"That's kid stuff," Ryoko snorted. "Like that "Doraemon" show...blue robot cats! Puh-leeze!"  
  
"But "Doraemon" is cute," Mihoshi protested.  
  
"It's Sasami's choice," Tenchi said firmly.  
  
"Well...I'd kind of like to watch "Happy Family Plan"," Sasami said. "It's nice to watch a family work hard together and maybe win three million yen. I wish that our family could be on that show."  
  
"We could use that three million yen, all right," Mihoshi agreed.  
  
"Of course, you must use that money to order items from the "Happy Family Plan" catalogue," Ayeka commented. "I do think those catalogue prices are a bit inflated."  
  
"Family shows," Ryoko muttered disgustedly.  
  
"Somehow I don't think our family is quite ready for prime time, Sasami," Tenchi told her with a grin. "That show's on TBS, so let's check." He manipulated the remote control. The television screen blinked into light and slowly settled on a scene of a family talking excitedly to an announcer who kept popping jokes and looking at the camera in true Japanese mass-media style.  
  
"It's on!" Sasami was pleased. "But what's the challenge this time?"  
  
Tenchi punched up the sound from the remote control. They all listened to the announcer.  
  
"What? Just sip a bunch of different teas and say what kind they are in three minutes? That's lame! Isn't the father going to fall off a cliff or anything?" Ryoko was miffed.  
  
"We'll save that for you when we get on the show," Ayeka told her.  
  
"Yuk, yuk, Princess. Well, I know where's there's something better to watch." Ryoko smiled slyly. She started to rise from the couch.  
  
"No, you will not!" Ayeka cried. "Lord Tenchi--stop her!"  
  
Tenchi walked to the couch where the two women sat. "Where are you going, Ryoko?"  
  
"Just around...just want to get some fresh air," Ryoko said, not meeting Tenchi's eyes.  
  
"She does not! She wants to go spy on..." Ayeka glanced at Sasami and Mihoshi, who were witnessing this exchange with great interest. "You know what I mean, Lord Tenchi."  
  
Tenchi nodded. "Ryoko, sit down."  
  
"I don't wanna."  
  
"Ryoko...!"  
  
"Okay. But you gotta hold my hand, then, Tenchi, or I might fly away."  
  
Tenchi deposited the remote control on the sofa table. He sat down on the couch between Ryoko and Ayeka. He sighed inwardly. He took Ryoko's hand...and he also took Ayeka's hand.  
  
"Hey, no fair, sweetums. Just hold my hand."  
  
"But I may fly away too, Ryoko," Ayeka said, laughing.  
  
"You promise?" Ryoko muttered.  
  
"Watch the show," Tenchi ordered.  
  
They all did. As it turned out, the father of the family featured that week in "Happy Family Plan" flubbed his challenge. No three million yen for the Hakudai family. But there was peace for a little while for the Masaki family...especially when Ryoko gave in and nestled against her Tenchi. He held her hand all the while. Now that was Ryoko's idea of a happy family plan.  
  
------  
  
Outside, Kiyone was still holding on to Tris's right arm and pulling him along. They had crossed the front lawn and were approaching the gate. There Azaka II and Kamidake II stood, stolid and solid, their sensing mechanisms always on and always directed toward the person of Princess Ayeka. Both Guardians blinked at Kiyone and Tris. It was a happy blink. They knew that it would no longer be dull with those two around.  
  
"Help," Tris said to the two big wooden cylinders. "Save me. Save me from this nice walk."  
  
"Beg pardon, Tristram Coffin, sir?" Azaka II queried.  
  
"You do not appear to be in any difficulty, sir," Kamidake II noted. "Besides, we only protect the person of Princess Ayeka Jurai, unless she commands us otherwise. That is our programming. We offer our apologies."  
  
"Great! Even the lawn ornaments have a union," Tris muttered.  
  
Kiyone released his arm. "Well, if you want to go back in, buster-- go!"  
  
Tris rubbed his arm. "What are you so sore about? You grabbed me, remember? I don't need an excuse to be alone with you, Kiyone."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No." Tris really did not understand Kiyone's sudden mood swing. "I wanted to get you alone myself, but I though you'd prefer to do it a little later. You know, watch a little TV with the gang and then kind of...slip out, quietly."  
  
Kiyone looked at Tris. The moon had risen over the horizon and it was darkish, yet it was still somewhat early evening. It really was a bit early for them to go out walking, as per their usual custom. She knew she had been a little...abrupt. It was just that Ryoko had been right. Tris would be around only a short time longer.  
  
"Well, I just felt like a walk. That's all. It doesn't matter what time we do it--we don't have to be so darned discrete, do we? Everyone knows we're a couple, don't you think?"  
  
"No and yes," Tris answered. He slipped an arm around Kiyone. She leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder. "The question is...a couple of what?"  
  
Kiyone laughed despite herself. "You!" She slipped her arms around his neck. "Didn't your Dad ever tell you what you're supposed to do when you have a woman and a moon and the place all to yourself?"  
  
Sure, Tris thought. Run like hell! He grinned.  
  
"Listen, my Dad was still trying to figure out how he ended up married with a family and a mortgage when we had that kind of talk. In fact, he never could figure out..." Tris stopped as Kiyone suddenly tightened her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. She had decided to talk to him in another way. They kissed, and then kissed again.  
  
The two Guardians took note of this development.  
  
"It is about time he kissed her," Azaka II opined. "He does not seem to understand the protocol for such things."  
  
"It appears that she kissed him," Kamidake II noted. "This never happens when the Princess and Lord Tenchi converse alone, even during the nightfall. Perhaps there really is no set protocol for this."  
  
"Wow..." Tris murmured, as he and Kiyone came up for air. That had been some kiss. Kiyone had been particularly soft and warm against him and she had kissed him with a head-spinning emphasis. Again, she and he had French kissed as well, something they had to ration since it so intoxicated them both.  
  
"That's just the warm-up, darling," Kiyone whispered to him. "Let's go find some place where we can...relax."  
  
"Ummm...sure," Tris was eager to comply, but, "I'm not sure where. I mean, the grass is a little damp and the bugs..."  
  
"There's the back seat of your car."  
  
"Kiyone! The back seat?" Tris was galvanized. "You know what that means--the back seat?"  
  
"It means we don't sit on the grass, goofy." Kiyone chuckled softly and kissed his big, stupid nose. He was so clueless, the darling. She was going to have her work cut out for her, all right.  
  
"Oh." Tris had to remind himself that Kiyone was not from Earth. The back seat of a car held no significance for her, except as a place to sit. Down boy, he told himself. Don't get your hopes up.  
  
"Of course, if we had our own place to go to, we wouldn't have to go around sitting in cars," Kiyone pointed out. She had decided to get the campaign rolling. She kissed his cheeks, little butterfly kisses. "Know what I mean?"  
  
"Well..." Tris seemed uncertain.  
  
"Don't you want it to be like this...well, forever, goofy?" Kiyone took another approach.  
  
"We might get kind of hungry after a while," Tris said. "But if we can get this catered, I think you have something there, Blue Eyes." Now he kissed Kiyone and they wrapped around each other.  
  
As they kissed again, dreamily, Kiyone was almost intoxicated with love and relief. This was going to be easier than she thought. No doubt after a few more sessions like this, he'd finally--  
  
Something buzzed, loudly, insistently, on her left wrist. It was her GP alert bracelet. She wore the gold ID bracelet given to her by Tris on her right wrist. It didn't buzz, of course.  
  
"Damn it!" Kiyone broke from Tris. "We have a call! I have to go! Where's Mihoshi?"  
  
"Back at the house," Tris said, a bit rattled by the sudden change in the evening's agenda.  
  
"Well, go get her, clown! Tell her I'll be at the big clearing by the lake. Make her come right now, Tris! I'm counting on you."  
  
Kiyone scampered to the large open lawn area near the lake to use her earring to summon the Yagami. Tris, in turn, sprinted back toward the house.  
  
The two Guardians watched the break-up with some enlightenment.  
  
"Perhaps this is more like the Princess and Lord Tenchi's situation, after all," Kamidake II commented. "They get together, but nothing is accomplished."  
  
"Yes, that does seem to be the pattern around here," Azaka II agreed.  
  
------  
  
Tris reached the house in record time. He pounded in, not even bothering to take off his shoes. He burst into the living room. He found Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka on one couch and Mihoshi and Sasami on the other couch still watching TV. They all stared at him.  
  
"Mihoshi!" he panted. "You have a call! You know! From the GP!"  
  
"Gosh!" Mihoshi sprung up from the couch. The bowl of ice cream that had been sitting on her lap sprung up, too--and plopped onto the floor. "Ohhhh...I didn't mean to do that."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Mihoshi." Sasami rose from the couch, too. "I'll clean it up. You have to go now."  
  
"Yeah!" Mihoshi stopped. "But go where?"  
  
"To the lawn out there by the lake," Tris told her. "Kiyone's waiting, with Yagami."  
  
"Right!" Mihoshi recalled how much under the gun she had Kiyone were. It would not do to be late in answering a summons by the GP. It could mean another write-up! Gosh!  
  
She barreled out of the living room, thrusting Tris aside, so that he tumbled against the couch containing Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka. Mihoshi was a very powerful being, especially when she was excited.  
  
"Sorry, Tris!" she called behind her, and then she was gone.  
  
Tenchi helped Tris rise from where he had involuntarily sat on the Princess's lap. "You ought to watch where you sit down, bonehead," he said, grinning.  
  
"Lord, I'm sorry, Ayeka," Tris told her, his face flaming.  
  
"It is all right, Tristram. You did not do it intentionally." Ayeka rose and straightened the folds of her robed gown. She smiled at him to show she was not upset.  
  
"Yeah, he was smack dab in the way of the Mihoshi Express," Ryoko cracked. "But at least the Princess got a little action around here. She can write it down in her diary tonight."  
  
------  
  
A little while later, the Yagami floated in deep space, a few thousand miles from Earth. Kiyone and Mihoshi sat in their cockpit seats on the starship's bridge, staring at their viewscreens. On each was the unlovely face of Sergeant Katzaar, about the last person either of them would wish to be staring at.  
  
Both of the Galaxy Police officers were in their uniforms--barely. They were both disheveled, and Mihoshi had not tied her tie. Upon being transport-beamed up to the Yagami, they had raced into the bridge, grabbed the uniforms they had left there, and struggled into them, while Kiyone verbally commanded the ship to leave Earth orbit. The Yagami had responded instantly to the simple vocal command. Once she had her uniform tunic and her uniform trousers pulled on and had made a quick knot with her regulation tie, Kiyone sat down at the cockpit console and yelled for Mihoshi to do the same. Sure enough, the indicator was flashing that there was a call waiting for them. When Mihoshi, giving up on her tie, had punched the call in, Sergeant Katzaar had appeared.  
  
Sergeant Katzaar seemed to be a bit subdued, however. There were no nasty looks or cracks about their appearance, nor comments about how long it took for them to respond. Instead, he quickly and concisely told them about the hack into the GP's confidential records. He also told them that the hacker had been traced to Earth, generally, and to the islands of Japan, specifically.  
  
Kiyone could almost feel Mihoshi tense next to her. She prayed that Mihoshi would not say or do anything to register dismay...and Kiyone herself fought to keep a calm, neutral demeanor. The news of the trace was almost devastating, however. She had hoped that Washuu had successfully eluded the GP's security countermeasures while hacking those close-hold records. Well, Washuu had no doubt done her best. And Washuu had warned her of the possibility that her hacking efforts might be traced.  
  
"Of course, since the hack came from the area on Earth you are home- based at, you will have that advantage," Sergeant Katzaar was saying, slowly and without inflection. "The hack itself was very expertly done. It was well above the technological capabilities of the Earthlings. You did encounter some youthful techie geeks once who traveled to Earth. Perhaps this is a repeat of that."  
  
Sergeant Katzaar looked as if he did not believe that for a moment. Kiyone had the definite impression that Katzaar thought she and Mihoshi were involved in the offense, but was choosing to stay neutral. This was certainly a strange posture for Katzaar to adopt, considering his general antipathy to them. Now would be the moment for him to pounce and accuse them directly. Yet he was not doing that.  
  
"Understood, Sergeant." Kiyone kept her voice and manner as neutral as Katzaar's. "When would you want a preliminary report?"  
  
"There is no deadline, since there are no real clues to the idenity of the culprit," Katzaar said. "I would like an update, say, in ten days. But it would be an update, not a report, if you've made no progress by then."  
  
Now Kiyone really was surprised. Katzaar would be well within his rights to demand a full report from them within those ten days, and then use their lack of progress as an excuse to request an independent investigative team to step in. Katzaar was cutting her and Mihoshi a lot of slack. It just did not add up.  
  
Still, that was a minor conundrum. The real problem was that even if given a year to report, Kiyone and Mihoshi would have nothing satisfactory to turn in. The only way they could crack this case would be to confess--and implicate Washuu. That was unthinkable, of course.  
  
"Very well, Sergeant," Kiyone told him. "If nothing comes up sooner, we will update you in ten days."  
  
"That's fine, Detective Makibi. Uh, Detective Kuramitsu...about your tie..."  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Well...just tie it the next time. We know you don't spend every moment on your ship. We certainly will grant you time to dress properly. All right?"  
  
"Gosh. All right, sir." Mihoshi was clearly taken by surprise by Sergeant Katzaar's manner, too.  
  
"Sergeant Katzaar out." The viewscreens went blank.  
  
"He...he almost sounded nice, Kiyone," Mihoshi said. "Why would he be nice to us? Is he sick or something?"  
  
"I don't know, Mihoshi," Kiyone said impatiently. "That's not important now. We're in horrible trouble." Her voice was flat. "The worst. This is the end, partner."  
  
"What do you mean, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked worriedly.  
  
"Mihoshi! Weren't you listening?" Kiyone rose from her seat. Her face was flushed and she was close to shouting. "Don't you realize-- we can't solve this case! We're the culprits! This is a major offense! They can and will send an investigative team to Earth to ferret out the truth when we turn up nothing. They'll find out what happened because the first thing they'll do is call on the Masakis and question everyone there. They know Ayeka and Sasami are there and it'll be their only lead. When they find Ryoko and Washuu there, too, that's it! That's all they'll need! Use your brain, Mihoshi!"  
  
"But Washuu can hide away! So can Ryoko. No one will tell on them or us."  
  
"Damn it to hell, Mihoshi!" Kiyone fumed as she paced the bridge. "You still don't get it! Just finding evidence of Ryoko's or Washuu's presence is enough to cook us. Even if they find nothing at the Masakis, that won't save our careers. You know they won't find a culprit even after they covertly search every damned island in Japan. So it will still end up on our laps, because we'll be the prime suspects--the only suspects! Do you get it now? We're sunk!"  
  
Mihoshi did get it now. Tears streamed down her face. Kiyone was right. It was hopeless. It was the end. She would have to turn in the uniform that meant so much to her and leave Earth forever, and probably never see Kiyone again. Her grandfather would hate her. And she would have to live at home back on Kawaiidan, with all her brothers married off and her Daddy busy and everyone knowing she was a disgrace. She sobbed quietly.  
  
"That's right, go ahead and cry," Kiyone said roughly. "That's all you ever do, anyway."  
  
Kiyone's harsh words hit Mihoshi hard. But she stopped crying. "That's not true!" she said. "I'm as much in this as you are! We've worked a lot of cases, Kiyone, and I was with you all the time! And I'm with you right now!"  
  
Mihoshi's outburst stopped Kiyone's pacing. She stared at Mihoshi, wonderingly. Mihoshi rarely spoke so forcefully. And...she was absolutely right. Kiyone realized that she had let her temper get away from her again. "Yeah, you are with me. We're in this mess together, all right." Kiyone's tone was apologetic. "Sorry, partner. Guess I'll have to go pet Trissy again, huh?" Kiyone managed a tiny smile.  
  
Mihoshi smiled back sadly.  
  
"The fact is, you're going to get slammed along with me even though you didn't consent to the hacking of those close-hold records," Kiyone pointed out. "You could turn me in right now and maybe salvage your career. You know that, don't you?"  
  
"Of course, I do. I'm not stupid, Kiyone. But I never would do that. You're my partner and my best friend, and what you do, I'm responsible for, too. We're partners!"  
  
"Yes, we are, Mihoshi," Kiyone agreed with sudden warmth. Mihoshi's simple, sincere loyalty had moved her. She walked over and placed a hand softly on Mihoshi's shoulder. "Thanks for reminding me of that, partner. I'm not alone in this and that helps."  
  
"Of course we're not alone! We have all those people who love us and will stand behind us no matter what happens. That helps a whole lot!" Mihoshi smiled reassuringly at Kiyone.  
  
"Yeah, it really does." Kiyone suddenly thought of Tris. Well, maybe she would end up staying on Earth, unemployed and unable to show her face back at her home planet. Both she and Tris would have to find jobs and they'd have Mihoshi with them--but she'd still have to get her own place!  
  
God...! She was actually thinking about her and Tris being married. He would be her husband...and they would have kids. Kiyone suddenly recalled Sasami's dream. It set her aback--mainly because the idea did not displease her entirely. Kiyone realized that she had something real now, besides the GP, although she wasn't going to give up the GP without one hell of a struggle, even if it did seem hopeless.  
  
"What are you thinking about, Kiyone?"  
  
"I was thinking that I would survive, whatever happens," Kiyone replied. "We both will. But it hasn't happened yet."  
  
"No...but it will probably happen, won't it, Kiyone?" Mihoshi's voice had a rare fatalistic quality.  
  
"Yes, partner. I'm afraid it probably will."  
  
"Should we...should we just admit everything now and resign?"  
  
Kiyone shook her head decisively. "No. We haven't been found out yet. We can hope for a miracle. And we did commit a big offense, Mihoshi. It could mean arrest for us, not just dismissal. I don't fancy possibly going to prison. I've sent too many people there-- they'll remember me!" She smiled faintly at her bad joke. "There's still some time for us to maybe do something, before they get antsy over our lack of progress and send in that investigative team. Even if they do, assuming everyone at the house keeps quiet, we'll still end up being dismissed from the GP because they can do that without the kind of evidence they'd need for a trial--but we'll avoid jail, anyway."  
  
"Gosh. Do you really mean...we could go to jail?"  
  
"We could, partner. You know as well as I do that this is damned serious. Making an example of two rogue cops is just what the brass and the Adjutant General might do, to reassure the public that the GP keeps its skirts clean."  
  
"Oh, gosh. You're right, Kiyone." Mihoshi sounded miserable and scared. "Prison!"  
  
"But that's not going to happen--don't worry about it, Mihoshi. Besides, we have another reason not to bail out. There's that showdown with Professor Klove coming up. We know he's got some powerful weapon at his disposal and it's aimed at Ayeka--and the rest of us. We wouldn't be much good to the others stripped of our authority, our weapons, and our ship, would we? That's one fight I don't want to sit out on."  
  
"Me either," Mihoshi said.  
  
"Good. Then we're agreed. We'll just tough it out, hope for a break, and whatever happens, happens. Right?"  
  
"Right." Mihoshi said it without much enthusiasm.  
  
"Anyway, we've had about all the fun I can take for one evening. We'd better go back home, Mihoshi." Kiyone stopped herself. She smiled wanly. She had just referred to the Masaki house as "home." Well, maybe it would end up being home for her and Mihoshi. She thought about Tris again.  
  
"Okay. Should we tell the others about all this, Kiyone?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. They deserve to know, especially if they have to face that GP investigative team eventually."  
  
"Do you think they'll be...real upset?" Mihoshi sounded worried.  
  
"I hope not, partner. Otherwise, we may be sleeping on Yagami tonight," Kiyone joked feebly. At least, she hoped it was only a joke.  
  
------  
  
When Kiyone and Mihoshi presented themselves back in the living room, Tenchi immediately employed the remote to punch off the TV set. He looked at their faces and knew something was up.  
  
"We need to talk?" he asked.  
  
"We need to talk," Kiyone confirmed grimly.  
  
"Then let's go to the dining room," Sasami suggested. She rose from the couch. "I'll make some tea. Don't you two want to change from your uniforms first?"  
  
It was then that both Kiyone and Mihoshi realized that they hadn't even thought to change back into their street clothing before they left the Yagami. They were that upset.  
  
"Well..." Kiyone said.  
  
"Let's change, Kiyone," Mihoshi urged. "It will only take a few minutes. Maybe we'll feel better if we do."  
  
"I doubt it." But Kiyone followed Mihoshi upstairs to the women's bedroom to change. Sasami walked to the kitchen to begin preparing the tea.  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked at each other.  
  
"They felt pretty low--I did, too--when they had to bring back that news about Professor Klove," Tris said. "But not this low. Something really rotten must have happened."  
  
"I thought having to stand around and wait for that Klove to make his move was bad enough," Ryoko said. "I'd hate to think what could be worse."  
  
"Perhaps it has something to do with them, personally," Ayeka suggested. "Perhaps some bad news about their jobs. They are on rather shaky ground, as I understand it, in regards to their careers right now."  
  
"Roger that, Ayeka," Tris said. "I heard that jerk of a Sergeant chew out Mihoshi when I was on their ship. Yeah, it could be that, all right."  
  
"I hope not," Tenchi said. "Those two have had enough grief over their careers."  
  
Soon Kiyone and Mihoshi returned, wearing salcks and blouses. Tenchi led the way to the dining room. After Sasami come in with the tea, Kiyone told them everything.  
  
"That's...that's just awful," Tenchi said after he had listened to Kiyone's summation of their new "case."  
  
"Man!" Tris said, looking miserable. "That's as rotten a break as I ever heard of."  
  
"No wonder you both looked like hell when you came in," Ryoko commiserated. "This whole thing stinks."  
  
"Yes, this is most distressing," Ayeka agreed. "You did what you had to do and it is clear now that there really is a situation to justify it. Surely that will count in your favor."  
  
"It has to!" Sasami insisted.  
  
"It won't," Kiyone said flatly. "We're just not going to be shown that kind of consideration anymore. As I've told you all before, Mihoshi and I are on the very edge of being dismissed anyway. If we had sparkling clean records...well, maybe this would be forgiven. But we don't. And what situation? It's all speculation and it sounds kind of far-fetched. The GP is looking for--and will only look for--a real flesh-and-blood villain. Not some mind projection weapon wielded by a comatose invalid locked away in an institution."  
  
"But we know it's a real threat," Sasami pointed out. "We know Lord Yosho's ability to sense such things. We have the overturned wardrobes, and..." she stopped.  
  
Kiyone smiled wanly. "Uh-huh...you see? Pretty weak stuff. In a report, it will look like moonshine. Besides, Mihoshi and I could have traveled back to GP Headquarters on Yagami to review the records on the former Klove students the right way. The urgency of what we were discovering just sucked me in and I decided to take a chance and I got caught--Mihoshi and I got caught. Actually, Mihoshi is blameless in all this, you know."  
  
"Kiyone, that's not important now," Mihoshi told her. "We're in this together and that's that."  
  
"I know, partner."  
  
Kiyone sipped at her tea. It was amazing how much all this helped-- the warm, cozy setting, the lovely tea, lovingly prepared, her friends all around her, who understood her and would do everything they could to help her and would never abandon her. She was finally beginning to appreciate all that...as well as to appreciate a boy's hand holding her hand beneath the table, saying so much with that simple touch. She looked at Tris, who looked back at her with understanding and commiseration. Then he grinned at her and winked. It was crazy, but even that made her feel a tad better. The big goof!  
  
"Golly," Sasami said. She looked downcast. "All these bad things. I don't understand why so many bad things happen to us. We just want to live together and be happy. Now, with that Professor Klove and his terrible weapon, whatever it is, and what's happened with Kiyone and Mihoshi, it seems...well, I won't say it, but I sure feel it."  
  
The others grew silent. Then Ryoko tossed her platinum-haired head and adopted her most sassy look.  
  
"Come on, you all. Losers sit around and wah-wah about things they can't help. Remember, I told you we have the firepower to make that Klove creep turn tail and run without us even working up a good sweat. And as far as our two cops here are concerned, it's that Washuu who did the hacking and it's that Washuu who will have to get them out of this mess. And she'll do it, somehow! You all know Washuu."  
  
"Your sudden confidence in Miss Washuu is startling, Ryoko," Ayeka commented dryly.  
  
"Hey, Princess, I don't doubt she has the brains and the beans to get the job done. She just acts like a pain in the patoot sometimes and she shouldn't involve us in those crazy experiments of her. That Dream Machine bit still burns me up! Hell, half our problems are caused by her damned experiments! But she can come up with something to alibi Kiyone and Mihoshi. That kind of sneaky science stuff is right up her alley."  
  
"That is not fair to Miss Washuu, Ryoko," Ayeka said. "And if you say one more time that you call them as you see them...!"  
  
"Don't need to, Princess." Ryoko grinned. "You said it for me."  
  
"Perhaps we should have Washuu with us now?" Sasami ventured. "And Lord Yosho and Mr. Masaki as well. Don't you think we should?"  
  
Tenchi considered this. "Grandfather is in his bedroom, but he's probably reading and not asleep yet." Lord Yosho was an inveterate reader who consumed several volumes a week while awaiting sleep to come to him in the evenings. "Dad and Washuu are probably still up...at least we haven't seen Washuu come down from Dad's room yet." Tenchi chose not to elaborate on that situation, understandably. "But," he glanced at the clock, "it is late, you know. We'll all be at breakfast, anyway--even if Washuu doesn't show, we'll go get her. A night's rest to ponder over this problem may help. It can't hurt!" Tenchi smiled.  
  
Sitting beside him, Tris suddenly realized how much like his venerable grandfather Tenchi was becoming. His calm and reasonable approach to the bombshell Kiyone and Mihoshi had just dropped mirrored how Lord Yosho would have handled it. And he was right--it had been one hell of a day and they were all tired. A night's repose and tomorrow they would all feel refreshed. All of this gloom--at least, some of it-- would likely evaporate like the morning dew.  
  
"That is a good suggestion, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka approved. "Let us not bother the others tonight. We are all needing a rest and a break from these dire deliberations. Of course, I regret that a certain person will be obliged to lose some sleep tonight..." Ayeka smiled a bit superciliously at Ryoko.  
  
"Don't worry about me, Princess. Watching you tonight will be a real treat. With Mihoshi back, I can compare you two at snoring. Who snores the loudest? Who drools the most? I'll announce the results of the snore-off tomorrow morning at breakfast."  
  
Ayeka's face flamed in the usual manner. But she visibly took hold of herself. "That is exactly the kind of childish response I have learned to expect from you, Ryoko. If you dare allege that I snore, you had better have some proof!"  
  
"Yeah, and I don't snore either, Ryoko!" Mihoshi said, peeved. Then she noticed all the women, including Ayeka, staring at her. "Well, I don't snore all that much...do I?"  
  
"Like a buzz saw," Ryoko said. "I'm afraid the Princess faces some pretty stiff competition tonight."  
  
Sasami made a snuffing noise as she used her hands to stifle a laugh that demanded to be heard.  
  
"Forget the snore-off, Ryoko," Tenchi told her. He appeared quite stern, but his brown eyes twinkled.  
  
Ryoko shrugged. She seemed oblivious to the thunderous look Ayeka directed at her.  
  
"Okey-dokey, sweetums, whatever you say. But it would have been a duel of the titans, I'm sure. Anyway, I'll have a much more important thing to announce at breakfast tomorrow. It's a way to settle Klove's hash and none of you will have to lift a finger."  
  
"What are you talking about, Ryoko?" Ayeka demanded. "If you indeed know such a way, tell us now."  
  
"Yeah, Ryoko, maybe you should," Tenchi said.  
  
Ryoko looked at Tenchi lovingly. "It hurts me to say no to you, sweetums," she said. "But I want everyone here when I announce my plan. It's kind of radical, I'll admit, even for me. I want everyone's input before I do it. Besides, I need to work out more of the details in my mind and I'll do that tonight--if all the noise in the bedroom doesn't distract me, of course." She smiled saucily at Ayeka.  
  
"If you persist in this slander, it is not noise you need worry about!" Ayeka told her angrily.  
  
"Ryoko...just drop that stuff," Tenchi told her. "I can understand why you would want everyone to hear whatever you've come up with. I'm sure all of us here understands, too." His eyes roamed around the table; everyone, even Ayeka, nodded assent. "Okay, I guess that's it. Sasami, thank you as always for the wonderful tea."  
  
"You're very welcome, Tenchi," Sasami said. She rose to take away the tea things.  
  
"You can leave those dishes until morning, Sasami. In fact," Tenchi added, standing up, "I'll wash them. It's not too late to still watch a little TV, Sasami. Why don't you do that and you pick the show again?"  
  
"Can I?" Sasami smiled. "That's very nice! There is a funny cooking show on the American channels where a man runs around and shouts and somehow prepares a meal. That might be on."  
  
"Oh, great," Ryoko groaned. "Well, I'll just help my sweetums in the kitchen."  
  
"Then I shall help him, too," Ayeka told her.  
  
"No one's helping me," Tenchi said firmly. "It's only a few cups and the teapot. I don't need six hands doing two hands's work. You two either watch TV with Sasami or go to bed."  
  
"Awww..." Ryoko grumped, but she knew Tenchi meant what he said. She turned to Ayeka. "You going to bed now, Princess?"  
  
"I think not. I believe I shall watch that cooking program with Sasami. It sounds charming."  
  
"Charming!" Ryoko snorted. "Like an ear infection! But I guess I'll watch it, too."  
  
"You'll like it, Ryoko," Sasami said. "The man is pretty handsome, I think, and the recipes are interesting, although there's usually too much meat and cheese in his dishes to suit our diets."  
  
"Meat and cheese!" Mihoshi exclaimed. "That reminds me. Sasami, do you think you could make a pizza?"  
  
"A pizza?" Sasami frowned, thinking. "I've heard of it. It's a dough crust with tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings. I suppose I could. Why do you want a pizza, Mihoshi?"  
  
"Oh..." Mihoshi looked at Tris and giggled. "Someone sang about a pizza pie and it got me all hungry!"  
  
"Sang about a pizza pie?" Tenchi, on his way to the kitchen, stopped and looked at Tris. This sounded pretty weird, even for his pal.  
  
But it was Kiyone who said, flatly, "Don't go there, Tenchi. Mihoshi--hush up!"  
  
"Okay." Mihoshi looked abashed. She had forgotten that Kiyone had not liked Tris's song.  
  
"But I can make the pizza, Kiyone," Sasami said. "Maybe Tris will help me, since he seems to know something about it. It would be a change and a treat for us."  
  
"Oh, all right." Kiyone gave in. Mihoshi always got her way--hadn't she learned that by now? "But pizza is for eating--not singing! Right?" She stared hard at Tris.  
  
"Right, Officer," Tris agreed.  
  
Kiyone was mollified. She could count on Tris not to do an encore of that stupid song. He knew what he'd get if he did!  
  
Tenchi, sensing that another minor problem had resolved itself, carried the tea things to the kitchen.  
  
Ayeka rose. "Actually, that sounds rather nice. I would like to try some of this pizza after seeing it featured in so many American commercials. And the local commercials mention pizza as well."  
  
"Sounds good to me, too." Ryoko also rose from the table. "When do you plan to make this pizza, Sasami?"  
  
"Why not tomorrow night?" Sasami proposed.  
  
"Sure," Tris said. "Let's have a pizza party!"  
  
"That's great! A party!" Mihoshi seconded.  
  
"Hey, if it's a party, you know I'm in." Ryoko grinned.  
  
"Oh, we know that," Ayeka said with resignation. "I am certainly up for such a party--although I would certainly amend the guest list." She looked pointedly at Ryoko.  
  
Ryoko only wrinkled her nose at the Princess in response. She would just crash any party she wasn't invited to, anyway.  
  
Inwardly, Kiyone groaned. Now they were making a party out of it! But she knew it was her friends' way. They celebrated even in the midst of crisis. It really did help get them through the worst of times. Like that occasion when they all were involved in the Kagato affray. Right in the middle of a crisis situation she at first hadn't been able to find any of them except Tenchi--and when she did finally track the others down, they were having a party!  
  
Kiyone thought she understood that attitude a little better now. Being grim and pessimistic about problems only made you...grim and pessimistic. Even if you solved the problem, you ended up feeling no real joy in the aftermath. But if you kept a good attitude and allowed yourself some fun in the meantime, the problem certainly didn't get any worse; and when you did solve it, you also had the benefit of having enjoyed yourself a little along the way.  
  
"Okay, so let's have a pizza party," Kiyone said. "Why not?"  
  
"That's right, Kiyone," Tris agreed. "Why not?"  
  
"Yay!" said Mihoshi, sealing the deal.  
  
"Hey, Tenchi," Ryoko called in the direction of the kitchen. "Did you hear about the party?"  
  
"Sure did," Tenchi called back. "Sounds great! Let's do it!"  
  
"See what you started, ding-dong?" Kiyone asked Mihoshi  
  
"Uh-huh," said Mihoshi. "It'll be fun!"  
  
"Sure it will," Sasami declared. "Tris, will you help me go get what we need tomorrow?"  
  
"Will do."  
  
"Well, that's settled," Ryoko said with satisfaction. She rose. "Let's go look at that old cooking show...maybe the guy will do a pizza recipe."  
  
"He just might, at that." Ayeka smiled.  
  
They departed for the living room. Tenchi soon joined them. The cooking show featured lasagna instead of pizza, but no matter. They were all feeling more optimistic now and even looking forward, a little, to that pizza party. It was a shame that it would be prove to be so rudely cancelled. 


	21. CHAPTER 20: No Need For Pizza Pie

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
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CHAPTER TWENTY  
  
No Need For Pizza Pie  
  
_____________________  
  
Tris was dying. But death was welcome.  
  
Anything was welcome that would end the white-hot pain in his side, the burning sensation in his lungs, and the throbbing in his head. He had all but collapsed on the ground, the hard, stony ground. He lay there, panting, groaning, sweating buckets, and wondering if they had drive-ins in heaven.  
  
His ruminations about the hereafter were interrupted as a pair of sandaled feet--feet shod in snowy white socks--appeared on the pavement before him. St. Peter?  
  
"Tristram?" No. It was Lord Yosho. "Are you ill?"  
  
"No," Tris gasped. "Just dying...sir."  
  
"Surely not!" Lord Yosho reached down and pulled Tris to his feet with an iron strength that no one (at least, Tris) would have credited the wiry old man of possessing. Yet Yosho's grasp was gentle, nonetheless. Tris stood now, still panting, but color was returning to his face and the stabbing pain in his side moderated from butcher knife size to pen knife dimensions.  
  
His vision cleared. He was standing with Lord Yosho on the wide, paved walk that led directly to the soaring Shinto temple, the Masaki Shrine. Behind him was the long, long series of steps leading to the valley below.  
  
Suddenly Tris realized--he was at the top! He had done it! He had run up all the steps! He had reached his goal...and it had only cost him unimaginable pain and probably a portion of his left lung. Success! He was ready to vomit with victory. Fortunately, he hadn't eaten breakfast yet.  
  
"I...I made it," he said with wonderment, still wheezing slightly.  
  
"You certainly did, Tristram," Lord Yosho said. "Congratulations! Of course, you may have attempted to reach your goal a bit too soon. Do you feel ill?"  
  
"Well...yes, sir. Kinda. But it's nothing much worse than I felt when I ran track in high school and Coach Nelson made me keep running the 440-yard dash because I kept tripping at the three-quarter marker. I'd try to kick in some extra speed there, and...sorry, sir. Never mind." The talking had helped. After gulping in vast quantities of air and now moderating his air intake with conversation, his lungs no longer felt as if they were aflame...just a bit scorched. The stabbing stitch at his side had moderated to a dull ache, too.  
  
"That's quite all right, Tristram. Your Coach Nelson was evidently a firm sensei, but those are the ones that usually extract the best from us."  
  
"Yes, sir. Coach Nelson sure extracted a lot from me, that's for sure. I've always said I left my lungs at Northwest High School."  
  
"You almost lost them again here, Tristram," Yosho commented with a small smile.  
  
"I don't know what possessed me," Tris admitted. "I've had to lay off the daily run up the steps for a few days, you know sir, and I would have been happy to reach as far as I had when I stopped. But I just looked at the remaining steps and it didn't look all the tough-- hah!--and I just kept running. Kinda stupid, but I am glad I made it."  
  
"I am also glad. Perhaps that last burst was what you needed--a way to finally overcome an obstacle. Isn't it gratifying to set a difficult goal and achieve it, Tristram?"  
  
"Yes, sir. It kind of gives you confidence."  
  
"It does, indeed. You must always set difficult goals for yourself and achieve them, all your life, Tristram. That is the way to improve yourself and to avoid becoming complacent and stale. Just the continuous attempt to improve alone makes life more meaningful. And sometimes other goals beckon, goals that you would not have been aware of had you not pushed yourself. Of course, one must not push oneself too hard," Yosho concluded amiably. "By the way...have you called your relatives, your aunts, yet?"  
  
Tris shook his head. "No, sir, not yet. But I plan to."  
  
"Good. You will feel an enormous weight lift from your shoulders, Tristram, when you do. At the very least, you will have done your best by your parents. You may even mend a few fences. You need your relatives, Tristram. We all do."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Well, you'd better go down and take your shower. I have a few matters to attend to here and I will see you at breakfast."  
  
"See you then, sir."  
  
With a smile, Lord Yosho turned away and walked, with quiet dignity, back to the temple. Tris looked after him a moment and then slowly began to descend the stone steps, taking them one at a time, his leg muscles protesting, but not too violently.  
  
------  
  
A little while later, breakfast commenced at the Masaki manse. No one had needed to go get Washuu from her sub-dimensional lab. She showed up at the breakfast table on her own volition.  
  
Washuu took her place at the table where she and Nobuyuki usually sat together now (Nobuyuki had already left quite early to meet with a group of builders at a work site). First, however, she had deposited a cloth-wrapped bundle in a corner of the dining room. When asked about it, she simply smiled and acted mysterious, which was typical Washuu behavior--she was obviously about to spring another invention on them.  
  
Kiyone, knowing she would need to inform Lord Yosho and Washuu of the latest developments on the Klove front, waited until the others had eaten breakfast and were sitting around sipping a last cup of tea. This was the second time--or was it the third?--that she would be bringing un-glad tidings. She was getting heartily sick of it. If she could have trusted Mihoshi not to break down and bawl, Kiyone would have delegated this task to her partner.  
  
As it was, Mihoshi was darting her usual hopeful glances at Sasami, silently asking if there was more food. Sasami shook her head. The family was still on a tight budget; Nobuyuki's new firm was starting well but it wasn't bringing in much income yet. Kiyone inwardly groaned at her partner's antics. The little pig! Well, let that be. It was time to give them the bad news--again.  
  
"Lord Yosho, Washuu," Kiyone said. "I need to bring you up to date on something that Mihoshi and I learned last night when we received a call from our Headquarters..."  
  
When she finished, Lord Yosho and Washuu both regarded her with deep concern. The others, already up on the latest disaster, nonetheless registered disquiet. Unfortunately, a night's sleep seemed to have had no beneficial effect in bringing a solution to the problem to anyone's mind. It all sounded just as bad in the morning as it had last night.  
  
As usual, Lord Yosho broke the silence. "That is distressing news, Detective, very distressing, indeed. We all know we took a chance to get that information, for it was truly vital to us. It seems that good fortune does not smile on us lately. Detective, I am truly sorry for this development."  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yosho. But it was all my doing, really," Kiyone shrugged. "I authorized the hacking--"  
  
"We authorized the hacking!" Mihoshi insisted.  
  
"Oh, all right, Mihoshi. We authorized the hacking. Anyway--"  
  
"Listen, you two Joan of Arcs," Washuu interrupted. "I did the hacking. You didn't authorize me, Kiyone. Short of hitting me with a blunt instrument, you couldn't have stopped me. So there!"  
  
"So what?" Ryoko said testily. "How does that help them?"  
  
"It helps them because when that GP investigative team comes barging in, I'll confess and surrender myself. Unlike some people, I've taken my lumps for my crimes, although they weren't even crimes. I'll just do it again."  
  
"Miss Washuu." Ayeka shook her head sadly. "That is a wonderful gesture, and I know we all honor you for it. But...you are talking nonsense."  
  
Washuu looked at Ayeka, visibly startled by her comment. "Huh?"  
  
"The last time you were punished for your...activities...what happened? You were imprisoned in a life-support capsule and sent into trackless space. You were exiled, Miss Washuu, which is about as dreadful a punishment as our Galactic Union metes out. It is only by the sheerest luck that your capsule landed on Earth and on the property of Lord Yosho and Lord Tenchi--"  
  
"You call that luck?" Ryoko muttered.  
  
Ayeka glared at Ryoko. "I can think of instances where other persons landed on this planet that I would not ascribe to good fortune, but never mind that. The point is, Miss Washuu, that you have already been severely punished once. Most recently, you were condemned again by the Royal Science Academy, and you were obliged to flee. What shall the authorities do to you for a third offense?"  
  
Kiyone nodded in agreement. "Ayeka's right, Washuu. I thank you for trying to take this all on yourself. But if you turn yourself in, you'll get the max and that means involuntary exile again. This time, they'll use a truly remote spaceway and your exile capsule will float in space forever. That's worse than execution, to my thinking. We're sure as hell not going to let you do that!"  
  
"But your careers! If that investigative team doesn't find a suspect for the hacking--"  
  
"I don't want a career based on your being exiled again," Kiyone interrupted. "I'd rather flip burgers or direct traffic. I mean it, Washuu."  
  
More than one pair of eyes stared with surprise at Kiyone. That last statement constituted the ultimate sacrifice for the career-driven young woman. Yet at least a few sitting at the table also knew that Kiyone now had more than just a career on her mind--and in her heart.  
  
"That's right, Washuu," Mihoshi seconded her partner. "Please don't talk about getting arrested because of us."  
  
"Well, hell," Washuu said irritably. "Try to do something noble and all you get is static. Listen, I didn't mean I'd let those goons ship me off into exile again. I'll rig an escape device to spring on those goons at the proper time, and--"  
  
"Yes, and you will then be an escaped fugitive, with the Galaxy Police on your heels," Ayeka interrupted.  
  
"And, because of the nature of the offense, the GP will have legal sanction to pursue and arrest you anywhere, Washuu--even on Earth," Kiyone added.  
  
"So you'd lose your hidey-hole here, Washuu," Ryoko told her. "At least for a while. You might find it pretty rugged."  
  
"Well..." Washuu shrugged. "Maybe they wouldn't put up that much of a dragnet. I'm not really considered an outlaw, you know...I mean, not like Ryoko here."  
  
"Hah!" Ryoko said.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Washuu demanded.  
  
"Look here, Washuu. I'm going to tell you something and I don't want you to get mad at me," Ryoko said seriously. "You've had a fine old time here, doing your crazy experiments and living like a mole and, yeah, helping us out. But you need to face facts. You're just as much as fugitive as I am. Sure, in your case, it's out of sight, out of mind for the cops." Ryoko cast an ironic look at Kiyone and Mihoshi. "But you show yourself out there, and you'll get jugged. They're scared to death of you, Washuu. Don't you know that? They don't know you like we do and they never will. Now maybe you're not wanting to be such a damned old mole anymore and that's great. But don't fool yourself. I don't forget for a moment that I'm still on the lam. So are you. Just admit it and deal with it. Okay?"  
  
Washuu regarded Ryoko pensively. The latter's words had really penetrated this time. Despite all their feuding, she knew the space pirate was her friend. And this time Ryoko was giving it to her straight. "Okay," she said.  
  
"Thank heavens!" Ayeka said. She appreciated Ryoko's words to Miss Washuu. She had been wanting to tell the great scientist much the same thing for quite a while. "Now we are all dealing with reality."  
  
Washuu looked at Ayeka and slowly nodded. "Okay, you've convinced me to be selfish about this. Fine. So what do you all plan to do when that investigative team comes calling?"  
  
Lord Yosho intervened. "I can partially answer your question, Professor Washuu. I don't wish to dictate to all of you, but I personally have a great aversion to the high-handed methods of the Galactic Union and the Juraian influence behind it, even though I am of royal Juraian blood myself. That is why I left all that behind to live here, as you all know. I am a citizen of this country and I am an Earthling by choice. I won't acknowledge the authority of any Galaxy Police delegation that may come. They have no authority here, period. I will tell them nothing. I know that my son-in-law will do likewise."  
  
Tenchi nodded. "That's right, Grandfather. This is our home and they're intruders. I won't tell them anything, either."  
  
"That goes double for me, sweetums," Ryoko chimed in.  
  
"Hah! You're not going to be here and neither am I," Washuu told her, firmly. "You heard what Kiyone told us. Our being found here will really land her and Mihoshi in the soup. So, the first sign of them, you teleport out of here and you command Ryo-Ohki to scram, too. I'll scuttle off to my mole hole as you call it and close the portal. That'll fix their old investigation!"  
  
Ryoko smiled. "That's a plan, Washuu. I'm in."  
  
Tris shrugged. "I don't know if I'll still be here, but this is one Earthling who won't talk to them. I'll just do one of those "What! You're from outer space?" numbers and dummy up with shock."  
  
"Why don't you faint, too?" Ryoko suggested snidely. "That's what you almost did when you first found out about us."  
  
"Sure. Anything to oblige." Tris grinned.  
  
"You do and I'll kick you into the next prefecture!" Kiyone promised him.  
  
But Kiyone couldn't help but smile. The show of support from her friends was wonderful, a real boost. At the moment, she was sitting so close to Tris, they were practically Siamese twins--she could almost hear his very thoughts. She was waiting for him to hold her hand under the table, but the big stiff was being particularly dense this morning. It was discouraging.  
  
Ryoko laughed. "Boy, that'll look great to your fellow cops! Police brutaility!"  
  
Tenchi laughed, too...but he stopped laughing when he saw Ayeka's and Sasami's faces. Both princesses looked troubled.  
  
Lord Yosho noticed it also. "Is there a problem, Princess Ayeka?"  
  
Ayeka and Sasami looked at each other.  
  
"Ayeka? Sasami?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Let's do it, big sister," Sasami said. "I don't care about anything else but you and our friends here."  
  
"All right, dear," Ayeka said softly. "I quite agree."  
  
"What the heck are you two mumbling about?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
Ayeka turned to them. "We both, Sasami and I, as Princesses of Jurai have a sacred, sworn duty to uphold the Galactic Union and all of its laws. As future inheritors of the Throne of Jurai, we must obey any lawful order relayed to us by the authorities. Thus, we will be obliged to answer their questions. We cannot "dummy up" as you put it, Tristram. We can, of course, refuse to answer their questions at first--we can claim it a matter of conscience. But that will avail us nothing. If needs be, that Galaxy Police contingent can and will notify our father, the King. He could issue a royal command for us to speak. We cannot disobey such a command. We simply cannot."  
  
Sasami nodded, looking quite miserable. Lord Yosho's visage was grim. He well understood the position Ayeka and Sasami now found themselves in.  
  
"What the hell! So you'd blab on Kiyone and Mihoshi--and Washuu? Why, you--" Ryoko was incensed.  
  
"Ryoko...let her finish," Tenchi said.  
  
Ryoko subsided, scowling.  
  
"Thank you, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka pursed her lips. "As I said, as it stands now, Sasami and I must cooperate with the authorities. Lord Yosho and Lord Tenchi are both Princes of Jurai and they ordinarily would be obligated to cooperate with the authorities as well. But they will not and can take that stand with honor, because they have abandoned any claim to the Throne of Jurai to live here on Earth. Sasami and I will do the same."  
  
That startling statement rendered the others mute for the moment. No one responded. All eyes were on Ayeka now.  
  
"I...I know this seems drastic, but--" Ayeka started to say.  
  
"Give up your throne? You mean--you wouldn't be a princess any more?" Ryoko interrupted.  
  
"That is partially correct, Ryoko. We will retain our titles, just as Lord Tenchi and Lord Yosho have, but we will forfeit any claim to the Throne of Jurai. That way, we shall not have any royal obligation to comply with Galaxy Police regulations and cannot be compelled to answer questions. Both Sasami and I will be still of noble standing, but we will not be in any position of regal authority. We shall become the near equivalents of private citizens. And private citizens can choose not to answer questions under our laws."  
  
Sasami nodded. "That's right. It's not a big deal for me since I haven't been formally crowned as a princess and taught all the stuff I need to know to exercise my powers and duties and all. It's just a birthright."  
  
"But it is a big deal, Sasami," Tenchi said. "That is a massive step to take. My so-called birthright means very little to me because I've never experienced the life of a Juraian Prince. And Grandfather gave all of that up long ago. But this is your life...yours and Ayeka's."  
  
"And you are destined, Princess," Lord Yosho reminded Ayeka, "to become the Queen regent of Jurai. As such, you would control the most powerful dynasty in the galaxy. Can you truly turn away from all of that?"  
  
"I couldn't!" Ryoko confessed. "Man, if I had all that power and money, I'd just--" Her gaze fell upon Tenchi. "Uh...well, I guess you, can, huh?"  
  
"Yes, I can," Ayeka said. "And I know what you are thinking, Ryoko. You are wrong. This is not a ploy to make Lord Tenchi feel obligated to me. Not at all. This is for Kiyone and Mihoshi."  
  
"Of course," Tenchi said. "We all know that." He glanced meaningfully at Ryoko.  
  
"Aw, I didn't think that, Princess...well, not really," Ryoko said. "You can be pretty sneaky, but you wouldn't go this far."  
  
"Well, thank you for that at any rate, Ryoko," Ayeka said, not exactly displaying appreciation for the left-handed compliment.  
  
"That is one radical move, Ayeka," Washuu reflected. "And for you, too, Sasami. I know your father, the King, is looking forward to dumping his job on you someday, Ayeka. He's going to be one very upset gent."  
  
"Well...he is upset with us, anyway," Ayeka said, defiantly. But her doleful expression belied her words.  
  
"Papa will just have to accept it," Sasami added. She looked less than optimistic, too.  
  
Kiyone now tapped her empty teacup on the table. "No. This has gone far enough. Ayeka and Sasami, Mihoshi and I thank you...from the bottoms of our hearts. But you're not going to throw away your birthrights. Not for us. Right, partner?"  
  
"Right, partner," Mihoshi agreed, firmly and without hesitation.  
  
"But, Kiyone--"  
  
"No, Ayeka. There's a lot more riding on this than my career. It's no secret that your father, the King, has not had a happy rule since he had to assume the throne again. He hates the job now, obviously. And many folks hate him having the job again! It is essential--it really is--that Jurai have a new ruler eventually, and a good one. That means either you, Ayeka, or you, Sasami. Next to that...well, our little problems don't amount to--"  
  
"--a hill of beans," Tris interjected. "Besides, we'll always have Okayama."  
  
Kiyone whirled on him. "Huh?"  
  
"Play it again, Sasami," Tris said with a grin.(1)  
  
"Play what?" Sasami asked.  
  
Mihoshi laughed. "Oh! That movie we saw! Remember, Kiyone?"  
  
"I remember," Kiyone gritted.  
  
Tenchi said, "Tris, Kiyone was making an important point, here--"  
  
"She made it, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka looked at Sasami sadly. "Kiyone is right. We cannot both abdicate, dear. Too much is riding on the succession."  
  
"I guess you're right, big sister," Sasami said somberly.  
  
"And if only one of us abdicates, the other can be compelled by royal edict to speak. Even if we leave here and return to Jurai, the authorities will simply question us there."  
  
"That's true," Sasami said.  
  
"Of course, it might be worth a try anyway," Ryoko hinted. "Your leaving, I mean, Princess."  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi snapped.  
  
"I know...I know." Ryoko shut up.  
  
Kiyone glowered at Tris. He just grinned at her. Then she smiled sweetly at him. She reached out a hand and picked up his half filled but cold teacup...and then dumped the contents on his lap.  
  
"Here's looking at you, kid," she said to him.  
  
Tris looked down at his sodden lap. "Of all the tea joints in all the world..." he muttered.  
  
Lord Yosho said, "Princess, let us leave it at this: We will not talk to the Galaxy Police and you will not either, and the Galaxy Police will be compelled to approach the King. Perhaps he will not agree to command you to speak. He is not always agreeable, as we both know." The ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.  
  
Ayeka also smiled. "Yes, that is true, Lord Yosho. Very well. Do you agree, Sasami?"  
  
"Sure! Maybe the police will rub Papa the wrong way--that's easy to do!" Sasami said. "Mama will have something to say about all this, too."  
  
"Yes she will, dear," Ayeka agreed, amused by the thought of Papa being confronted by the Galaxy Police and Mama intervening for her daughters.  
  
Tris now finally slipped his hand over Kiyone's hand beneath the table. About time! Kiyone looked at him and then at his soaked lap. She inwardly sighed with love and contentment and held his hand warmly. Then she smiled gratefully at her friends.  
  
"Thanks. Thanks so much, everyone," she said. "Your help will give Mihoshi and me a fighting chance. We may end up losing our badges anyway, but at least we'll give them a run for their money. Of course, I never thought I'd be involved in trying to stonewall my own service!"  
  
"But we have to, Kiyone," Mihoshi said. "I don't like it either, but gosh, if we don't--we're sunk!"  
  
"That's right, partner."  
  
Ryoko was squirming with impatience now. She had decided enough time and attention had been paid to Kiyone and Mihoshi's little problem already. Now she wanted to talk about something that would solve their real problem--the threat of Professor Klove--and would also make her a hero in her Tenchi's eyes.  
  
Tenchi noticed Ryoko's less than subtle squirming. "Do you have something to say, Ryoko?" he asked.  
  
"You know I do, sweetums." Ryoko smiled at him. "It's what I mentioned last night. My way to settle that Professor Klove's hash once and for all. It won't involve anyone but little old me...and Ryo-Ohki, of course."  
  
The cabbit, hearing her name mentioned, pranced from where she had been consuming carrot sticks in a corner of the kitchen. She entered the dining room and trotted over to her mistress. She began to rub against Ryoko, adoringly.  
  
"That's right, Ryo-Ohki...we're going to go have some fun...isn't that nice?" Ryoko cooed to her cabbit. She petted Ryo-Ohki's fluffy head affectionately.  
  
"Fun!" Ayeka seemed infuriated. "Fun! You promised us a way to render Professor Klove harmless, Ryoko. What does fun have to do with it?"  
  
"Hey, sending that creep to the bone yard is what I call fun, Princess," Ryoko replied, with a smidgen of defiance. She could see already that the Princess was going to be a party-pooper. As usual!  
  
"The bone yard?" Tenchi questioned. "Ryoko, I'm already getting a bad feeling about this idea of yours."  
  
"But sweetums, you haven't heard it yet. It's a corker! It'll work!" Ryoko protested.  
  
"If you are planning to set out on some harebrained adventure..." Ayeka chimed in.  
  
"It's not harebrained! It's classic!" Ryoko's face reddened. "You aren't giving me a chance here."  
  
"We should hear Ryoko out, big sister," Sasami interceded.  
  
Like the Princess, Lord Yosho also shared his grandson's initial reservations toward Ryoko's scheme. But he simply said, "Sasami is right. Please tell us your plan, Ryoko. I'm certain we will all listen to it with objectivity." He gaze swept the table. Everyone, including the Princess, kept silent.  
  
"Please proceed, Ryoko," he said.  
  
"Thank you, Lord Yosho, Sasami." Ryoko gave a last pat to Ryo-Ohki and the cabbit returned to her carrot meal. Ryoko trained her golden eyes on Tenchi and then looked, in turn, at everyone. "I'll admit this may be a bit...hinky. But if this bum really has blown away all those people, he's only going to get what he deserves."  
  
Ryoko now regarded at Kiyone and Mihoshi. "Don't get your tails in a knot, you two, but you known damned well I can elude GP patrols in my sleep."  
  
Mihoshi looked sad--she knew it was true; Kiyone looked incensed--she knew it was true, too, but she hated being reminded of it by Ryoko. But neither spoke.  
  
"I also know where Souiis is, and I can find that booby hatch they have Klove in. So, I sashay over there in Ryo-Ohki, and I slip into the place. I find out which cell they have Klove in. I go in there-- and one fireball later, he's toast and we don't have a problem anymore."  
  
Ryoko paused. "So, he's dead, he can't use that mind probe on the Princess anymore, whatever weapon he plans to use on us doesn't matter and that scumbag gets what's coming to him, finally." Ryoko again surveyed the table with her now-glittering golden eyes. "Questions?"  
  
Although both Tenchi and Ayeka had suspected something like this from Ryoko, they were visibly startled at the rawness of her plan, as were the others. Of course, Ryoko was still a space pirate, the most notorious space pirate of all time, and she was inclined to dispense rough justice to her enemies. But that was always in the form of a battle. This was plain old sneaky-Pete manslaughter. In fact, it was--  
  
"Murder," Kiyone said flatly. "That's just plain murder, Ryoko. And you know it."  
  
"You really don't mean to just...do that...to him?" Mihoshi asked, shocked. "You can't mean it, Ryoko."  
  
"I do mean it!" Ryoko said, irritated. "Murder? He's the murderer, remember? He's the baby killer, damn it! He doesn't deserve any consideration."  
  
"Ryoko," and Kiyone's voice was just the slightest bit sarcastic, "please don't get your tail in a knot--but you're just rationalizing murder. Killing anyone who isn't immediately threatening your own life or the life of someone you're sworn to protect is murder. It's murder in the Galactic Union. It's murder on this planet. It's murder, period. Even Klove has rights."  
  
"Maybe I'm just not as squeamish as you, Kiyone," Ryoko said. "I don't think baby killers have rights. I think you just kill them and make the galaxy a better place."  
  
"Ryoko, everyone has rights," Mihoshi told her. "Otherwise, it's no good, you know?"  
  
"Well, I'm all busted up about that Klove's rights!"(2) Ryoko replied sarcastically. "Tell it to the families of those people he killed. Now he wants to put us six feet under. Listen, when someone tries to draw a bead on me, he's drawn his last breath--and you can quote me!"  
  
"Well, I can quote the Union Charter, if I have to...but you know it anyway, Ryoko," Kiyone said sternly. "What you want to do is murder Professor Klove--without a shred of solid evidence that he's done what we suspect he's done. Why do you think Mihoshi and I don't turn over everything we have to Headquarters and have them deal with Klove? Because there's no solid proof. To everyone else, he's still a helpless comatose patient in a mental institution. Our superiors would just disregard our theories."  
  
Kiyone paused. "But if you kill him this way, you've murdered him. That means a murder charge...and that eclipses all the space piracy charges you still have hanging over you, Ryoko. There's no statute of limitations on murder and no clemency. The GP will chase you forever and they--we--will have orders to kill you if you resist." Kiyone folded her arms across her chest. Her expression was as hard as granite.  
  
"We'd...we'd have to arrest you, Ryoko," Mihoshi said, clearly miserable about the notion. "We wouldn't want to, but--"  
  
"Like you two could!" Ryoko scoffed.  
  
"We'd sure as hell try!" Kiyone told her. "You'd either have to elude us, like you claim you can--or fight us. Not only us, but the whole GP. That's not to mention bounty hunters like Nagi. Every hand will be against you, including ours, without a chance of reprieve. Is that what you want? That bastard Klove isn't worth it!"  
  
Mihoshi nodded in agreement with her partner, her wide blue eyes anxious as she regarded Ryoko.  
  
"You don't want to be chased by the police always, do you, Ryoko?" Sasami asked the space pirate. "You want to settle down and have a real home. You've told me so."  
  
Ryoko slowly nodded. That was a good point. She wanted to settle down with Tenchi, in fact...and make this house her home.  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi said quietly. "Do you remember saying how you hated it back when the GP and the Galactic Union used strong-arm methods to enforce the law?"  
  
"Sure, sweetums. It helped keep me a pirate--a proud pirate!"  
  
"Okay. So you don't like the authorities taking the law in their own hands. The fact is, it's the same if anyone takes the law into their own hands...including you. There's no security or protection when people go above the law, for whatever reason. You're no better than those bullies in uniform were if you use vigilante tactics. Do you understand?"  
  
"Well..." Ryoko was beginning to understand, a little. "But, Tenchi, love, he's after us--he's threatened us--"  
  
"Threatened us?" Washuu finally joined the discussion. "Ryoko, at most he might have set those wardrobes upside down, or compelled the Princess to do it. That's vandalism, not a threat. Not to the law, anyway. We don't have a shred of evidence that Klove had anything to do with the massacres of those families. That's the beauty of Klove's scheme, don't you see? We can't touch him unless we want the full weight and power of the Galactic Union crashing on our heads. We have to wait for him to make the first move. Anyway, you're the one who said we can clean his clock when he comes."  
  
"And I meant it, Washuu. But I thought it over and it's crazy not to strike first while we still have the chance to. We're supposed to stand still and just wait for it?"  
  
"That's exactly what we do, Ryoko," Tenchi said. "Like Washuu said, Klove's planned this well. He's kind of got us over a barrel. So we wait. Because we're not going to stoop to his level. We're not going to commit murder."  
  
"But..." Ryoko frowned. Their objections did makes sense now. Rats! And she was resolved not to take this drastic step without at least Tenchi's approval. But it would have been so easy. And then Tenchi would be safe and so would everyone else.  
  
"Ryoko," Lord Yosho said. "While on Jurai I witnessed the effects of taking unlawful action. It corrupts. It is not possible to come away from such a thing unstained. That was the beginning of the end for Kagato, when he abandoned the principles that guide civilized behavior to achieve a temporary gain. He felt he was justified, too, and he was once the very best of the very best. You are also the very best of your kind. You are a brave and loyal and honorable warrior, despite your earlier misdeeds. You are precious to us, Ryoko, and we would not see your proud spirit debased by this act. That is why...we must say no."  
  
Lord Yosho spoke quietly. But his words rang in Ryoko's ears. She had never been so well spoken of by the Juraian Prince, the honorable grandfather of her true love. She felt her anger and frustration melt away.  
  
She was conscious of the others looking at her, full of concern for her--that included Kiyone and the Princess, she realized. For a moment, Ryoko was overawed by the regard that everyone else was showing for her. Ryoko, the space pirate, had been alone, viciously alone, most of her life. That had been the hardest thing to endure as an outlaw and an outcast. Now she knew that she would never be alone again. She was surrounded by friends. Even the Princess was her friend. She had robbed many treasure troves but she had never found the treasure she really sought...and now she had found it on a backwater planet with the oddest group of people ever assembled--and the most wonderful group of people ever assembled. She swallowed hard.  
  
Then Tris said, "Besides, Ryoko, I'm kinda looking forward to seeing you kick Klove's butt. You promised me a ringside seat."  
  
The others laughed quietly. It gave Ryoko a moment to collect herself. Once she had, she looked at Tris with gratitude. She knew now why Kiyone had such regard for him. He was a right guy, although still a goofy guy.  
  
"That's right, goofball. And I better hear you cheering in the bleachers when I knock that creep's block off!" she said with her old spirit.  
  
"You will," Tris promised.  
  
"We'll all be cheering, Ryoko," Tenchi said to her, smiling with relief.  
  
"Yeah!" Mihoshi said happily. "You're hear me, too, Ryoko. I'll be the one saying, "Yay! Yay for Ryoko!""  
  
"Okay, Mihoshi," Ryoko said. She smiled at the blonde galactic police officer.  
  
"After all, Ryoko, you do have your public to consider, I suppose," Ayeka told her, twitting her mildly. "You think of this thing as one of those wrestling matches on the television, I do believe. You are just bound and determined to expose us to that awful sport!"  
  
"That's right, Princess." Ryoko grinned, liking the comparison. "It's three rounds, no holds barred, and only I walk away alive!"  
  
Lord Yosho now spoke. "Ryoko certainly had raised an important subject," he pointed out. "We touched on this topic before, but did not resolve it--namely, what are we likely facing as a threat from Professor Klove and what can we do to anticipate that threat?"  
  
Ryoko cast her eyes downward. She had already made her views known about trying to build up a defense against Klove--let the bastard come, she was ready! Case closed. But she knew that Tenchi and Lord Yosho and the others didn't agree with her, so she let it ride.  
  
Besides, that Washuu had brought something with her. Ryoko really wanted to know what crazy gadget the petite, redheaded scientist had come up with this time. It had to be a real cruncher, the way Washuu was smiling.  
  
Tenchi also noticed Washuu's anticipatory smile. He grinned. No doubt, Washuu had wrought some sort of great invention. They'd better cover that topic first, before Washuu burst with eagerness.  
  
"Grandfather, I think Washuu has something to show us first," he said.  
  
Lord Yosho nodded, smiling slightly. "I believe you're right, grandson. Well, Professor Washuu? The floor is yours."  
  
"I just hope she doesn't blow a hole in it," Ryoko muttered to Ayeka.  
  
"Hush now," Ayeka murmured back.  
  
Washuu darted a jaundiced look at Ryoko, but otherwise ignored the jibe. She rose from the table and walked over to the cloth-wrapped object she had brought. She picked it up.  
  
"Well, you can all get ready to be impressed," she said breezily. "Especially a certain person who has been staying up all night performing watchdog duties that, when you think about it, suit her skill set very well."  
  
"Grrr..." Ryoko said.  
  
"See? She has the technical language down pat." Washuu grinned.  
  
"Maybe we better move along, Washuu," Tenchi suggested, glancing at Ryoko's somewhat peeved expression.  
  
"As you wish, Tenchi. What I have developed, through my own brilliant research (and borrowing a little from that Professor Klove's paper on brain wave mapping) is a device that will alert us when he tries to invade the Princess's mind--and it may even block him!" Washuu smiled modestly. "I know, it's mind-boggling--no pun intended! Go ahead, show your admiration. I'll wait five minutes for your applause to die down."  
  
Washuu waited six minutes...and the applause didn't even start. She looked a bit disappointed.  
  
"Maybe you ought to show it to us, Washuu," Tris suggested. "You still have it covered up."  
  
"Oh...so I do. Silly me," Washuu said. "Thanks, cutie. No flies on you. Now--feast your eyes!" Washuu quickly whipped the cloth away from the object in her hands. The cloth fluttered noiselessly to the floor.  
  
Then Washuu began getting feedback...but not exactly the kind she had expected.  
  
"It's a bicycle helmet? With lights on it?" Sasami ventured.  
  
"It looks funny!" Mihoshi said. "Does it make a noise?"  
  
"Hey, that bike helmet looks awfully familiar," Ryoko said, squinting at it.  
  
"It sure does--Washuu!" Tenchi cried. "That's my bike helmet!"  
  
"Well, you don't have a bike anymore," Washuu pointed out. "So you don't need this helmet. Right?"  
  
"I don't have a bike anymore," Tenchi reminded her, his voice mirroring his annoyance, "because you stuck those solar powered antigravity pods on it and now it's at the bottom of the lake. And I nearly ended up there with it!"  
  
"Yeah!" Ryoko said. "My sweetums nearly drowned because you thought you could make his bike fly in the air like in that dumb "E.T." movie we watched."  
  
"Yes, that was an awful blunder, Miss Washuu," Ayeka agreed somberly.  
  
"It wasn't a blunder! It worked!" Washuu defended herself.  
  
"Yeah, but you didn't tell me about it," Tenchi said. "It was great fun to ride my bike and suddenly be above the treetops and then, when I used my brakes, to plunge right into the lake. Not!"  
  
"I've explained that. You shouldn't have hit your brakes--it shut off the anti-grav pods--"  
  
"You didn't tell me!" Tenchi retorted. "Not until after I dragged myself out of the lake. My bike's still there somewhere on the bottom, thanks to you."  
  
"Oh...that's right." Washuu now seemed to recall the incident fully. "Guess I should have told you first, huh? Well, anyway, you don't have a bike now and this bike helmet was perfect for my invention--"  
  
"But what does it do, Washuu?" Kiyone seemed as bemused as the others by the look of the former white high-impact plastic bicycle helmet, now painted black and covered with a fine gray wire mesh that sported assorted light diodes. Its looks did not inspire confidence--like many of Washuu's inventions.  
  
"I told you. It'll scan Ayeka's brain waves and detect when there's any unusual activity--"  
  
"Like thinking?" Ryoko asked.  
  
Ayeka turned and glared at Ryoko. The space pirate looked back at her with a smile.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi groaned.  
  
"No, Ryoko, I mean when the normal brain wave pattern is interrupted or disturbed abnormally," Washuu told her. "If I ever develop a Thinking Helmet, I'll keep you in mind." In response, Ryoko just yawned and stared up at the ceiling with a bored expression. "Anyway, this helmet will light up--and also make a noise, yes, Mihoshi--when there's abnormal brain wave activity. So we'll know immediately when something is bothering the Princess's mind--"  
  
"But we already know when that happens," Mihoshi protested. "Her face gets all red and her voice gets real shrill--"  
  
"It does not!" Ayeka snapped. Sure enough, her face was flushed and her voice's timbre had risen markedly.  
  
Lord Yosho intervened. "I think Professor Washuu is referring to actual intrusions into the Princess's mind, Detective."  
  
"Oh," Mihoshi said. "I see now!"  
  
"Great!" Kiyone gritted. "Keep it to yourself, will you?"  
  
"Oh...okay, Kiyone."  
  
"You know, if I could be allowed to finish a sentence around here--" Washuu continued, with a bit of asperity.  
  
"Who's stopping you?" Ryoko interrupted, affecting surprise. "We're hanging on your every word. Really we are."  
  
"Speaking of hanging...!" Washuu's voice seethed with aggravation.  
  
"Washuu," Tenchi said. "We heard what you claim this...helmet will do for Ayeka. Can it really block Professor Klove's mind probes?"  
  
"Well, it should. Of course, I don't know what transmission medium he's using to send that probe. But if it's just a brain-wave projection, the Mind Minder here will send out generic brain waves-- it'll work sort of like how white noise works. It'll neutralize the intruder."  
  
Now Washuu issued an exaggerated sigh. "Finally...I made my presentation. I could have finished it about fifteen minutes earlier if it weren't for the peanut gallery." She looked pointedly at Ryoko. Ryoko merely yawned again.  
  
"The Mind Minder?" Mihoshi giggled at the name.  
  
"Yeah," Ryoko said boredly. "Obviously, Washuu doesn't "mind" what she calls her crackpot inventions."  
  
"Ha, ha, Ryoko," Washuu said sourly.  
  
"I can see how it might help at night, Washuu," Sasami said, looking at the Mind Minder with frank curiosity. "Ryoko can sleep, and it will wake her up---and the rest of us, too--if that Professor Klove tries anything."  
  
"Sure, if it works," Ryoko said dubiously. "And if it doesn't fry the Princess's brain. Hmmm...maybe it does have its good points, at that."  
  
"Is it safe, Washuu?" Tenchi asked, ignoring Ryoko's side comment.  
  
"Safe as houses," Washuu said.  
  
"You mean like houses that float in the air?" Tris asked, recalling the day he arrived at chez Masaki. He had been eyeing Washuu's new contraption with mixed feelings. He felt glad he didn't have to wear it and felt sorry that the Princess would.  
  
"Aw, cutie...you know what I mean." Washuu grinned.  
  
"If you are certain it has the potential to block Professor Klove's mind intrusions, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho mused, "it might thwart him in his designs."  
  
"Yeah, that's true, Grandfather," Tenchi agreed. "But I wish you would have asked me first about the helmet, Washuu. I might be able to afford to buy another bike someday."  
  
"Aw, you ought to have a car, sweetums," Ryoko said. "And not an old rust bucket like Tris's. A new car!"  
  
"Sure, Ryoko. I'll just go outside to the money tree and pull down a few million yen," Tenchi said sarcastically.  
  
"Tris's car is not a rust bucket!" Mihoshi said loyally. "It's beautiful. It does rumble, though."  
  
"That rust bucket sure carried your weight, Ryoko," Kiyone pointed out. "Remember?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah...but it's older than Tenchi's Dad, even."  
  
"It is not, Ryoko," Tenchi told her. "Dad was born in 1954."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Ryoko laughed. "Two old wheezers, huh?"  
  
Now Washuu joined in. "Nobie is not an old wheezer. Take it from a gal who knows, Ryoko."  
  
"Well, he may be your speed, Washuu," Ryoko said dismissively. "But give me a hunky guy anytime...like Tenchi." Ryoko smiled lovingly at him.  
  
"I think we're getting slightly off the topic," Lord Yosho inserted himself amidst the banter. "We were discussing Professor Washuu's invention and the Princess..."  
  
"I don't think that hat thing will fit you, Ayeka," Mihoshi said helpfully. "Tenchi's head is smaller than yours, and--"  
  
"Enough!" Ayeka rose to her feet. "You all seem to be laboring under the delusion that I shall consent to place that...that contraption on my head. Allow me to enlighten you--I shall not!"  
  
"But, Ayeka--" Washuu said.  
  
"But me no buts!"(3) Ayeka could not recall where she had heard that phrase before, but she felt it was perfect for the occasion.  
  
"And uncle me no uncles," Tris muttered, amused.  
  
"Huh?" Kiyone murmured.  
  
"Shakespeare," Tris explained tersely.  
  
Kiyone frowned as she tried to recall the name.  
  
"Somebody's really showing their "but" now--know what I mean, Princess?" Ryoko said.  
  
"I do not! And I am not talking to you, Ryoko. I am talking to Miss Washuu. And I repeat--I shall not wear that ghastly thing on my head!" Ayeka was boiling. "Of all the degrading spectacles...I absolutely refuse!"  
  
"But big sister--" Sasami said.  
  
"Do not contradict me, Sasami," Ayeka snapped. "The very idea!"  
  
"The very idea is to give us immediate notification when that Klove tries to tap into your mind, Ayeka," Washuu told her. "And it might very well block his moves. It's not very stylish, I'll grant you that--"  
  
"That is not the point...although "not very stylish" does not even begin to describe that--that piece of headgear," Ayeka flared. "There is no telling how well it will work. And if it does block Professor Klove's attempts to enter my mind, what will we have really accomplished? Tell me that."  
  
"That's obvious, Ayeka," Washuu said. "It stops him. He doesn't attack you. He doesn't attack us."  
  
"Indeed? And shall I have to wear that--that thing--all my life?"  
  
"Well, you..." Washuu stopped. The Princess had a point there.  
  
"If that device works, then I am compelled to wear it forever, or at least as long as Professor Klove lives--and he has keep himself alive quite a long time in that institution." Ayeka lowered her voice, but it still had the same intensity. "If I ever take that device off...he can, and likely will, attack me again. No, thank you. If he will attack me, let him attack me now, when we are all ready to oppose him."  
  
Ayeka stood there, her arm folded, radiating firmness of purpose, a veritable Rock of Gibraltar, unmovable, steadfast...and a rather ticked off rock, as well. The notion of wearing such a cobbled together piece of--well, headgear--hit the Princess where she lived. And she most definitely did not live in Funny Hat Lane.  
  
Lord Yosho's expression was a mixture of admiration and contrition as he regarded Ayeka. "Princess, I apologize most humbly. We have done everything but ask you your opinion of all this. Please forgive us."  
  
"There is nothing to forgive, Lord Yosho," Ayeka told him. She seemed not quite so defiant in manner now. "I have made my position plain. I am willing to listen to any counter-positions, of course." Now she sat down.  
  
Tenchi frowned. "Actually, Ayeka, I'm kind of coming over to your side on this question," he said. "It's not enough to simply stop Klove, but to defeat him and render him harmless from now on. Just blocking him will only stop him for the moment...unless, as you said, Ayeka, you're willing to wear my old bike helmet from now on."  
  
"Hey, Princess, you might be passing up a good thing here," Ryoko said. "You could start a whole new fashion trend. Like, be a fashion leader instead of the fashion fossil you are now. Make wearing goofy hats a real fashion statement! You'll have all the women in the galaxy doing it. Well, all your stuck-up friends, anyway."  
  
"I am willing to listen to sensible counter-positions," Ayeka said, her face flushing. "That does not qualify. My friends are not stuck up. And royal raiment is above silly fashion trends!"  
  
"And it hides your figure, too," Ryoko grinned. "Convenient."  
  
"Ummm, Ryoko, we saw that figure in a bikini, remember?" Tris pointed out. "Ayeka hasn't anything she needs to hide, if she'll forgive me for saying so."  
  
"I certainly do, and thank you, Tristram," Ayeka said. "Although you should not waste your breath on certain persons."  
  
Kiyone darted a look at Tris that told him he had ventured far enough on the subject of Ayeka's figure. Then she looked thoughtful. "The more I think about it, the more I believe Ayeka's right. I wouldn't wear that thing--no offense, Washuu--for love or money. If Ayeka does wear it, then Klove has won, in a way. Besides, like Tenchi said, he needs to be taken down for all his filthy crimes, and taken down hard. Not just stymied."  
  
"It is an awfully silly looking hat, Washuu," Mihoshi said.  
  
"I didn't make it for its looks!" Washuu retorted.  
  
"That's for damned sure," Ryoko agreed.  
  
"Everyone," Lord Yosho said quietly. It sufficed to draw the group's attention. "I think we can all agree that Princess Ayeka must make her own decision about Professor Washuu's invention. She has given us her answer, and her answer is sound, of course. Very well. We will simply have to meet the threat of Professor Klove. We don't know when or how he will strike, but he will surely strike Princess Ayeka first. Thus, we must maintain the daily and nightly vigil, and--"  
  
"Lord Yosho," Washuu interrupted. Her voice was just a tad contrite. "I understand where the Princess is coming from about blocking Klove's mind probes. I agree with that now. Let's get the fight with him over with. I can modify the Mind Minder so that it only gives out an alarm when he tries to enter her mind. Ayeka could wear it at night, so that Ryoko can get her forty winks, and we'll all be alerted in case of intrusion."  
  
Washuu was anxious not to have her invention scrapped. It could serve a purpose, after all. The great scientist felt as protective and nurturing about her inventions as a mother felt about her children. It hurt her to hear them disparaged, although she did not show the extent of her feelings about it, of course...except to Nobuyuki now, when they were alone together.  
  
"Again, Professor Washuu, that is entirely up to the Princess," Lord Yosho said firmly.  
  
"What do you say, Ayeka?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Well..." The idea of wearing that hideous thing on her head still galled Ayeka. She looked at Washuu. On the other hand, Miss Washuu had labored hard no doubt to produce it, just to help her and the others. And if it were only at night... "Oh, very well. I shall wear your invention whilst I sleep, Miss Washuu, and thank you for your efforts on my behalf. However, I have a condition."  
  
"Huh? What condition?" Washuu asked.  
  
"That you sleep in the bedroom with the rest of us at night and that you make a better effort to show up at meals. That is my condition, Miss Washuu."  
  
The redheaded scientist frowned. "But why, Ayeka?"  
  
"Because I want all of us together during this crisis. You spend entirely too much time away from us, Miss Washuu. It sometimes seems as if you are a guest rather than one of the family. I want that to cease, at least until we can defeat Professor Klove. I do not believe it is asking too much for you to come to meals and to sleep in this house with us." Ayeka looked at Washuu, her manner resolute, yet reflecting fondness as well.  
  
"Well..." Washuu mulled it over. She did want Ayeka to use the Mind Minder. Ryoko put on a brave front, but she was exhausted from no sleep at night and only patchy sleep during the day. She hid it well, but Washuu could see the signs of incipient chronic fatigue. Besides, the great scientist liked to eat with the gang, and now wanted to be closer to Nobie, too. "Since some folks around here seem to think I'm some sort of mole, I guess it's time I left my burrow more often. All right, Princess. You drive a hard bargain, but I'm in."  
  
"She drives a good bargain." Tenchi smiled. "I'm glad, Washuu."  
  
"I am, as well," Lord Yosho said. "I enjoy your company at meals, Professor Washuu. We need to see you more often."  
  
"Well, thank you, Grandpa! That makes a girl feel all tingly inside."  
  
Lord Yosho laughed. The others joined in, including Ryoko. That made a pleasant way to end a breakfast that had become another council of war. As the group rose from the table, they were blissfully unaware of just how soon that war would engulf them.  
  
------  
  
At Galaxy Police Headquarters, Detective Sergeant Mitsuki Sakakibara had finally gotten the call she dreaded...the call from her fiancée, Lieutenant Kamin Zay're. He had brusquely requested that she come to his office. Having no reason to refuse, she complied. But she did so with a heavy heart. When she reached his office, Zay're waved her inside. His manner was not especially cordial.  
  
After ensuring his office door was firmly shut and latched, Lieutenant Zay're walked back to his desk module and sat down--that is, he sat down after first examining his seat for possible contamination. It was a characteristic gesture of his; he was a neatness freak as well as a control freak and very wary of possible contamination. He was, after all, working in a huge Headquarters containing many different beings, some of whom surely were unclean. Watching him, Mitsuki reflected that this was not a particularly attractive trait in her fiancée. It made him look rather prissy.  
  
Lieutenant Zay're regarded his fiancée, standing in front of his desk. His expression was carefully neutral. He did not ask her to sit down as well, although a chair was parked alongside his desk. This was also characteristic of Zay're; when he was about to impart bad news, he needed the formalistic setting to buoy his own fortitude. Mitsuki stiffened. She knew she should prepare for the worse.  
  
"Dear," he said quietly, "you know my original plans. I planned to make the Galaxy Police my life's work. It is not my original preference, but my parents and others close to me felt that the GP would provide an opportunity for advantage, both in terms of advancement and influence."  
  
"I know," Mitsuki said, just as quietly. Certainly, Kamin did not join the GP out of a feeling of duty or responsibility. His family was very politically prominent in the Galactic Union, and they were aligned with other powerful, influential families. The clique they had formed was capable of exerting influence in nearly every corner of the Union, aside from the planet Jurai. No one had influence there aside from the irascible King and his inner blood-tied court. Of course, the Juraian royals didn't concern themselves with the day-to- day administration of the Union...and that was where cliques like Zay're's could amass great power and influence. Accordingly, it was essential that everyone in the families involved was best placed to extend that influence. Zay're was the clique's point man in the GP and his mission was to rise rapidly and use his influence to help his own. That was a normal arrangement for many families in the Union. It did not shock or dismay Mitsuki; it was just one of the reality lessons she had learned upon taking a post at Headquarters. That was why she had been thrilled to be engaged to Kamin. With his family's influence, he seemed a natural for high office in the GP and she could attach herself to his rising star.  
  
"It was a good plan, dear, and it would have worked to both our advantages. But the plan depends on my attaining high rank...no less than Field Marshall, eventually. I'm sorry to say that the prospects for that now look bleak."  
  
"Really?" Mitsuki was surprised. With all the powerful forces behind her fiancée, she thought his rise to the top was all but assured. "Why do you think that, Kamin?"  
  
Zay're sighed. "That bumbling Katzaar! His stupid comment, his unwanted toadying before the Grand Marshall, put him in a terrible light, as you know. Evidently, it has also reflected on me. I detected that the Grand Marshall was not kindly disposed toward me during our meeting with him. Now my sources tell me that he definitely does not look favorably on me. Damn that Katzaar, anyway! He's pulled me down with him, it seems."  
  
Mitsuki remained silent. She was aware of the Grand Marshall's displeasure toward Kamin Zay're. She was also aware of the true reason--Kamin failed to back up his subordinate at that meeting. That was an unpardonable sin to old-line managers like the Grand Marshall. It had taken Chief Bodai to support Katzaar before the Grand Marshall. It was so like Kamin not to realize this. Mitsuki recalled suddenly that while at the Galaxy Police Academy she had been taught by Chief Bodai to support her people whenever possible. She had forgotten about that teaching. Kamin had never learned it.  
  
Kamin was staring at her, his face showing irritation. "Really, Mitsuki...you could say something, offer some condolences. You have been so quiet lately. You could have said something in Bodai's office when we were discussing that Makibi woman. It's on your account that Katzaar and I got the goods on her and that worthless partner of hers. But you just stood there, trying to distance yourself from us."  
  
"I wasn't trying to do that, Kamin," Mitsuki denied the charge.  
  
"Oh? Then what would you call it?"  
  
"Since I had a partisan interest in Kiyone's dismissal, I thought I should just let the facts speak for themselves," Mitsuki explained. That explanation sounded lame, even to her.  
  
"I see." Kamin Zay're's voice was frosty. He knew he was being lied to. He was beginning to suspect something now. Mitsuki had been too diffident, too neutral about their efforts to drum Kiyone and Mihoshi out of the GP. After all, it was on her behalf that the effort was being made; both he and Katzaar had bigger fish to fry, really. Zay're was now contemplating the possibility that, perhaps, Mitsuki wasn't as innocent concerning the Slaakive misidentification case as she claimed. Perhaps, she was even...well, it didn't matter now. In a way, all of this was a relief to him. It would make what he planned to say to her easier.  
  
"Let's move on, Mitsuki. My sources also tell me that the Grand Marshall plans to promote Bodai, possibly into a Field Marshall slot. That would mean instant promotion to that grade, as you know." Kamin had a wily idea that a rumor now circulating that the current personnel chief was only lacking logistics experience to be a front- runner to replace the embattled Grand Marshall had something to do with Bodai's sudden rise in fortunes. Zay're was a seasoned campaigner in the political wars already. He knew when to attack-- and when to retreat.  
  
"I didn't hear that." Mitsuki showed a bit of animation now. Although Chief Bodai had made it clear he didn't believe her about the Slaakive mis-identification business (and he damned well had good reason not to!), she still had some affection for him. After all, he was only doing the right thing by Kiyone...and he would do the same for Mitsuki if she were in similar circumstances. Chief Bodai had been a dear old thing at the Academy and one of her and Kiyone's strongest supporters. Now his regard for her was destroyed and it was all her fault.  
  
"Well, you don't have my sources, Mitsuki," Kamin said complacently. "You need to build your network. I've told you that, many times. I'll pass a few names on to you...when I leave."  
  
Although she had been expecting to hear something like that, Mitsuki still felt a wrench in the pit of her stomach. "When you...leave?"  
  
"Yes. Chief Bodai definitely has no affection for me--none whatsoever. With the Grand Marshall not happy with me and Chief Bodai on the ascendancy, my chances for promotion are about nil. Even if the Grand Marshall is ousted, someone like Chief Bodai will likely replace him. At any rate, Bodai will always be there to queer my chances for promotion. It's hopeless. I've talked it over with certain people and the plan now is for me to take a long leave, then tender my resignation and enter politics on my home planet. It's not my first choice, but I'll likely accomplish more as a politician than as a policeman."  
  
There was no doubt of that, Mitsuki thought dully. Kamin was already talking like a politician. Of course, it made perfect sense. Power and influence were Zay're's goals, not professional satisfaction. If he was thwarted in one career, he'd simply change careers. And, of course, that meant...but, no. At the very least, Kamin would have to tell it to her face. She would not just take a hint and bow out gracefully. She would not give him that satisfaction.  
  
"All right, I see why you feel you need to leave the GP. But where does that leave us?" she asked flatly.  
  
Lieutenant Zay're gazed at her, and his irritation was evident. No, there wasn't much fondness left in him for her. There had never been love, of course.  
  
"I should have thought that was obvious, Mitsuki, but since you persist in acting obtuse..." He controlled himself with a visible effort. "Very well. If I am to run for political office on Ouum, I must have the support of the public. I cannot put myself at a disadvantage with them. Frankly, having an alien--I mean, foreign-- spouse might turn some voters off. At the very least--please do not take this personally, Mitsuki--you would not be an asset on the campaign trail. It's not your fault, of course; but that is not the point. I simply cannot resign my commission here and jeopardize my chances with a local election due to a possibly controversial spouse. I think you can understand that."  
  
"Yes," Mitsuki all but whispered. "I can understand that." Her face was downcast. She fought hard, but tears filled her eyes regardless. It was a body blow, even if she had expected it. It was the end of her hopes for a quick initiation to the inner circles of power and influence. It was also the end of her hope for instant respectability and the protection of Zay're's powerful family should Chief Bodai or someone else keep pursuing the Slaakive case re-investigation. She was now truly cut off and on her own. She had no real friends here at Headquarters...and now she had no fiancée.  
  
"You'll have to tell me more directly than that," Mitsuki said, unable to restrain a sob. She fought and fought for control. The tears trickled down her cheeks. "I want you to tell me, Kamin!"  
  
Zay're regarded Mitsuki with contempt. He should have known this alien woman would have hysterics. It seemed only women from his planet and from Jurai knew how to maintain their decorum in the face of adversity. Of course it was a blow for Mitsuki, but she had to see how impossible their engagement was now. He had to get her out of his office--as well as out of his life--so he could attend to other matters, such as requesting leave. So he shrugged and gave his now former fiancée what she seemed to want so badly--the axe, delivered hard and sharp.  
  
"Since you insist...our engagement is off, Mitsuki, effective now. I shall see that the announcement of our...disengagement...is sent to the proper media. You need do nothing. I would prefer that you return the ring I gave you, but that is not necessary if you feel compelled to keep it."  
  
Mitsuki had indeed gotten what she asked for--and each of Zay're's cold, remorseless words hit her like fists. Again, her eyes teared. She cursed fouly to hide her grief. She forced the plain platinum ring off her finger and tossed it on Zay're's desk module top. As a defiant gesture, it was pitiful.  
  
"There! I'm certain that makes you happy. No cost at all to you. You can give it to your next fiancée--if you can find one of her six fingers that it'll fit!"  
  
Zay're blanched at Mitsuki's angry and pejorative reference to that particular trait of the inhabitants of his planet--the six-fingered hands. It was racism, pure and simple, something that Mitsuki would never before have allowed herself to indulge in--it was career death in the GP. But she was now so upset and angry, she had dropped her proper and poised façade.  
  
"Well...! Now the truth come out, Mitsuki!" Zay're spoke with real anger now. Like all the inhabitants of his planet, he was sensitive to that physical quirk of nature that affected them all. "I should turn you in for that remark. But, in view of out past relationship, I won't."  
  
Lieutenant Zay're punched a touchpad on his desk console. His office door slid open. "Leave now, while I still feel generous. I will, no doubt, have my leave approved quickly and I should be gone in a few duty days. During that period, please make an effort to stay out of my sight, Sergeant. If I do see you again, I will take steps to ensure that you regret it."  
  
Mitsuki desperately wanted to leave. But she found herself demanding tearfully, "What--What do you mean?" It was an unwise question, as she immediately found out.  
  
"I mean that you now strike me as someone who could very well have forged a certain document. If I wish, I could use my influence to support that re-investigation by Chief Bodai. However, I have nothing but disdain for the likes of Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu, just as I have only disdain for you now. Keep out of my sight and I shall do nothing against you. That is fair warning. Now leave."  
  
Mitsuki left, stumbling a bit, and trying, unsuccessfully, to compose herself. The door of Lieutenant Zay're's office swooshed shut behind her. It was destined to be the last time she would see her former fiancée.  
  
Slowly, Mitsuki walked down the long corridor toward her own office. She tried to stiffen her back, to hold her head up, to at least affect the physical appearance of self-confidence and inner pride. But that was one sham Mitsuki could not pull off. She quivered with anger and sorrow and guilt as she walked back to her office.  
  
Other GP officers also walking down the corridor looked at her, but none offered any words of comfort or even asked her what was wrong. Of course not. Those would be the actions of a good friend. Mere political allies and acquaintances don't extend such consideration. Such were the fruits of Mitsuki's ruthless and cynical careerism.  
  
Yet, the Galaxy Police Sergeant who finally reached her office, went in, shut the door, and then cried and cried was neither ruthless nor cynical. She was a hurt and scared young woman who needed a friend.  
  
It was the height of irony that one pair of eyes observing her walk so sorrowfully down that corridor actually showed some sympathy. Those eyes belonged to Sergeant Youri Katzaar.  
  
------  
  
After breakfast and all the discussions had ended at the Masaki home, everyone, by silent acclamation, elected to resume their normal daily routine. They would not let Professor Klove disrupt their lives any more than necessary.  
  
Thus, Tenchi and Tris (who had first changed his tea-soaked pants) scooted outside to take up their neglected outdoor chores. There was still more grass to mow and not all the stone-flagged walkways were trimmed by any means. Yet, once with their tools in hand, the two young men paused to talk together.  
  
"Hey, I'm sorry your trip with Kiyone and Mihoshi wasn't as great as it should have been, Tris," Tenchi said, leaning on the lawn mower. "That planet Vestra sounds like a real dump."  
  
"Well, I'm probably being way too negative," Tris admitted, rising from the stone walkway he had been desultorily examining for delinquent growth. "I mean, God, I entered outer space, left the solar system, traveled to a new star system, saw an immense space station, actually spent an evening on a different planet, looked at real space aliens--" here, he grinned ironically. "Actually, in that case, I was the space alien, I guess."  
  
"You were," Tenchi agreed. "Earth seems pretty wild and woolly to the folks out there in the Galactic Union. I was mobbed by their media after we took down Kagato. Of course, partially it was due to me being a Juraian prince and my grandfather being the real long-lost Lord Yosho. But a lot of the interest was also about our so-called primitive planet with its tribal warfare and savage passions and all that crud. Tris, I'm telling you...they think we walk around with our knuckles dragging the ground."  
  
"Yeah, I got that impression," Tris said.  
  
"I mean, we do, technologically speaking. But I really don't think they're so much advanced in other ways. I didn't like their food that much and I really didn't care for the video entertainment they have. It's mostly what we would call sitcoms and soap operas and shows where they talk and talk and talk...no action, hardly. Ryoko's told me that's why she loves our TV--lots of action and sex!" Tenchi grinned.  
  
"Yeah, I saw an example of their TV on that starship Kiyone and Mihoshi call Yagami," Tris said. "It was about blobs being blobs, or something."  
  
Tenchi nodded. "Yeah that sounds like prime-time programming in the Galactic Union. But, then again, Jurai is awesome--just wildly beautiful, with an amazing integration of tree and human and mechanical processes. It's almost indescribable. You have to see it first hand."  
  
"So Ayeka and her people are a bunch of tree-huggers, huh?" Tris laughed.  
  
Tenchi laughed, too. "That's for sure. But I wouldn't say that around her, Tris."  
  
"Don't worry. I don't want that lady mad at me again." Tris then hesitated. "Hey, Tenchi, it ain't my business, I know that. But your Dad and Washuu..."  
  
Tenchi grunted. "Oh, I don't blame you for asking. The fact is, I finally cornered Dad last night. He told me that he and Washuu are just very good friends. There's nothing serious between them." Tenchi shrugged. "I can believe that, I guess. But I know they've been necking and petting. God, I can't believe I'm talking this way about my own father!"  
  
Tris nodded with commiseration.  
  
"He has a right to be happy. He's been without any companionship for a long time. All he's done is work and work and try to raise me. After the girls came, he got a little...frisky, I guess. But he calmed down. We were all too hard on him about that, really. I've told him I won't mind if he re-marries." Tenchi gave the lawn mower a small, frustrated push. "But Washuu! Man, Tris, I don't know..."  
  
"I don't either," Tris said. "Washuu is a great gal, and she's saved your bacon a number of times, or so you've told me. She sure got the goods on that Professor Klove! But as a--well, as a lady friend to your father, maybe as even a step-mother--"  
  
Tenchi shuddered. "Don't even say that, Tris. I really like Washuu, and we owe a lot to her. But she's just...well, strange! She just doesn't operate at the same level as we do. She's way up there, somewhere, in the ether."  
  
"Cloud cuckoo-land," Tris said, remembering his Aristophanes.(4)  
  
"That's it. No one my Dad would marry would replace my mother, of course...that's understood. But I just can't picture myself coming home for Christmas and being with Grandfather and Dad--and Washuu!"  
  
"Yeah, that's not exactly what I'd think of as home for the holidays," Tris agreed.  
  
"Well, it's Dad's life. If this is a casual flirtation, so be it. If it develops into anything more..." Tenchi grimaced. "I'll just have to suck it up, that's all. I'd put up with a lot worse than Washuu to see Dad happy. Besides, I really do like her, as I said."  
  
Tris smiled fondly at his friend. "Spoken like a true son-of-a-gun," he said.  
  
Tenchi arched his eyebrows. "You're the son of a gun! Making our Kiyone fall for you! Getting Mihoshi all hot and bothered! Getting those two to risk their careers to take you on that trip! What an operator!"  
  
"Hey, I didn't ask for any of that," Tris protested. "But..." He set the garden shears down and struck an exaggerated muscleman pose. "If you've got it...you've got it."  
  
Tenchi said, "Oh, yeah?" He began to push the lawn mower vigorously, moving faster and faster--toward Tris.  
  
"Hey...what are you doing?" Tris began to back away.  
  
"I think you need a trim," Tenchi told him.  
  
"I think it's time to exit, stage left." Tris began to run. Tenchi ran after him, pushing the lawn mower. They both laughed as they ran.  
  
"Hey, slow down, Richard Gere!" Tenchi shouted. "It'll only hurt for a moment!"  
  
"Can't! Gotta go meet Julia Roberts at Spago!" Tris shouted back.  
  
They roamed all over the lawn in front of the lake. As they did, they were observed by Sasami and Ryo-Ohki. Sasami had gone outdoors to ask Tris to drive her to the village to pick up supplies for the pizza party--she wanted to ride in his cool car with the top down this time. Ryo-Ohki was simply following the being who gave her carrots most often. Next to her mistress, Ryoko, Ryo-Ohki loved Sasami best.  
  
"Golly, Ryo-Ohki," Sasami commented. "Is this how they do their chores?"  
  
"Meow-er," Ryo-Ohki responded neutrally. Sensing that the market for carrots was rather bearish, the cabbit wandered off.  
  
"They sure have more fun than the girls do," Sasami mused. Inside the house, Ryoko had floated up to the rafters to take her daytime nap, which infuriated Ayeka, but she knew that Ryoko had that nap coming. So Ayeka instead had scolded Mihoshi for taking a quick snooze on the couch. Mihoshi had started crying and Kiyone had to come downstairs and calm Mihoshi down and then take her back upstairs to get started on their own chores. Sasami shook her head. It was so nice and peaceful outdoors. The boys had it made, really.  
  
"Oh no!" True to form, Tris had tripped and fallen, just beside the front gate, right in front of Azaka II and Kamidake II. The two Guardians blinked with concern and asked Tris if he was all right. Tris slowly rose from the turf, helped by Tenchi, who laughed and brushed him off. Golly, those two boys were good friends! Sasami smiled tenderly. She loved them both. She wished she were older. Much older.  
  
"Tris? Tenchi?" she called to them.  
  
Tenchi finished brushing grass and dirt off Tris. He was still chuckling. Tris grinned in spite of himself.  
  
"You knew I'd fall, you bum," Tris accused.  
  
"I knew I could count on you," Tenchi agreed.  
  
"Perhaps you should not run, Tristram Coffin, sir," Azaka II offered helpfully. "The practice does not seem to agree with you."  
  
"It is a shame you cannot fly, sir," Kamidake II added. "We would be happy to transport you where you need to go, if the Princess gave us leave to do so."  
  
"Thanks for the offer," Tris muttered. Tenchi chuckled again.  
  
"Tenchi? Tris?"  
  
Now the two young men heard the childish voice. They both spotted Sasami. Obligingly, they walked up to her. Tenchi left the lawn mower with the two Guardians, who were now debating the merits of the primitive gardening device. The yard work would have to wait.  
  
------  
  
The housework would not have to wait, however--if Kiyone had anything to say about it.  
  
"Mihoshi, that dust mop isn't going to mop by itself. Stop leaning on it, and start moping. I'd like to get this floor waxed sometime this century."  
  
The blonde galactic police officer blinked sleepily. She had been standing in the middle of Lord Yosho's sparse bedroom, dozing and leaning on her dust mop...guilty on all counts. "Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, Kiyone. It's hard to start working when you didn't get your nap, you know?"  
  
The two of them were again attired in their hand-made short-shorts and work shirts. Mihoshi, like Kiyone, was barefoot. It helped when working on the bare wooden floors.  
  
Kiyone felt the old anger bubble in her. She wanted to shake Mihoshi fully awake and get her working. But a softness welled within her. That irritated her further. Being in love sure messed up your insides, she had discovered--and blunted your impulses. She didn't want to mop, either. She wanted to find Tris and make the goof say those three little words to her...well, not make him say them, of course, just kind of inspire him to say them, if he truly felt them. Tris loved to see her in the brief short-shorts. Yeah, she could use that to her advantage...Kiyone shook her head angrily. Damn it! She was getting as bad as Ryoko and Ayeka!  
  
"Nap? You slept all night and all we've done today is eat breakfast and talk. How can you be sleepy? You know, if there were any justice, you'd be fat from just eating and sleeping like you do. Then you might be motivated to do some work."  
  
"Fat?" Mihoshi was fully awake now. She looked upset. "Am I fat, Kiyone? My clothes still fit okay." She turned to the plush pooch she had placed on Lord Yosho's bed. "Am I fat, Trissy?"  
  
"Stop talking to that stuffed toy!" Kiyone gritted her teeth...by rights, she shouldn't have any teeth left after spending so much time with Mihoshi. If her teal hair started graying any time soon, she'd know whom to blame.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kiyone. I'm just playing."  
  
"Stop playing and start working!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
The two young women were bent to their task when a figure appeared in the doorway. They both straightened. It was Washuu. The great scientist looked at Kiyone with an odd smile on her face.  
  
"Kiyone," she said softly...well, softly for Washuu. "You have a call."  
  
"A call?" Kiyone glanced at her right wrist. Her GP alert bracelet was silent. She was certain it was operational.  
  
"No, I don't mean that. You have a personal call. It came in on the comm console in my lab."  
  
"A personal call? Who is it?"  
  
"Do you know a fellow named Murati Makibi?" Washuu grinned. Behind Kiyone, Mihoshi beamed with joy.  
  
"He's...He's my brother." Kiyone felt stunned.  
  
"Yeah, that's what he said. Well? Do you want to take the call?"  
  
"I...I..." Kiyone stuttered, so taken aback was she. "I do--of course, I do! Murati...calling me..." She shook her head in wonderment.  
  
"He's waiting," Washuu prompted.  
  
"Right!" Kiyone dropped the dust mop and let it clatter to the wooden floor. "Let's go!" She moved quickly toward the doorway. Washuu moved aside so Kiyone could exit. Washuu followed her out the doorwas, after giving a "thumbs up" gesture to Mihoshi.  
  
Alone now in Lord Yosho's bedroom, Mihoshi cried with happiness. "Oh, Daddy...Mezim...thank you!"  
  
------  
  
"Think we can find the ingredients we need, Tris?" Sasami asked. She, Tris, and Tenchi were now standing beside Tris's Mustang.  
  
"I don't know," he said, scrutinizing Sasami's shopping list. "I think one of the food shops in the village carries foreign food items." Tris looked at Tenchi. Tenchi took the list that Sasami had made out from him.  
  
"One of them does...it's the place I worked at to get the money to buy my stereo." Tenchi grimaced as he recalled his stereo's blown speakers, courtesy of Beah and Viatrix. "We should be able to find acceptable substitutes, anyway. And we have an account there, too."  
  
"Wait a minute," Tris objected. "I suggested the pizza party. It's on my tab."  
  
"Like heck it is. The family's paying for this, Tris. That's final!"  
  
Tris looked at Tenchi. His friend had his dander up, a little. Tenchi hated the fact that Tris had spent so much money already. He was supposed to be a guest. "Okay...but what about the wine?"  
  
"Wine?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Wine?" Sasami asked, too.  
  
"Aw, stop whining." Tris laughed. He jumped away from Tenchi. "You gotta be faster than that, buddy. Kiyone would already have poked me good. You're too slow."  
  
"I can work on it," Tenchi told him. "Maybe Kiyone can give me a few pointers."  
  
"Tris, what do you mean about wine?" Sasami wanted to know.  
  
"Well, if we're going to do pizza, we ought to do it right. Tea is perfect for nearly all occasions, but pizza is best with wine. Well, I actually prefer beer, but I can't see your big sister swigging down the suds...can you?"  
  
Sasami giggled. "No, I can't. Ayeka thinks sake is dignified, since it's used in so many ceremonies here(5). But beer! I'd like to see her face if you tried to serve that to her!"  
  
"I wouldn't," Tenchi said, grinning. "She's seen too much TV where low characters drink beer. That's why we men don't drink it around her. She'd hit the roof!"  
  
"And hit me too, I'll bet!" Tris shook his head. "I have enough women using me for a punching bag, thank you. But wine is tres elegant. All the stuffed shirts drink it. Not that I mean your big sister is a stuffed shirt, Sasami."  
  
"I know." Sasami smiled.  
  
"And sake is really just rice wine, anyway," Tenchi mused. "Grape wine...that's actually a good idea, bonehead. It's something new for us. Why not?"  
  
"Yes, that sounds very nice, but..." Sasami looked down. "Do you think I could have some, too, at the party?"  
  
Tenchi and Tris both regarded the little girl, so formally attired in her robed gown, so poised and composed, yet so young. Sometimes they just forgot that Sasami was a child--she was so responsible and mature in so many ways.  
  
"In France and Italy, they water the wine a little and serve it to youngsters," Tris said. "I've seen it."  
  
"I'll talk to Ayeka," Tenchi told Sasami. "I'm sure she'll let you drink a little wine."  
  
Sasami looked up now and her eyes were bright. "That's so neat! Thank you, Tenchi."  
  
"So that's settled. And I'm buying the wine," Tris said.  
  
"Okay, okay, big spender!" Tenchi gave in. "Speaking of big spending, you know that imported wine, like any imported liquor, is taxed pretty high, Tris. Sometimes as much as ten times as high as for a local brand. I don't like it, but that's the way it is right now. Also, sometimes so-called domestic wine really is mostly imported wine. Dad told me that once. So we're better off getting the domestic wine. It's probably partially imported anyway."  
  
"Yeah, I think I read about that in the "Stars And Stripes" once," Tris said. "Your domestic wine producers used to even put French and German language labels on local wines to make them seem imported. Naughty, naughty!"  
  
"Hey, I think it was wrong, too(6). Anyway, that convenience store in the village sells all sorts of liquor. We'll find a decent domestic wine."(7)  
  
"I don't understand all that taxation stuff," Sasami admitted. "Why don't you just sell things and let people decide if they like them or not? If they like what's made here as well as what you call imported, they'll buy it, won't they?"  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked at each other. The last thing either wanted to do was to discuss tariffs and trade agreements, mainly because those topics really didn't make much sense to them, either. "I know things here aren't like on Jurai or in the Galactic Union, Sasami," Tenchi said. "It won't get in the way of our pizza party, though."  
  
"All right, Tenchi," Sasami said. The little Princess knew when to drop a subject.  
  
"Speaking of which, let's get going and buy the supplies," Tris said. "All three of us are going, right?"  
  
"Oh...will you come with us, Tenchi?" Sasami asked, visibly pleased at the prospect.  
  
"I sure will." Tenchi grinned. "It sounds like fun. Besides, I need to keep an eye on Tris here. No telling what he'll buy otherwise!"  
  
"Thanks loads," Tris said.  
  
"No need to thank me," Tenchi replied. "Let's put the lawn gear away and go!"  
  
------  
  
In Washuu's sub-dimensional lab, Kiyone sat at the same rickety chair and spoke into the same cobbled-together comm console that Mihoshi had used the day before. The comm console, like the rest of the lab, wasn't any neater or cleaner, but Kiyone didn't mind. The sound of her older brother's voice, issuing from a call he had himself placed, was of immense importance to her. It was so wonderful to be talking to him again!  
  
Kiyone at least thought Murati had initiated the call. In actuality, Murati Makibi was keeping his promise to Mezim Kuramitsu. He didn't mention the latter's very recent call to him.  
  
"Well, Kiki, it's nice to hear your voice," Murati said, his own voice sounding affectionate. He was calling his kid sister by the pet name he had devised for her when they were children. He hadn't used it for a long time. Hearing it made Kiyone feel warm and toasty inside.  
  
"It's...it's wonderful to hear your voice, too, Murati," Kiyone replied. She noted that Washuu had left the lab. She was pretty thoughtful for a mad scientist.  
  
"I guess it has been a long time since we talked last," Murati said, his voice now sounding contrite. "Too long. It's my fault, Kiki. I'm sorry."  
  
Kiyone pictured her brother in her mind...tall, wasp-waisted, with ascetic features, his hair a darker shade of teal from hers, his eyes gray and thoughtful, his expression always somewhat stern looking, like her father and mother. But Murati had played with her a lot when they were children. Kiyone had been a tomboy and had wanted to play with the big boys and Murati had let her do so much of the time. A lot of the girls her own age resented this and often were unfriendly to her. Also her parents thought it was undignified for her to try to outdo the boys in their games. They would punish her and Murati would come to her room later and just talk to her about trivial things. It was his way of telling her he didn't think she had done anything wrong. She had loved him so much back then.  
  
But eventually, her parents had influenced him into a more serious mien. At their instigation, Murati had taken the hardest entrance exams, attended the top University on Skeenix, and then entered civil service with the Galactic Union. Suddenly he wasn't there anymore for her. Kiyone had then shocked her parents--and her brother--by announcing she would attend the Galaxy Police Academy. Somehow, by working part-time jobs, borrowing from friends, and budgeting in Draconian ways, Kiyone had put herself through the Academy. She had been aware of both her parents and her brother's disapproval and that had hurt, although it had not stopped her, of course. She was going to show them, to have a brilliant career with the GP, to match and exceed her brother in advancement. And then she had drawn Mihoshi as a partner and her career stalled. She had spoken to her parents and her brother, who had become a rising bureaucratic star, very seldom during that time. They had broken contact with her entirely during the Kagato affray, but had relented when she was later not only cleared of all charges of treason, but actually promoted. Then came the Slaakive disaster, the demotion...and her family had all but disowned her.  
  
"It's my fault too, Murati. I could have called you. I...just didn't."  
  
"I don't blame you, Kiki! I've been thinking things over and talking to Siatria, my fiancée. You remember her from school, don't you?"  
  
"Uh-huh," Kiyone said without enthusiasm. Siatria had been one of the popular girls at school, one of those who wouldn't give Kiyone the time of day back then.  
  
"I see you do remember her!" Murati's voice had a knowing chuckle. "Would it surprise you to know that Siatria thinks she was horrid to you back then and regrets it now?"  
  
"She--She does?" Kiyone was astonished. She thought girls like Siatria never regretted what they did. Such girls were perfect-- perfectly posed, perfectly beautiful, and perfectly correct in all they did.  
  
"She does. In fact she really chewed me out for not contacting you more often. We both know about the reasons for your demotion, Kiki. We also know you're being put under a microscope by the GP now. That's damned unfair! You're innocent of those charges and a good officer on top of that. I'm madder than hell about it."  
  
"Are you, Murati?"  
  
"I am! I'm also sorry that I haven't made that very clear, Kiki. You're the best! I've always thought so, and I think so even more now. You've put up with that abuse so bravely. I'm proud of you, Kiki."  
  
Her elder brother's passionate defense of her was balm--golden balm-- for Kiyone. He didn't despise her or think her a failure, she realized. He loved her and supported her. It was just awkward for him to tell her because of the silence between them had endured for so long. Her heart warmed with love for him. He had broken the silence between them...her only brother, her Murati.  
  
"Thank you, Murati," Kiyone said softly. "You don't know how much that means to me to hear you say that. I thought, after talking to Mom and Dad..."  
  
"Oh, forget them. They just can't get out of the ruts they've dug themselves into. You didn't follow in their footsteps and that's why they resent you a little, I think. You know, working for the Union and meeting all sorts of people...well, I've gotten a lot better perspective on things. I've certainly gotten a better perspective on the Galaxy Police. It's a fine service and it's a profession to be proud of."  
  
"I've always thought so. Of course, it's a profession I may not have much longer," Kiyone told him pensively.  
  
"I know, Kiki," Murati's voice issuing from the console was quietly commiserative. "It sure won't be your fault if that happens. If it does, don't even think about going home to Mom and Dad. You come and stay with Siatria and me. There's lots of good jobs in the Union for a capable and intelligent person like you. You'll reach your goals, one way or another...count on it."  
  
Kiyone felt warm happiness now seep into that cold and dark area inside her that the impending doom of her career had created. It was the one thing she needed...hope and an alternative if the worse happened. Her brother would stand beside her in adversity. It was so much nicer than standing alone, she now knew. She thought about Tris. He would stand beside her, too. And so would Tenchi, and Lord Yosho, and Ayeka, and all the rest of them. And even Mihoshi, who would face anything with her. She wasn't alone and she wasn't hopeless or helpless. In fact, she was poised to live a wonderful life with family and friends, and to achieve everything she desired.  
  
Kiyone now experienced the final epiphany, sitting on that creaking old chair in Washuu's gloomy sub-dimensional lab. She would never be quite the same again. Her real life could begin now.  
  
"I will count on it, Murati," she told him. "I won't give up my career without a fight, and I won't grieve my life away if I lose it. I thank you for your offer. It means so much to me. But I may stay on Earth, for a little while, anyway. I...I have a reason."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes. It's...well, it's a boy. I might as well tell you, Murati-- he's an Earthling."  
  
"Really?" Murati said. His voice sounded intrigued. "You know, I once thought all those Earthlings lived in caves or something. But I did some research and Earth doesn't seem such a bad place. No interstellar travel capabilities, of course, but sometimes I wonder if that's such a handicap. Trying to keep the Galactic Union together is a headache, believe me!"  
  
"I believe you!" Kiyone chuckled. "Just try to police it sometime!" She realized that, in his own subtle way, her brother had told her he didn't mind her falling in love with an Earthling. She was pleased. She wanted Murati to like Tris, or at least give him a chance. Now she knew he would.  
  
"No way. I'll leave that to courageous people, like you, Kiki." Her brother paused a moment. "I think I better let you go now. My comm console is blinking like crazy...probably more petty problems from petty people. You don't have it so bad, you know! Anyway, you're coming to our wedding. We'll set the date and let you know. I'll call again real soon, Kiki."  
  
"I'll call you, too. We'll keep in touch. And I'd love to attend your wedding, if I can bring a girlfriend and maybe a fella." Kiyone smiled as she thought of bringing Mihoshi and dragging Tris to a wedding.  
  
"Bring them! The more, the merrier. And we will keep in touch, Kiki. I mean that. Gotta go. Goodbye. Out."  
  
"Goodbye, Murati. Out."  
  
The comm console's lights blinked off as her brother broke the connection.  
  
Kiyone stared at the makeshift comm console a little while. Then she had a good, happy cry. After that, she wiped her eyes and stood up. She had things to do now. Lots of things. Life was full of things to do...and people to do them with.  
  
As Kiyone walked back through the sub-dimensional portal, she didn't realize then that the one thing she really had to do was to stay alive the next few hours. It was one task that would prove all but impossible.  
  
_____________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
1. Yes, that's all from the classic intrigue-and-romance film, "Casablanca." Tris is no Bogart, but that's showbiz.  
  
2. Here Ryoko is echoing some classic dialogue from the Clint Eastwood rogue cop classic "Dirty Harry." If you noticed this, you're about as hopeless an old-movie addict as Tris, I'm afraid.  
  
3 Specifically, it's from Shakespeare's "Hamlet." When it comes to pontification, the Princess does sometimes resemble Polonius.  
  
4. Aristophanes was a playwright in ancient Greece who wrote a number of very funny plays, one of which was "The Birds," which introduced Cloud Cuckoo-Land. In addition, he also wrote a play called "Lysistrata," in which the women of Athens end a war against the Spartans--by denying their husbands sex until peace is declared!  
  
5. Indeed it is. For example, during Shinto wedding ceremonies, both the bride and groom share a sake cup and sip from it three times to consecrate their marriage vows. On New Year's Day, families drink from special lacquered cups and toast each other. Many special celebrations feature the kagamiwari, a ceremony where a barrel of sake is opened with wooden mallets.  
  
6. Despite Japan's vow to the European Union to equalize its taxation of imported wine and spirits, the cost for imported alcoholic beverages there is still immense compared to the domestic variety. Protectionism is still very much alive and well in the land of Nippon. Folks living there who don't have access to a State Department or U.S. armed forces exchange service outlet pay through the nose for a real French burgundy or a Czech Pilsner.  
  
7. Tenchi is right, of course. Japan has over 200 wineries, the top three being Mercian, Suntory, and Sapporo. Wine made from only domestic grapes, known as kokunaisan, is often equal to imported wines. It is also considerably less expensive. 


	22. CHAPTER 21: No Need For Help

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE  
  
No Need For Help  
  
________________  
  
"Kiyone received a comm call? From her brother?" Ayeka asked Mihoshi.  
  
"Uh-huh! Isn't it wonderful?" Mihoshi beamed.  
  
"Yes, I suppose it must be." Ayeka looked at Mihoshi, her voice and manner reflecting her curiosity.  
  
They were both in the kitchen. Mihoshi had left Lord Yosho's bedroom and hurried downstairs, anxious to see how well the call went for Kiyone. She wanted to see Kiyone's happy face. She had then heard someone in the kitchen closing a cabinet door. So she wandered into the kitchen and found Ayeka there. In about two minutes, she had blurted out the news to Ayeka. She couldn't help it. Ayeka had appeared so kind and understanding. She had obviously forgiven Mihoshi for sacking out on the couch earlier that day.  
  
"Kiyone really wants to be closer to her family," Mihoshi said. "That's why this call is so important to her. She'll feel better about things now. You know?"  
  
Now Ayeka smiled warmly. "I know. I am glad, Mihoshi. You did not have anything to do with this...did you?"  
  
"Well..." Mihoshi smiled, casting her gaze downward.  
  
"I see. You are a very good friend, Mihoshi."  
  
Mihoshi looked up. "That's what Washuu said."  
  
"She was correct, then. I suppose she is in her laboratory with Kiyone?"  
  
"I guess so. Where's Sasami?" Mihoshi wanted to tell her young friend the glad news, too.  
  
"She went outside to talk to Lord Tenchi and Tristram about acquiring the ingredients for that pizza party," Ayeka told her. "I fear we do not have the right things here to make that dish. It will require a trip to the village. I suppose she and Tristram have left by now. Perhaps Lord Tenchi has accompanied them."  
  
"That sounds like fun," Mihoshi enthused. "I wish I could have gone along! But...wasn't she supposed to watch...?"  
  
"To watch me? Yes, I suppose so. She simply forgot. Nothing has happened, of course. I took a quick nap in the living room, on a couch--rather like you did earlier, Mihoshi." Ayeka smiled ruefully. "I suppose I am still not getting enough sleep at night. I was just about to have a glass of iced water. Would you care for some as well?"  
  
"Well..." Mihoshi hesitated.  
  
"Would you prefer tea, instead?" Ayeka smiled an understanding smile. "Perhaps some rice cakes as well? I believe we have some in the pantry."  
  
Mihoshi appeared troubled.  
  
"Is something the matter, Mihoshi?" Ayeka asked her.  
  
"l...I don't know. I guess Sasami could forget to watch you, Ayeka. I forget things, too. And I did kinda fall asleep on the couch earlier. But you've never taken a nap in the daytime, Akeya. At least, I've never seen you do it. It seems...strange." Mihoshi looked closely at the Princess.  
  
"Nothing is strange, dear. Why do you think something is strange?" Ayeka walked up to Mihoshi. Her lovely ruby eyes were radiant. But the radiance was unnatural. "You must not say silly things, Mihoshi. You must not. You will spoil everything." Those ruby eyes blazed into Mihoshi's eyes. Now Ayeka's hands grabbed Mihoshi's arms. They held her arms in a death grip.  
  
"I think," Ayeka said sweetly, her eyes filled with a hellish light, "that you should be the first to die, dear."  
  
Mihoshi was transfixed by Ayeka's blazing eyes. She was all but frozen in place. But something inside her, something stronger than even she knew, acted. She opened her mouth. And screamed.  
  
------  
  
Ryoko, dozing on a wide ceiling beam in the living room, was startled to wakefulness by Mihoshi's terrified scream. She sat up quickly and banged her forehead smartly against the ceiling itself. She swore, rubbing her forehead.  
  
"Damn you, Mihoshi!" she snarled. "You ditz!"  
  
She heard Mihoshi scream again. What the hell...!  
  
Ryoko zoomed down from the rafters and continued on, across the living room and into the kitchen, where the scream seemed to come from. Once inside the kitchen...she stopped.  
  
The Princess stood there quietly. Mihoshi, having broken Ayeka's iron grip, now stood a few yards from her, trembling.  
  
"What's going on in here?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
Ayeka turned toward her. Her eyes were like ruby fire.  
  
"You will die second, space pirate," Ayeka said. "You will die screaming with agony."  
  
"Princess! Cut the crap!" Ryoko spoke forcefully but she was badly shaken. Those eyes!  
  
"It's not the Princess!" Mihoshi wailed.  
  
Ryoko shook her platinum head. "Of course it is! She's just in a trance or something. Like when she had those bad dreams--"  
  
Suddenly Ryoko felt a invisible wave of pure energy scoop her up-- and then slam her against a kitchen wall with terrific force. Shelves attached to the wall collapsed, sending delicate bone china crockery tumbling to the floor to burst into a thousand shards. She sat on the kitchen floor, bruised and stunned.  
  
Yet the Princess had not moved. There were no little wooden Guardians orbiting her, nor the shimmer of Jurai power encasing her. Ayeka had not done this. Then, who...or what...? Suddenly, for one of the few times in her life, Ryoko felt fear.  
  
"A trance!" The voice issuing from Ayeka was contemptuous. It was also harsh and metallic. Clearly it was not the Princess speaking anymore. "Hypnosis! Merely a weak tool to entrap weaklings. A key to open a door to unimaginable power. Fools! Thinking that this was just an attack on this cursed whelp of the corrupt Jurai dynasty. Bad dreams! You will all have bad dreams--and you will all suffer so horribly you will welcome death!"  
  
Mihoshi sobbed with stark fear. She backed away from Ayeka. Suddenly she left the ground. She rose at least eight feet into the air, nearly to the ceiling. Then--she dropped. She hit the hard tiled floor and collapsed. She lay on the kitchen floor and groaned with pain and fear.  
  
"Don't you hurt Mihoshi!" Ryoko was outraged. She sprang to her feet and ran over to Mihoshi and picked her up. She cuddled the weeping woman tenderly in her arms. "Bastard! Fight me, you son of a bitch! I'll send you to hell!"  
  
"I am from hell!" Princess Ayeka's pouting, bee-strung lips twisted in a filthy leer. Her eyes continued to blaze. "I will take you all back down there with me. And the galaxy as well! The Jurai dynasty will never recover from this scandal. Princess Ayeka will murder her friends and even her own little sister with her cursed Jurai power-- or so it will appear. The consequences will be devastating. I contemplate the bloody chaos with joy! The Galactic Union will dissolve. The wars will begin again. The whole galaxy will become a flaming pit of strife. I will accomplish this merely by killing you all--with this whelp's own Jurai power!"  
  
"The Princess won't hurt us!" Ryoko shouted. "You can't make her hurt us!"  
  
"I don't need this whelp, this spawn of corrupted seed--only her power, which I now possess. She will sleep while you all die. Then she will die. Only she will not have a mark on her. She will simply be drained of all her Jurai power and life force. When the Earth authorities find her and you and the rest--and the news reaches the Galactic Union--the proper conclusions will be drawn. The insane would-be Queen of Jurai's maniacal rampage! But you won't care, space pirate. You will be dead!"  
  
"Screw that!" Ryoko said, still holding Mihoshi who had stopped sobbing. "I've fought the Princess to a standstill! My power is equal to hers! And we have others here with even more power. You're dead, creep. You just don't know it yet!"  
  
But the voice issuing from Princess Ayeka simply laughed, a horribly confident laugh. "Do you mean that old renegade Prince? And his half-breed grandson? Do you think I don't know about them, you stupid bitch? That overrated Washuu was right. I have made a fantastic discovery. Nothing can stand up to it in this dimension, including you. Wait and see!"  
  
"Really? Just what have you discovered, Professor Klove?"  
  
The voice was calm and clinical. It was Washuu's voice. She walked into the kitchen. Kiyone followed her, holding a blaster in her hand. As Washuu walked closer to Ayeka, Kiyone took Mihoshi from Ryoko. Mihoshi wiped her eyes. "Go get your weapon," Kiyone murmured to her. Mihoshi nodded and left.  
  
"Washuu! The foolish pseudo-scientist who meddled in things no one wanted you to meddle in--and was stupid enough to brag about it! A genius!" Ayeka's lips parted with a sneering laugh. "You should still be floating in space, you useless hag. But no, you stay here in this backwater, amazing these clods with your childish inventions. The Mind Minder! Typical. For that, you will die very slowly. It will be a pleasure to kill you. Do you even realize that you too will be blamed for what befalls here? Your reputation will be blackened forever. A happy side benefit to destroying you all."  
  
Ryoko snorted. "You talk a good game, creep--"  
  
Washuu raised her hand. "No, let him speak, Ryoko. Let's have a full confession from him. He's just digging his own grave deeper, that's all."  
  
"Your grave is already dug, Washuu! I'll put you in it now!" Ayeka began to advance toward the diminutive figure of the super scientist.  
  
"As a certain cutie once said--you'll have to catch me first!" Washuu darted out of the kitchen. "Come on!" she yelled to the others. "Let's take this outside."  
  
Ryoko nodded and then vanished as she teleported away. She had to find Ryo-Ohki, fast!  
  
"Right!" Kiyone backed away toward the kitchen entrance. She pointed her blaster at Ayeka, who advanced toward her. "Professor Klove, I arrest you for multiple murder and for trying to escape justice. If you release Princess Ayeka now..."  
  
"Go right ahead and shoot, Detective," the voice coming from Ayeka taunted.  
  
"Brave words!" Kiyone spoke with contempt. "If I shoot and kill Princess Ayeka, there goes your source of power. You're just a mind transmission, Klove, nothing more. You're no more substantial than air."  
  
"You'll find out soon how substantial I am, Detective. Too bad you'll never give your body to that Earth weakling!" Ayeka's lips grinned obscenely. "I know how you burn to! I promise you, you'll hear his screams before you die. By the way, if you shoot and kill this royal bitch, her Guardians will come in here and vaporize you. It's only because she is not conscious that those Guardians have not already attacked you for pointing that weapon at her. You've forgotten that, haven't you? Of course you have. You're just a stupid policeman-- only slightly less stupid than that useless partner of yours."(1)  
  
Kiyone seethed at the taunts and felt shamed by the brutal unveiling of her innermost secret desires. She realized that this was precisely what the thing that had to be Professor Klove intended. She lowered her weapon. She resumed backing up. "Outside," she said. "We'll settle this outside."  
  
"Yes," Ayeka's lips mocked, as she followed Kiyone menacingly. "Yes. We will."  
  
------  
  
When Mihoshi's screams were heard outdoors, Princess Ayeka's two wooden Guardians had blinked with interest and concern. But they could not detect any threat to the Princess. Without that threat or her spoken orders, they could do nothing. They just stayed put, speaking to each other in hushed, worried voices.  
  
But Tenchi and Tris and Sasami didn't stay put. Tenchi and Tris scrambled toward the house, fearing the worse. They had no idea how right they were. Little Sasami pulled up the long hem of her robed gown and scampered after them. They had nearly reached the house when they encountered Washuu exiting it at a fast clip.  
  
"Washuu!" Tenchi stopped her. "What's the screaming about? What's going on?"  
  
"Don't go in, Tenchi!" Washuu panted, winded by the fast pace she had set. She was spending too much time in front of a terminal, she realized bizarrely. Gotta start getting some exercise. "Klove has struck, finally. He's possessed Ayeka--"  
  
"Ayeka!" Sasami cried, reaching them now. "Oh, I was supposed to watch her! No!" She began to run into the house. Washuu grabbed her roughly.  
  
"I said, don't go in!" Washuu all but yelled, holding the little girl firmly by her arms to make Sasami listen to her. "She's coming out anyway. We need to get her out into the open, so we don't destroy this house trying to fight Klove!"  
  
"Are we fighting Klove or fighting Ayeka?" Tris asked, stunned by the sudden crisis.  
  
"Klove! You know better than anyone, Tris. He can't make Ayeka fight us--"  
  
"Thank God for that!" Tenchi said, vastly relieved. Sasami agreed, tears trailing down her freckled cheeks. Washuu released the little Princess. Sasami quickly stopped crying and rubbed her eyes clear of tears.  
  
"But he doesn't need to!" Washuu shook her head with wonderment. "Somehow, he's able to tap into Ayeka's mind sufficiently to draw her Jurai power for his own use. He's used it to toss around Mihoshi and even Ryoko. Don't worry, they're both okay, just shaken up."  
  
Tenchi, Tris, and Sasami visibly sagged with relief. Washuu continued explaining, glancing at the open door of the house as she did.  
  
"I think Ryoko's gone to get Ryo-Ohki. Kiyone and Mihoshi are armed. They're slowly drawing Ayeka--Klove--outside. He means to kill all of us and lay the blame on Ayeka. With the rest of us all mangled up and her left untouched, it'll look like she was responsible. Klove thinks it'll raise holy hell when folks in the Galactic Union come to believe that Ayeka was insane--murderously insane--and almost became Queen of Jurai with all that power to command. That notion will be helped along by her long separation from Jurai--she wasn't in love, she was insane, and the royal family was hiding her on Earth. That's what folks will think. They'll also think that insanity must run in the royal family. Klove is banking that some Union planets will demand the royal family step down as rulers of Jurai. When the King refuses, those planets will band together and attack Jurai out of self-preservation. Next stop--galactic war."  
  
"The whole galaxy at war?" Tenchi seemed dazed at the horrible prospect. "Could it really happen?"  
  
"It...it could," Sasami said fearfully. "It could bring back the wars that nearly destroyed whole planetary systems...the awful conflict before the Galactic Union was formed."  
  
"I see you know your galactic history, Sasami," Washuu noted dryly. "Yeah, old Klove's got a hell of a plan and it might work--if he can just kill us all, right now."  
  
"He won't!" Tenchi's expression was resolute. "With all of us banded together, he's going down!"  
  
"That's right," Tris agreed, pumped by his buddy's steely resolution. "Ryoko said it--he's lost before he starts."  
  
Washuu looked worried. "I don't know about that. Ryoko and I talked to him through Ayeka and he's perfectly aware of all the forces assembled against him. He doesn't give a flying hoot about them."  
  
"Well, he's insane, that's all," Tris countered. Tenchi nodded.  
  
"No, he's not, Tris," Washuu said adamantly. "He's a black-hearted murderer, but not insane. His moves have been logical and smart. Like today. He waited until we scattered before he attacked. As soon as we stopped watching Ayeka--and don't blame yourself, Sasami, it was an understandable lapse--he probably made her go to sleep and then possessed her. If Mihoshi hadn't had the sand to scream despite his hypnotic power, he could have picked us off, one by one. I never thought I'd ever say this--but thank God for Mihoshi!"  
  
"Yes," Tenchi said. "Thank God."  
  
"I know we have to fight this Professor Klove," Sasami said. "Only, try not to hurt Ayeka. Please?"  
  
"We won't hurt her, Sasami," Washuu assured her. "We won't be fighting her. All she is to Klove is a kind of energy source for him. That explains the earlier massacres, with Klove's former pupils dead but untouched. He tapped into each former pupil's life force to create a weapon that killed the pupil's family--and then killed the pupil by draining off all their life force. Damned ingenious!"  
  
"Hey, I see Kiyone and Mihoshi backing out the front door," Tris said.  
  
All four of them now watched as Kiyone and Mihoshi, holding their blasters by their sides, walked backward out the open front door of the house. Despite the gravity of the situation, Tenchi and Tris couldn't help noticing the short-shorts both women wore. The two Galaxy Police officers were fully out of the house now and stepping off the engawa. As they did, Ayeka appeared in the doorway. She was smiling sweetly, her eyes two pools of surging flame.  
  
"Holy hell!" Tris gasped.  
  
"Oh, no, Ayeka!" Sasami instinctively tried to run to her big sister, but an alert Washuu grabbed her again.  
  
"I told you, Sasami--Ayeka is unconscious now," Washuu said. "The thing that's making her walk and talk will kill you! We're the targets now anyway, not Ayeka. That Klove will leave her to come at us. He won't let her get hurt, not while he needs her energy, her power. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, Washuu," Sasami said miserably.  
  
Tris looked around, hoping to spot Ryoko or Lord Yosho. Instead, his gaze fell upon the two wooden cylindrical Guardians standing their usual vigil just outside the gate. "Hey, you two!" he yelled at them. "We've got a situation here!"  
  
Azaka II and Kamidake II lifted from their posts and puttered over to the four humans. Both settled on the ground close to them.  
  
"I think you're wasting your time, Tris," Tenchi said.  
  
"I know you are," Washuu added.  
  
"Huh?" Tris said, confused.  
  
"You called us, Tristram Coffin, sir?" Azaka II inquired politely.  
  
"Yeah, I did. The Princess is being possessed by a lunatic. Do something!"  
  
"Is the Princess is physical peril, sir?" Kamidake II asked.  
  
"Well...no. Not yet."  
  
"She doesn't seem to be in any danger," Azaka II observed. "As long as those two Galaxy Police officers keep their weapons lowered..."  
  
"They will," Tenchi assured them.  
  
"Very well then, Lord Tenchi," Azaka II said.  
  
"Damn it! Do something!" Tris snapped at the two Guardians.  
  
"Unless the Princess is threatened physically or issues commands to us, we can do nothing, sir," Kamidake II said to Tris. "We do not doubt your word, sir."  
  
"It is our programming, sir," Azaka II explained.  
  
"Great! Great programming!" Tris gritted. "Ayeka can't issue commands--she's unconscious!"  
  
"She does not appear unconscious sir," Kamidake II pointed out.  
  
"Well, she is, damn it!"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Tris glowered. "What if Sasami is attacked? Will you do anything then?"  
  
"We are programmed to be Princess Ayeka Jurai's Guardians, sir," Kamidake II replied. "No one else's."  
  
"Unless Princess Ayeka instructs us differently," Azaka II added.  
  
"That's right, Tris," Sasami said. "It's not their fault."  
  
"Well, hell!" Tris fumed at the situation. "Why didn't you get some Guardians too, Sasami?"  
  
"I will, Tris. Just as soon as I'm formally crowned."  
  
"That's a big help now!"  
  
"I know..." Sasami looked very young and on the verge of tears.  
  
"Tris," Tenchi remonstrated with him. "We know this is pretty frustrating. But chill out, okay?"  
  
Tris stared at Tenchi, his face a study in aggravation. Then reason set in. Ayeka had explained to him earlier about her Guardians. In the heat of the moment, he had just forgotten.  
  
"Okay. I'm sorry, kitten. You know me...the goofball," Tris told her.  
  
Sasami smiled her understanding. "You're just afraid for me and Ayeka. It's okay, Tris."  
  
"That Klove--a pretty smart cookie, huh?" Washuu commented. "Had all this worked out way in advance. You gotta admire the guy for that."  
  
"Yeah, let's all give him a hand," Tris said sarcastically.  
  
Meanwhile, Kiyone and Mihoshi had moved to the middle of the front lawn. Slowly, Ayeka moved forward with them, matching them, step by step, still smiling, her eyes still blazing. It almost looked comical but not so comical that Tenchi, Tris, Washuu, and Sasami failed to begin backing up, too. Azaka II and Kamidake II just stayed where they were, observing them all, but helpless to intervene.  
  
Slowly, the group kept backing up...past the gate and into the wide expanse of open lawn in front of the lake. Ayeka followed, slowly but surely.  
  
"That's the way," Washuu called out to Kiyone and Mihoshi. "Get her--him--out into the open. Away from the house."  
  
"You waste your time, Washuu," the metallic voice issued from Ayeka again. "I am happy to destroy you all out here, of course. But that house you all love will soon be a pile of debris. I am quite good at destroying abodes. I know you found that out."  
  
"I'm glad Dad's not around to hear that," Tenchi muttered.  
  
Despite the situation, Tris chuckled.  
  
"But he'll be coming back soon, Tenchi," Sasami said worriedly. "He said he was just going out to check a building site. How long can that take?"  
  
"A long time, I hope," Washuu said. "Please Nobie...take your time!"  
  
Kiyone now yelled at Ayeka--that is, Klove--"You're also good at killing children, you scum!" She was afraid the Klove-controlled Princess would stop following them. Goading him seemed to have some effect.  
  
It had more effect than she bargained for. Suddenly, it seemed as if an invisible hand grasped her, then lifted her. Her form rose in the air, higher and higher...ten...twenty feet. Thirty feet. Then forty feet. Kiyone somehow held onto her blaster--and she kept it lowered. She was scared but she knew that firing at Ayeka would simply lead to her own execution by the Princess's two Guardians.  
  
"No!" Mihoshi wailed. "No--don't drop her--please! Take me instead! I'll do anything! Please!"  
  
"All I want you to do--is die, stupid woman," the voice from Ayeka informed Mihoshi. "In the meantime, behold your partner's exquisite fear. Shall the fall break both her pretty legs...her pelvis? No matter. The pain will be exquisite. I shall enjoy her screams."  
  
Tenchi, Tris, Washuu, and Sasami watched helplessly as Kiyone just dangled, high in the air. Mihoshi shouted, almost hysterically, "No--I beg you! Please! Don't hurt Kiyone!"  
  
Then something snapped in Tris. He started running toward Ayeka. "Bastard!" he shouted. "You rat bastard! Just show yourself, you bastard! Coward!"  
  
"Stop him, Tenchi!" Washuu cried.  
  
Tenchi sprinted after his friend. When he was within range, he leaped and caught Tris in a flying tackle. For a fellow who had never played American football, Tenchi proved quite adept at it. He and Tris tumbled onto the ground.  
  
The metallic voice from Ayeka laughed. "So, the Earthling buffoon and the half-breed princeling perform for our amusement? You two are very accommodating. Never fear, Earthling, I shall show myself very soon. You should see what is going to kill you before you die."  
  
Washuu, Sasami, and Mihoshi ran up to the prone forms of Tenchi and Tris. The women stood the two young men up and brushed them off. "Don't be such a fool," Washuu said to Tris. "I don't blame you for how you feel, but damn it! Use your head! Attack Ayeka and you die, either by Klove or by her Guardians."  
  
"But what about Kiyone?" Tris demanded. His face was flushed with anger and frustration.  
  
"We can't help her right now," Washuu said, somberly.  
  
"We can't, Tris," Tenchi agreed, his face bleak. "We'll try to catch her, if..." He didn't finish the sentence.  
  
"You'll die trying if you do," Washuu told him. "At the rate she'll fall, it'll be like getting hit by a--  
  
"Where's Ryoko?" Mihoshi cried, interrupting the great scientist's technical explanation. "Where is she?"  
  
"I don't know for sure," Washuu admitted. "Probably out looking for Ryo-Ohki, like I said."  
  
"But Ryo-Ohki might have wandered all the way to the village again," Tenchi said. "She does that sometimes."  
  
"I know," Tris muttered. He recalled the first day, when he had almost hit the cabbit with his car. God, it seemed like a century ago. And now Kiyone was in deadly danger and he could do nothing about it.  
  
"Wait!" Washuu exclaimed. "Klove said he'd show himself. Of course! Staying both dematerialized and using his power--Ayeka's power--to attack us is too much of a drain. He has to show himself. We'll see him and then we can fight him. Just hold on, everyone."  
  
"Tell that to Kiyone!" Tris rasped.  
  
"Oh, yeah..." Washuu looked stricken. She stared up in the sky, as they all did, watching Kiyone hover so high in the air helplessly. Kiyone was still in control of herself, managing not to cry out with the fear that filled her, even managing to stuff her Galaxy Police- issue blaster hand weapon into the waistband of her short-shorts.  
  
"So you won't show your fear, stupid policeman?" The metallic voice again issued from Ayeka, addressing Kiyone. "That is brave of you-- and useless. Let's see how well you hide pain."  
  
Suddenly Kiyone dropped. She hurtled to the ground. Kiyone screamed. Mihoshi screamed. Tris sprinted frantically to stand below her. Tenchi followed him, resolved to do something--he just didn't know what. Sasami and Washuu gasped. Then they both turned as they heard a soft footfall from behind. Lord Yosho stood there. And he held Sword Tenchi. He looked strangely calm under the circumstances.  
  
Kiyone's plummet abruptly halted. She swung crazily in the air. Then she hurtled downward again toward Tris and Tenchi. Some ten feet from the ground, her form again halted in its descent. She slowly lowered to the ground...she was just above Tris now. In a second, she reached the ground, right in front of Tris. Tris grabbed her. Kiyone grabbed Tris. They held each other, tightly. Tenchi goggled at the impossible scene. Then he felt something touch his head. He looked up. Ryoko was floating just above him.  
  
"How do you like that for an entrance, sweetums?" she asked, grinning.  
  
"Ryoko!"  
  
"None other." Ryoko floated lazily to the ground. A moment later, Ryo-Ohki bounded up to join her.  
  
"Meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki greeted everyone.  
  
Tenchi stared at Ryoko with amazement. Then his expression relaxed as realization came to him. Ryoko had used her power to teleport short distances to somehow grab and lower Kiyone unseen. He regarded Ryoko wonderingly. She winked at him.  
  
Cheers from Washuu, Sasami, and Mihoshi caught the space pirate's attention. Ryoko grinned and bowed. "No autographs, please," she said. "Not until after the show."  
  
Tris and Kiyone were locked in a deep embrace, laughing and kissing, frantically, joyously. They didn't care who watched now. The sight reminded Tenchi of just how close a call it had been.  
  
"Where were you, Ryoko?" he demanded.  
  
"Searching for Ryo-ohki, of course. The naughty girl wandered all the way to the farmer's market stalls in the village," Ryoko replied. "Looking for fresh carrots, I guess. It took me a while to locate her. Bad Ryo-Ohki!"  
  
"Meow-er," Ryo-Ohki acknowledged contritely.  
  
"Well...better late than never," Tenchi said ruefully. "But that was close, Ryoko! Too close!"  
  
"Actually, I've been here for a little while," Ryoko admitted. She smiled slyly.  
  
"What?" Kiyone stopped kissing Tris. "You mean, you just stood around while I was--?"  
  
"Sure! I couldn't just grab you from that Klove creep--not without maybe hurting you, Kiyone. I had to wait until he dropped you." Ryoko's expression now was as innocent as a new-born lamb's.  
  
"That sounds pretty thin, Ryoko," Tenchi told her. His face was stern.  
  
"Ditto," said Tris. He released Kiyone to glare at Ryoko.  
  
"Is that any way to talk to a heroine?" Ryoko asked, grinning. "Besides, didn't I bring Kiyone just where she wanted to be...in Tris's arms? Wasn't that romantic of me, sweetums?" Ryoko slipped her arms around Tenchi. "I think I deserve a kiss--two kisses--for that."  
  
"Ryoko, we're kind of busy now..." Tenchi began to remonstrate with her and stopped as Washuu, Sasami, and Mihoshi came up to them. Lord Yosho followed right behind.  
  
For a moment, Kiyone was engulfed by a blonde whirlwind that kissed her and hugged her and cried, all the same time. Ryoko then found herself kissed and hugged by the same blonde whirlwind. Sasami then hugged Kiyone and Ryoko, too.  
  
"Very touching!" The voice issuing from Ayeka dripped with contempt. "You weaklings. Needing each other for reassurance. One of you is threatened and you all go to pieces. Worthless! Killing you will be almost too easy."  
  
"I think not, Professor Klove," Lord Yosho said mildly. "I believe you will find killing us to be more than you can handle."  
  
"Boasts from an old man! A runaway! A renegade who could not hold the reins of power! A coward! The worthless offspring of a degenerate family of despots! You will die last, Yosho, and not until you first kiss my feet!"  
  
"That is a rather unappetizing proposition," Lord Yosho said, showing not the slightest flicker of response at the harsh taunts. "I believe I will decline."  
  
Tris laughed. Tenchi said, "You tell him, Grandfather!"  
  
"Laugh...at me?" The metallic voice radiated demonic outrage. "Oh, I will give you something to laugh about! It is time to show you-- show you the horror that you will die laughing at!"  
  
Abruptly, Ayeka's eyes closed. She collapsed onto the grass.  
  
"Ayeka!" Tenchi sprinted toward her prone form.  
  
"Tenchi--don't!" Washuu cried.  
  
"Come back, sweetums!" Ryoko cried, too. She became airborne and streaked after him.  
  
"Shall we join the Princess?" Lord Yosho calmly asked the others.  
  
"But, Grandpa..." Washuu began to object.  
  
"Professor Klove has left Princess Ayeka. I sense his malignant presence a distance away from her now. We can approach her with safety, I believe."  
  
"Ohhhh--if only that horrible thing has left her!" Sasami exclaimed prayerfully.  
  
Washuu brought up her translucent console. She tapped at the keyboard. "Hey, you're right, Grandpa! I only detect a slight blip of a foreign presence in Ayeka. That must be the tap he has into her, to suck out her life force and her Jurai power. If I only had time to analyze that transmission and break that link...it's more than brain wave projections, I know that much now."  
  
"That is likely the reason Professor Klove has attacked us so precipitously," Lord Yosho said. "With your new invention, you were getting too close to an effective defense, Professor Washuu, and perhaps even an effective counter-measure."  
  
"Yeah, I see that now, Grandpa," Washuu said. "By the way, it turns out Klove has more in mind than just killing us."  
  
"Indeed?" Lord Yosho queried.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Washuu proceeded to inform Lord Yosho of Klove's scheme to ignite a galactic civil war.  
  
Lord Yosho's lips tightened. He shook his head. "I feared Professor Klove had higher aspirations than merely taking his revenge on us. He has finally exposed his hand. Now let us see about the Princess."  
  
With that, Yosho walked toward the spot where Princess Ayeka lay. The others followed him. Tenchi and Ryoko were already there.  
  
"What were you thinking, idiot?" Kiyone asked Tris, one arm wound around him as they walked together. "Standing below me! So you could get killed, too?"  
  
"Yup," Tris said. "That's about it."  
  
"Idiot! Goofball! Clown!" Kiyone snapped at him. Her expression softened. "Darling!" She snuggled against him.  
  
"Isn't that romantic?" Sasami asked happily, following the couple. The news that Klove had left Ayeka had buoyed the little Princess's spirits.  
  
"Uh-huh," Mihoshi agreed, walking alongside Sasami. "Do you think we'll ever have boyfriends who will do things like that for us?"  
  
"Sure we will! Just wait!"  
  
"I have been waiting," Mihoshi said dolefully. "I've been waiting a long time, it seems to me..."  
  
A distance ahead, Tenchi was bent over, examining Ayeka. She lay still and silent on the grass, eyes closed, her face tranquil, her bosom rising and falling, slowly.  
  
"She seems to be just asleep," he said, surprised.  
  
"Hah!" Ryoko said skeptically, hovering above Tenchi. "Don't touch her! She probably has Klove cooties!"  
  
"Klove cooties?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"You know, from having that Klove guy in her. Cooties!"  
  
"Don't be silly! She's unconscious, but I don't think Klove's still got her," Tenchi mused. He reached down and gently stroked Ayeka's pale face. "Ayeka? Can you hear me?"  
  
The Princess just lay there, eyes closed, softly breathing.  
  
"Jeeze, she's gotta be out of it," Ryoko said. "Otherwise she'd be all over you by now, sweetums."  
  
Tenchi was going to reply when he sensed the others walking up to them. He rose. Washuu gently eased him aside and knelt down by the prone form of Ayeka. She gently opened one of the Princess's eyelids. "Eye glassy, with some reddening of the cornea," she reported. "The eye is moving in the socket aimlessly."  
  
"Sounds like too much sake to me," Ryoko commented, still hovering just above Tenchi.  
  
Tenchi reached up and grabbed Ryoko. With a strong heave, he pulled her down to Earth. Ryoko settled on the ground beside him. "Be quiet now," he told her firmly.  
  
"Yes, sweetums," Ryoko said. Her golden eyes were round as they stared at Tenchi. He almost never did that to her. He had to be very upset.  
  
"Sounds more like a deep hypnotic trance. What do you say, Tris?" Washuu asked, rising from Ayeka's supine form.  
  
"That sounds right on the money," Tris replied.  
  
"The Princess is still in the power of Professor Klove, I fear," Lord Yosho said. "She will remain in his power, unconscious to us. He will continue draining her of her vitality and her Jurai power--unless we can stop him." The Juraian Prince's face was grim.  
  
"So the Princess is just a great big battery to power whatever toy that Klove creep is planning to spring on us," Ryoko said, unable to keep quiet. "Good thing she's out cold--she'd be hopping mad!"  
  
"Oh...Ayeka..."  
  
Sasami stared forlornly down at her big sister. Despite her extraordinary competence, Sasami was still a little girl and her big sister was her guiding light, her firm and fond teacher, the strong, sensible woman Sasami loved and could always depend on. Seeing her like this was crushing. Sasami's hopeful feelings vanished. She felt lost and helpless.  
  
Mihoshi knelt down and embraced Sasami, who sagged against her. Tears quietly flowed from Mihoshi's blue eyes as she surveyed the unconscious Princess.  
  
Tris, watching them, stifled a crack he was going to make that Tenchi ought to try kissing the Princess to wake her up. Truly, Ayeka was a Sleeping Beauty, but the evil one responsible for her state had more than just a poisoned apple in his arsenal.  
  
Standing beside him, still holding his arm, Kiyone demanded, "Well, where's Klove now? What's he up to? How come this...well, this intermission?"  
  
"Washuu?" Tenchi prompted.  
  
The great scientist opened her translucent console. "He's about fifty yards from us, still dematerialized obviously," she reported, staring into the screen of the console. "I can't tell you why he's not attacking us, Kiyone. All I can guess is that he's going through whatever processes he needs to go through to materialize and then hit us with everything he's got."  
  
"What he's got isn't that much," Ryoko said confidently. "He caught me off-guard once, the creep, but he won't again."  
  
"I don't know," Washuu said, still staring into the console's screen. "He knows all about the power we command, including Sword Tenchi, and he isn't worried. He's gotta have something up his sleeve." Washuu punched some touchpads on the console's keyboard. "Something he said suggests he's discovered a new dimension. That could be bad."  
  
"How so, Washuu?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"If he somehow can use his mind power to conjure something to fight us from another dimension, that something will operate within the rules and limits of its own dimension," Washuu explained. "Our weapons won't have the same effect on it, probably, as they would on something from this dimension--but its weapons will have their full effect on us, since we are in our own dimension, where fire will burn us and knives will cut us, and so on." Washuu shook her head with frank admiration. "If Klove has managed to project his mind into some undiscovered dimension and then make it materialize as a palpable entity in this dimension...well, I hate to admit it, but he is a genius. I'd take my hat off to him, if I had a hat."  
  
"You'd take your head off to him, you mean!" Ryoko snapped. "Stuff your admiration! So that's the situation, huh? We can only shoot spitballs at him and he can hurl boulders at us? That stinks, Washuu!"  
  
"I'm only theorizing, Ryoko. I don't know for sure," Washuu replied a bit irritably.  
  
"Yeah, but when it's something bad, your theories are usually right, Washuu," Kiyone pointed out. She left Tris and went over to Mihoshi and Sasami. She gently disengaged Mihoshi from the little Princess. "We've got to be ready to call in Yagami and board her, partner. Stand here by me."  
  
"Yes, Kiyone." Mihoshi straightened and stood quietly beside Kiyone. They both held onto their blasters. They looked so incongruous in their faded work shirts and leg-revealing short-shorts--and barefoot, to boot--while holding their deadly weapons that even Sasami felt like smiling, a little. Any urge to smile faded when she regarded her prone and unconscious big sister, however.  
  
"I have the greatest confidence in our Jurai power and Sword Tenchi, the nexus of that power," Lord Yosho said quietly. He examined the golden hilt in his hand. Tris did, too. It was surprising to him that Sword Tenchi had no blade. Then he remembered that the blade was a pure energy force and only appeared in combat, according to Tenchi. The hilt seemed to have metallic scales worked into it, as if it were from a lizard...or a dragon. It was impressive, blade or no blade. "This supreme weapon has defeated the most powerful evil in the galaxy--my former comrade, Kagato. But even Kagato was of this dimension. Something from another dimension, however...well, we shall see. As long as good and evil are the same in that dimension, good will prevail."  
  
"All this talk about dimensions," Tris mused. "I wonder what possible dimension that Klove guy could be using? I thought you already plumbed out the only extra dimension, Washuu, for the Grand Baths and your lab."  
  
"So did I, cutie. But I could have been wrong. I sure didn't know about the true power of the subconscious and the possibility of mastering it," Washuu acknowledged, somewhat dispiritedly. "This hasn't been my finest hour, I'll admit--"  
  
"This is your final hour, hag!" A voice, deep and booming, rent the air. "I have enjoyed listening to your fumbling attempts to discern what my genius has wrought. But I grow impatient. You are even stupider than I thought, Washuu. Now...behold your doom!"  
  
"I think the intermission's over," Tris called over to Kiyone.  
  
Before she could reply, the air suddenly seemed to sparkle and surge with electricity--electricity that sent flaring sparklers cracking all around them. Everyone (aside from Lord Yosho) ducked, although the bright strands of energy didn't come near them. Those shards of brilliance instead centered on a spot some fifty yards away. The sparklers all seemed to meet and merge into a blinding mass of pure, eye-searing incandescence. The whole world now appeared enveloped in a white, glaring flood of light. They all turned their heads from the blinding whiteness. That light suddenly blinked out.  
  
A laugh of pure, blood-chilling malevolence rent the air. Tris, along with the others, turned to look at the source of that demonic laugh.  
  
Instantly, Tris wished he hadn't looked. Professor Klove--or at least the living projection of his subconscious mind, animated by Princess Ayeka's Jurai power--loomed before them. Laughing.  
  
Towered before them, actually, for it was at least twenty feet tall-- although "tall" seemed too definite an adjective for the seething, squirming, glistening horror that confronted them.  
  
As big as a house--seemingly as big as the Masaki house--the entity appeared to be composed of oozing, pulsating, squirming gelatin of a particularly hideous flesh-tone color. That gelatinous mass constantly shifted, liquidly, the whole of it glistening with a mucous-like sheen. Long, serrated green tendrils shot out from it like tentacles, tendrils that seemed long enough to almost reach the small group that stood watching it some fifty yards away. All around the entity the very air seemed to shimmer unnaturally. In the midst of the oozing, pulsating, sickening mass, a great eyeball, yellow with bulging red veins and a coal-black iris, glared at them.  
  
The effect was so dreadful that all of them--Lord Yosho included-- simply stood rooted to the spot, as if unable to take their eyes off the ghastly horror that squirmed and pulsated before them. Tris felt the very hair on his head rise with terror--a cold ball of ice replaced his stomach. The others seemed similarly affected. What they were all staring at was no creature from the Earth, nor from any planet in the galaxy. It was the very essence of the stark fear that tortured souls in the dead of night, the nightmare creature, the nameless monster that stalked persons imprisoned in sleep.  
  
But this was no dream, no figment of a nightmare. It was there, in the oozing flesh, before them now. And it meant to kill them just as horribly as it could.  
  
Ironically, it was the least powerful of them, the young American, who broke the stunned silence.  
  
"I've seen ugly," he said. His voice shook with fear. "I've seen butt-ugly. But this is the ugliest mofo I've ever seen! Christ!"  
  
"What the hell is it?" demanded Ryoko. The space pirate's face had blanched with shock. She had never encountered anything so horrible in all her tempestuous life.  
  
"It's Professor Klove," Washuu said, her voice awed. "It's his mind- projection, somehow made solid with the Princess's power. Holy cats! He did do it! What a discovery! What an achievement!"  
  
"Do you think...this is what all those poor people saw before they were killed?" Kiyone asked, her voice quavering.  
  
"There can be no doubt of that, Detective," Lord Yosho replied. As always, he spoke calmly. "This is what slaughtered those innocents and caused so much destruction. Now, of course, it is infinitely more powerful, fueled by Princess Ayeka's Jurai power."  
  
"And we have to fight...that?" Mihoshi, trying to be as brave as Kiyone, asked apprehensively.  
  
"Yes, Mihoshi," Tenchi replied, the hushed tone in his voice betraying his disquiet. "We have to fight it. And win. We have no choice."  
  
"But how can we fight it?" Sasami asked fearfully. "It has my sister's power."  
  
"We just have to, Sasami." Tenchi shook himself roughly, trying to throw off the freezing horror of the huge, bloated nightmare before him. "We know what will happen if we don't. Not only our deaths, but perhaps the deaths of millions--billions--in a galactic civil war."  
  
"Well spoken, grandson," Lord Yosho said approvingly. "It is our duty...and our honor."  
  
"Frankly, sir, I can do without the honor," Tris said. He couldn't take his eyes off the thing. It froze the very marrow of his bones to look at it, but he couldn't help it.  
  
"Shut up, Tris," Tenchi said, not unkindly. "And just stand back. Look after Sasami. That'll be your contribution to this fight."  
  
"Right-o," Tris muttered, a bit abashed. It was his shocked reaction to the entity that had caused him to say such a stupid thing. One simply did not joke about honor around the Japanese...nor around Juraian Princes, either. It was only Tenchi's deep friendship with him that stopped the former from saying something harsher.  
  
Then Tris felt a small hand slip into his hand. He looked down. Sasami smiled up at him. "We'll look after each other, Tris," the little Princess said.  
  
"Okay," Tris said, smiling also.  
  
Standing beside Mihoshi, Kiyone felt her heart go out to Tris. It had to be awful to be just a target and unable to contribute to the fight. She wished she had an extra blaster to give him.  
  
"Well, before we start this big brawl," Washuu said, dryly, "let me point out something. See that sort of shimmering halo around that thing? That's the instability of two dimensions interacting. Klove's using some sort of buffer between them--an inter-dimensional buffer. That's proof positive that this thing is coming in from another dimension. And that's what I was afraid of. Keep in mind what I said about our weapons possibly not being all that effective against it."  
  
"Thanks a heap, Washuu!" Ryoko snapped at her. "Any more good news before we proceed to kick its butt?"  
  
"Nope." Washuu smiled apologetically. "I think that's enough good news, don't you?"  
  
Ryoko just glared at her and rose into the air. She shouted over at the entity that squatted in the distance, waving its tendrils, its pulpy mass squirming and pulsating, its huge yellow eye blazing at them. "Hey! Ugly! You wanna rumble? I'm just the gal you're looking for!"  
  
A reverberating liquid sound issued from the entity. It was a laugh-- a laugh from the bowels of hell.  
  
"Well, it's got a sense of humor, anyway," Tris noted.  
  
Somehow the weak joke had a beneficial effect. The others, including Lord Yosho, chuckled. It did not lessen their horrified reaction to the nightmare creature they faced, but it helped, a little.  
  
"Think that's funny, huh?" Ryoko grinned dangerously at the entity, still airborne. "Well, I have something to tickle your funny bone, Ugly." She raised one arm. Suddenly a thin beam of light shot out from both sides of her extended fist. That light quickly formed into the hilt and blade of a sword. It was Ryoko's own energy sword. Tris stared at it, amazed.  
  
"That's slick, Ryoko!" he called up to her.  
  
Ryoko smiled down at him. "Thanks, goofball. Now get ready to cheer!"  
  
Carrying her gleaming energy sword, the platinum-haired space pirate streaked toward the huge, pulpy, pulsating mass, the mind-projection of Professor Klove made flesh.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi yelled. "Wait! Don't use your sword--don't get so close to it--!"  
  
But Ryoko just waved her free hand dismissively at Tenchi as she zoomed in for the kill. She rocketed right at the huge, gelatinous mass, raising her hand carrying the dazzling sword, got close enough to bring the blade down on the entity--  
  
Suddenly, a tendril lashed out and struck Ryoko. A blinding flash enveloped the space pirate for an blazing instant. Ryoko screamed with pain. She tumbled in the air, away from the entity. The energy sword disappeared from her grasp. The same tendril now snapped like a whip. A glowing green globule spurted from the tip of the tendril. It almost hit the tumbling figure of the space pirate. The glob hit the grass, instead. A soaring white flame shot up where the glob impacted. When it dissipated, the ground where the green globule had landed was scorched, with a sizeable crater left behind.  
  
"Jeeze! That's some powerful glop!" Washuu noted, impressed.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi yelled fearfully.  
  
But the space pirate seemed to regain her senses and stopped her wild plummet. She slowly floated down to hover above her friends. Her platinum hair was in disarray, and her tight, red and white striped sheath dress was torn in spots.  
  
Again, the air shook with the hellish laughter of the entity. It seemed content to let its enemies come to it. It also seemed supremely confident.  
  
"Old Ugly over there sure packs a punch!" Ryoko smiled uncertainly down at them.  
  
"Ryoko! You're hurt!" Tenchi said anxiously.  
  
"Aw, just a scratch, sweetums," Ryoko told him lovingly.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Sure I'm sure! I'm fine!"  
  
"You're fine because that energy globule didn't hit you," Washuu told her. She was staring at the screen of her translucent console, tapping industriously at the keyboard. "It's some sort of pure, corrosive plasma, a plasma that will dissolve just about anything it touches. The stuff breaks protons and neutrons into their subcomponents--quarks and gluons. It sure made a hell of a dent in the real estate! That big blob's got the Jurai power all right. You'll have to fight it without getting caught up in its tendrils, Ryoko, or getting hit by that flying glop. Forget about using your energy sword."  
  
"That's right, Ryoko," Tenchi told her. "Just use your force beams and your fireballs. Don't get too close to it!"  
  
"Yes, sweetums." Ryoko smiled at him tenderly. "I'll do just that because you tell me to. That make three kisses you own me when this is all over."  
  
"It's not over yet, Ryoko," Washuu reminded her. "You'd better get Ryo-Ohki into starship mode."  
  
"Right!" Ryoko nodded. "She and I'll zap old Ugly! We'll melt it into a pile of crud. Just watch!"  
  
"Meow-er!" the cabbit, now sitting at Tenchi's feet, agreed with her mistress.  
  
"We'll join the battle too, in Yagami," Kiyone added. "All of us fighting together will take that blob down."  
  
"Yeah!" Mihoshi nodded her blonde head. "That nasty old thing is going down!"  
  
"Hey--no way, you two!" Ryoko said angrily. "You just stay put."  
  
"Huh?" Kiyone asked, surprised.  
  
"If all three of us start darting around fighting that thing, we're sure to hit each other," Ryoko told her. "I'm going to move like greased lightening around that blob. Ryo-Ohki and I have fought together a long time--she can anticipate any move I make and keep from firing where I'm at. But with you two blundering around in that cop ship of yours, I could get one of your quasar beam cannon blasts up my butt! No thanks!"  
  
"Blundering around! Ryoko--how dare you--!" Kiyone's face flamed.  
  
"Aren't you two the ones who fired a warning shot at a ship and hit it instead?" Ryoko countered.  
  
"Hey, Ryoko--that's not nice!" Mihoshi protested. "And it's not fair, either! That was an accident!"  
  
"Well, I don't want to have an "accident," too," Ryoko told her.  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi intervened, "what happened before really was an accident. You know that. And "blundering" is no way to talk about--"  
  
"Okay, okay, I withdraw that word," Ryoko said testily. "But I'm still right. We gotta move fast around that thing to avoid those tentacles and those globs. With three of us, we'll probably shoot ourselves more than old Ugly there. Come on, Kiyone, stuff your hurt feelings! I'm right...aren't I, sweetums?" Ryoko appealed to Tenchi.  
  
Tenchi looked at Kiyone and nodded. "She's right, Kiyone. You all have never fought together like this and now is no time to practice!"  
  
The teal-haired Galaxy Police officer's face was still etched in anger. She didn't acknowledge Tenchi's comment.  
  
"Look, Kiyone," Ryoko argued a bit less brusquely now. "Ryo-Ohki and I should be enough to settle old Ugly's hash. If we're not...then you replace whoever drops out first. That make sense?"  
  
Kiyone looked at Ryoko and at Tenchi. Then, for some reason, she looked over at Tris. He nodded, his face grave. This was a deadly serious situation and no time for bruised egos. "Okay, I see what you mean, Ryoko. We'll act as back-up. But Mihoshi and I will transport now into Yagami, just to be ready."  
  
"Okay, whatever," Ryoko said distractedly. She looked at Tenchi. "Sweetums, toss Ryo-Ohki into the air, okay? Time to flatten that blob!"  
  
Tenchi nodded. He bent over and scooped up the cabbit. With a fluid motion, he tossed the furry little animal into the air.  
  
Ryo-Ohki immediately flattened herself out. Her long ears stiffened into wings. The cabbit soared upward into the heavens. Then-- Ryo-Ohki seemed to unravel. Huge, grayish panels shot out from the cabbit, panels that interlocked and produced more panels. Suddenly, the little cabbit was a huge structure floating in the air. More and more panels appeared and joined together, seamlessly. Now the fuselage of the ship was complete. Huge, sharply pointed wings and fins protruded from the fuselage. In a way, the whole structure almost reminded Tris of Ryoko's own spiky hair style. At the top, a pink transparent bubble appeared, the ship's cockpit and bridge. In less time than it takes to relate, Ryo-Ohki was a starship, massive, huge, soaring...and a pirate ship too. Staring at it in wonderment, Tris thought he had never seen a more aggressive-looking vessel in his life. It bristled with sharp points and jagged edges. It definitely meant business...pirate business. The fact that this deadly ship evolved from cute little Ryo-Ohki was mind-boggling.  
  
"Pretty impressive, huh, Tris?" Tenchi asked, noting his friend's stunned reaction.  
  
"Pretty amazing...hey, sorry about that crack earlier."  
  
"Forget about it. We'll all a little shaken up."  
  
Now, besides Ryo-Ohki, the sky was filled with the sleek red form of Kiyone and Mihoshi's Galaxy Police cruiser, the Yagami. Kiyone had just summoned it with her earring.  
  
"Wish us luck, Tris, everyone!" Tris heard Kiyone's voice.  
  
"Yeah! Wish us luck!" That was Mihoshi's voice.  
  
Tris turned from where he had stood watching the sky. Kiyone and Mihoshi waved to him. They were suddenly enveloped in the bright transport beam. Seconds later, their forms rose, up, up, to the belly of the Yagami. They disappeared into it and the transport beam blinked out.  
  
Tris felt a lump in his throat as he watched the Yagami now soar higher in the sky and hover, staging herself for the battle. He wondered suddenly if he would ever see Kiyone again. If the powers his friends possessed weren't effective enough against that entity from another dimension, chances were that none of them would survive this day. He shivered, suddenly feeling very cold.  
  
Yet the battle was just heating up. Suddenly, the entity snapped another tendril at them. A green glowing globule hurtled their way. They all ducked, except for Lord Yosho. The globule plowed into the sod about ten yards from them, burst into white-hot flame, and left another charred hole in the ground.  
  
"Grandfather...?" Tenchi asked, rising.  
  
"Professor Klove is merely toying with us," Lord Yosho said. "He will not attack us seriously with that weapon when we are so near the Princess. He does not want to destroy his source of power--and he likely doesn't want to have to fight the Princess's Guardians, either, if he can avoid it. With her Guardians still intact when the authorities find our...remains...it will reinforce the belief that Princess Ayeka attacked us."  
  
"Hey, that's right!" Tenchi exclaimed. "They'll be able to testify as to what really happened. Even if they're the only ones to survive this, they'll be able to prevent the larger portion of Professor Klove's scheme."  
  
"No, Tenchi," Washuu said. "Those Guardians are robots, after all. The souls of the real Azaka and Kamidake no longer reside in them. They can be programmed to say anything. I programmed them myself after you defeated Kagato, remember? That's why robotic beings can't testify in our courts."  
  
Having conversed together briefly, Azaka II and Kamidake II now rose from their positions a distance away. They flew over to where Princess Ayeka lay unconscious. The two wooden cylinders settled on the lawn close beside her. They blinked with agitation as they regarded the distant entity, but stayed put.  
  
"Sweetums," Ryoko said, still hovering in the air, "you and Lord Yosho and Washuu and Sasami and the goofball just stay near the Princess. You won't be in danger that way."  
  
"Yeah, Ryoko, but we can't stay here forever," Tenchi said. "Besides, Dad may return any minute."  
  
"Not only that," Washuu added. "That big blob may be able to move. If so, it can just come a lot closer to us and then just grab each of us with those tentacle things--you all saw what they did to Ryoko."  
  
"Exactly," Lord Yosho agreed. "Ryoko, you and Ryo-Ohki take the battle to Professor Klove's creation. When the entity is sufficiently distracted, it will be time to employ Sword Tenchi."  
  
"I'm ready, Grandfather," Tenchi told him.  
  
Lord Yosho turned to his grandson. He smiled proudly. "I know you are, Tenchi. You are indeed ready. However...I will indulge in a bit of selfishness. I shall take what Tristram would call the first crack at Professor Klove."  
  
Tenchi nodded. "Of course, Honorable Grandfather." He bowed.  
  
Lord Yosho, Shinto priest and Prince of Jurai, returned the bow. He raised Sword Tenchi. Suddenly, a blue-white flame spurted from the golden hilt he held in his hand. The flame soared, briefly, then contracted. It now resembled a sword blade, fiery and fearsome. This was the Jurai power in all of its glory.  
  
"All right!" Ryoko shouted. "We'll give that blob hell, Lord Yosho, and you fillet it!" She streaked away, headed toward the entity. With a strangely echoing version of her meow, Ryo-Ohki, the pirate starship, jetted after her.  
  
The entity's yellow eyeball followed the progress of the space pirate and her starship. There was intelligence, keen intelligence, radiating from the black, glistening pupil. Suddenly it snapped a tendril. Ryoko dodged, and the tendril missed. It snapped another tendril at Ryo-Ohki. It missed again.  
  
"Missed us, Ugly!" Ryoko laughed with glee. "Now here's something from me to you!"  
  
Ryoko quickly passed her hands together. A red, glowing ball of proton power formed between her hands. She literally rolled the glowing ball at the entity. The fireball struck it, sending flashing shards into the air. The entity shuddered.  
  
"How'd that taste, Ugly?" Ryoko taunted. "Was it good? I'm glad! I've got more for you, piping hot!"  
  
At the same time, Ryo-Ohki dodged in close to the entity. Glowing force beams radiated searingly from her flaring wings. The force beams struck the entity, and it shuddered again.  
  
"Hit it again, Ryo-Ohki!" Ryoko shouted.  
  
Again and again, Ryo-Ohki darted in at blurring speed, avoiding the snapping tendrils, firing force beams at the entity. A low rumbling issued from the pulsating mass. It sounded like a bellow of rage. Ryoko laughed and rolled two more fireballs into the entity. The mind monster of Professor Klove shuddered and snapped and snapped its tendrils at its tormentors with seemingly impotent fury.  
  
Watching all this, Tris had an inspiration. "Hit that big blob in the eye, Ryoko!" he shouted.  
  
"Yeah!" Tenchi shouted too, enthused. "Blind it, Ryoko! Then it won't be able to see Grandfather coming!"  
  
Ryoko evidently heard Tenchi and Tris, for she waved a hand in their direction. Then she zoomed closer to the entity. Ryo-Ohki, noting her actions, jetted to the blob's opposite side and kept blasting it with force beams.  
  
"That's the way to do it!" Tris grinned. "Put its eye out! It's worked in practically every monster movie I ever saw!"  
  
"That's why they're movies," Washuu commented skeptically. "I doubt if Klove would leave himself so vulnerable."  
  
Ryoko, jetting so close to the mind monster that she was in danger of being stuck again by its flailing tendrils, now rolled fireball after fireball in the direction of its yellow eye. It was not an easy target, as the eye floated all over the blubbery mass. But, finally, a fireball smacked it, flaringly.  
  
Everyone held their breath...and then let out their breath in disappointment.  
  
As soon as the fireball struck the entity's eyeball, that enormous orb instantly glazed over with a transparent sheen of mucous. An instant later, the eyeball was clear of the slimy coating and apparently none the worse for wear.  
  
"Told you." Washuu shook her head. "We're not going to defeat that blob easily. That Klove character is too clever to allow any obvious Achilles heel like that in his creation."  
  
"That is correct, I fear," Lord Yosho agreed. "Professor Klove has planned all of this too well for that."  
  
"Rats!" Tris muttered. "I wish this was a damned movie and I could go get some popcorn and not come back."  
  
"Forget the eyeball, Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted. "Just keep that thing busy!"  
  
Ryoko waved another acknowledgement and swooped in to attack the mind monster again, Ryo-Ohki following in her wake.  
  
Washuu frowned. "Ryoko's fireballs and Ryo-Ohki's force beams should be doing more visible damage to that thing. Much more. Even its eye isn't vulnerable to Ryoko's fireballs. That confirms it--nothing we hit it with is going to be as potent as it would be against a creature of this dimension. That is definitely a problem." And that, judging from Washuu's grim demeanor, was definitely an understatement.  
  
"Yes," Lord Yosho agreed. "That is a problem. But if the attacks by Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki can distract the entity until I can reach it, we can hope that Sword Tenchi will slay it, regardless of what dimension it comes from."  
  
"Sure, Grandpa," Washuu said ironically. "All you have to do is get close enough to use Sword Tenchi before that blob fries you to a crisp or dismembers you."  
  
"Again, that depends on the quality of the distraction, Professor Washuu." Lord Yosho smiled slightly. "From what I can see, that quality is high."  
  
It was, indeed. Ryoko fought magnificently. She teleported to and fro, first one place, then another, a persistent, agile bird of prey that attacked and evaded the tendrils of the quivering blobby mass that was Professor Klove's nightmare creation. As she had predicted, Ryo-Ohki matched her actions perfectly, zooming in and out to harass the entity in tandem with her mistress. It was perfect teamwork.  
  
Along with forming and rolling blazingly powerful fireballs into the entity's blubbery side, fireballs that burst and spread raging proton fire along its gelatinous skin, Ryoko alternately threw out her hands--and searing red and blue beams blasted from the tips of her outstretched fingers. These were the mighty force beams that both she and Princess Ayeka generated, force beams so immensely powerful that they could stop an intercontinental ballistic missile in mid- flight and pulverize it, simultaneously. The beams slammed into the mind monster like lightening bolts, making the blob undulate with agony. Watching Ryoko fight, Tris gained a huge appreciation of what a supremely powerful being she was. Some goddesses in Greek mythology didn't posses as much power as the space pirate. The flurry of fireballs and force beams, delivered at blinding speed by a being who flew and teleported almost faster than the eye could record, backed up by her furiously firing cabbit-pirate ship, comprised the ultimate light show and generated an outpouring of stupendous destructive power that would have quickly vaporized practically any opponent from this dimension.  
  
Yet, as Washuu had stated, the entity, the mind monster of Professor Klove, was truly not of this dimension. Different physical laws protected it from being destroyed by the one-two punch of Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki. Certainly the fireballs and force beams made a strong impression on it, causing the squirming, gelatinous mass to shake and quiver with each blazing attack. But those same fireballs and force beams only scorched the surface or sank deep into the gooey mass but did not penetrate it. In a way, it resembled punching a sponge rubber pillow...lots of reaction, but no vital damage.  
  
Seemingly in response to this, Ryoko and Ryo-ohki stepped up the pace, darting and diving at the entity, alternately dodging its snapping tendrils and occasional flying green globules--and then pouring on the force beams and fireballs.  
  
It was a terrific battle, punctuated by the blinding flashes of the fireballs hitting home, the thunder of the force beams smacking that obscene blubbery mass, and the wild echoing of Ryo-Ohki's meows, the cabbit-pirate starship now filled with fighting rage. Tris watched in awe. He was witnessing the most terrific and incredible display of power and fighting imagineable, an unparallel spectacle he would retain in his memory all his life.  
  
"You ugly blob! You filthy snot-ball! Baby killer! You want to fight me? I'll roast your hide!" Ryoko was all but screaming with bloodlust.  
  
Despite her obvious aggravation at not making a deeper dent in the mind monster, Ryoko did not forget her primary task was to keep it distracted sufficiently to allow Lord Yosho to employ Sword Tenchi. She laughed tauntingly at the big blob, yelled insults at it, and rolled fireballs and shot force beams into the creature, causing it to shudder and squirm with what she hoped was pain. The entity kept snapping its tendrils at her and kept hitting empty air.  
  
Meanwhile, like a hyper-fast hummingbird, Ryo-Ohki kept darting in and out, firing force beams into the jelly belly of the gooey mind monster. The entity also snapped its remaining tendrils at the cabbit-pirate ship, again with no effect. It didn't discharge any more of the green plasma globules, obviously not wanting to accidentally hit the unconscious Princess with a stray shot. Clearly, it would only use that weapon when it was certain it would hit its target or at least wouldn't hit the Princess. To add to its woes, the one-eyed horror was obliged to try to keep both attacking enemies in focus, a task it obviously found quite daunting. It was now making a new noise, one that could be interpreted as a frustrated grunt.  
  
"Lord Yosho?" Sasami asked as the small group continued to observe Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki battle the entity.  
  
"Yes, Sasami?"  
  
"I think I know what that thing is," she said, hesitantly. She had been studying the blobby mass with the huge, glaring eye for a little while now. "I kind of recognize it."  
  
"Recognize it?" Tenchi turned to her.  
  
"Yes, Tenchi. It's just like the awful creature that attacked Ayeka in her dreams. You know...those bad dreams."  
  
"The dreams she had as a child and again just recently?" Tris asked.  
  
"Uh-huh. Ayeka described them to me in detail. This thing looks just like what she described." Sasami nodded her pigtailed head. "I'm sure of it."  
  
"Thank you, Sasami," Lord Yosho said. "That may prove quite significant."  
  
"Well, that makes sense, Sasami, since Klove is mentally projecting all this--he created the bad dreams for Ayeka as well as for the other students back then..." Washuu's voice trailed off. Then she straightened up from where she had been bending over her console. "Of course! That's it! You may have just cleared up a point, Sasami--a damned important point!"  
  
"Really?" Sasami asked.  
  
"Maybe. Just maybe. I've been wondering--you all have, too--what dimension this thing comes from. Well, if it's exactly like the monster from the Princess's dreams, and Klove is creating it mentally, well..." Washuu frowned with concentration. "Maybe there is a Dream Dimension--a parallel reality the mind enters when dreaming. This monster is from Klove's subconscious, where's he's operating from. He's brought it into our reality, our dimension--yeah! That would explain it! This blob is from the dimension of dreams! A nightmare creature from a literal Dream Dimension! That dimension is what Klove was talking about, I'll bet! Thanks, Sasami!" Washuu's face glowed with the satisfaction of discovery.  
  
"You're welcome, Washuu," Sasami replied, not certain of what she had really contributed.  
  
"You're telling us," Tenchi queried, "that when we dream we actually enter another dimension?"  
  
"That's my theory," Washuu said. "Dimensions are more than just space and time and mass. They're also a function of perceived reality. The mind creates a separate reality in dreaming. If the dream or dreamer is powerful enough, whole universes can be formed, or at least a separate reality operating in its own plane. I think Klove found a way to project his mind, his subconscious, into that seperate reality, force it into our dimension, our reality, and use the energy of others to make his mind projection become material. That's a quantum leap, all right. No wonder Klove went to such lengths to keep his discovery to himself."  
  
Sasami shook her head, amazed. All of this...from her big sister's seemingly inconsequential bad dreams.  
  
"And no wonder he became a man apart from other men," Lord Yosho commented. "Such knowledge would make a person not overburdened with morality quite intoxicated with power. He might feel almost god-like."  
  
"Almost, sir?" Tris said ironically.  
  
"You know, that also explains something else," Washuu added. "It explains why I couldn't pick up that Presence with all my probes and scans. It was traveling across space all right, but it was using the portal to that Dream Dimension. It wasn't using any of the known transmission media. That's why I couldn't detect it."  
  
"Washuu," Tenchi said, his eyes, like everyone else's, glued on Ryoko's and Ryo-Ohki's fast and furious hit-and-run attacks on the entity. "Now that we know that...what do we do?"  
  
"Ummm...well, nothing, Tenchi," Washuu admitted. "It doesn't help us right now. It just clears up a nagging point."  
  
"Any enlightenment is welcome, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho assured her. He held Sword Tenchi tightly. He was poised to make his run to the entity when it seemed sufficiently distracted. Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki were really harassing the entity now. In fact, Ryo-Ohki was zooming in closer and closer to the entity, drawing most of its attention--and thus having to avoid its lightning-quick tendril snaps and possible discharges of those plasma globules. "Ryo-Ohki is getting a bit too close to Professor Klove's creation, I'm afraid," he warned.  
  
"I'll say she is!" Tenchi exclaimed. "Ryoko! Tell Ryo-Ohki to back off!"  
  
Ryoko heard Tenchi's shout. She stopped in mid-delivery of a fireball and saw the danger. "Ryo-Ohki!" she shouted. "Look out--"  
  
Too late. Ryo-Ohki, who didn't have her mistress's ability to teleport, couldn't get away from the entity's snapping tendrils this time. Two of the tendrils struck the cabbit-pirate ship, rocking it. Instantly, the ship's force shields buckled. Another tendril slashed. Ryo-Ohki's surprised and pained meow echoed loudly. Then the entity discharged a green plasma globule that skimmed Ryo-Ohki's undercarriage. Flame flared beneath the cabbit-pirate ship. Ryo-Ohki's now agonized meow was heart-rending to hear. She wobbled and began to try to attack again. But her speed was greatly reduced and smoke erupted along her flanks.  
  
"Ryo-Ohki!" Ryoko yelled, her voice distraught. "No!"  
  
"God!" Tenchi groaned.  
  
"Got her right amidships!" Washuu gasped.  
  
"Poor Ryo-Ohki!" Sasami cried.  
  
"Get out of there, Ryo-Ohki!" Tris yelled.  
  
Lord Yosho said nothing. The entity was fully engaged in trying to both finish off Ryo-Ohki and to keep flailing at Ryoko. He grieved for the brave cabbit. But he had his own job to do. It was now or never.  
  
The elder Juraian Prince ran. Holding Sword Tenchi with its fiery blade aloft, he sprinted toward the huge, loathsome, blobby mass. His speed was spectacular and he made a beeline to his enemy. He knew he must make the shortest trip possible, to get within striking range, before the entity could notice him.  
  
Ryoko herself didn't notice Lord Yosho's run toward the entity. All she had eyes for at the moment was Ryo-Ohki. And she had heard Tris's shout. For once, she agreed with the goofball one hundred percent.  
  
"Ryo-Ohki!" she shouted. "Break off! Go back to the others! I command you!" No matter what, the space pirate would not allow Ryo- Ohki to fight when the cabbit no longer had sufficient means to protect herself. Without her shields, another attack from Klove might destroy her. Ryoko felt hot tears flow down her cheeks as she looked at the damage inflicted on her beloved Ryo-Ohki.  
  
The now-smoking, slightly rocking cabbit-pirate ship meowed in protest. Ryoko repeated her command. Ryo-Ohki could not oppose her mistress. She darted away from the entity and streaked to the ground. Quickly, the cabbit-pirate ship collapsed within itself. By the time it touched the ground, it was a furry little cabbit again--a cabbit whose fur still emitted a bit of smoke. Ryo-Ohki then scampered away.  
  
Lord Yosho had almost reached the mind monster. He was very close to it now. But with Ryo-Ohki no longer harrying it, the entity took a good look around with its huge yellow eye. It spotted Lord Yosho coming at it. Immediately, it began to snap tendril after tendril at the running figure, discharging glowing green plasma globules at it with deadly accuracy. At the same time, it kept snapping its other tendrils at Ryoko, keeping her at bay. Ryoko rolled in a few more fireballs that shook the entity, but didn't distract it from shelling Lord Yosho with the blazing green globules.  
  
The elder Juraian Prince stopped and kneeled. He used Sword Tenchi as a shield. The whirling force blade deflected the globules, one by one. But he was prevented from advancing further. Defeat was bitter in Yosho's mouth, but he kept his head. He tried to retreat, rapidly swinging Sword Tenchi, deflecting the steady barrage of green globules. Unfortunately, advancing to the rear and simultaneously trying to estimate the trajectory of the incoming globules would have taxed a modern weapons computer. As it was, Lord Yosho made it to within twenty feet of Tenchi and the others before a globule grazed his right side. He went down heavily, dropping Sword Tenchi.  
  
Again, what passed for laughter erupted from the mind monster.  
  
"Grandfather!" Tenchi cried, aghast. Behind him, Sasami wailed and Washuu cursed. Tris had no verbal comment. He was already sprinting for Lord Yosho. Now Tenchi cursed and followed him.  
  
"No! They'll all be killed!" Sasami cried helplessly.  
  
"Men!" Washuu said knowingly. "God help them!"  
  
Tenchi and Tris reached Lord Yosho together. Around the elder Juraian Prince were sizeable burned craters of what once had been soil and grass. The lawn was beginning to resemble a battlefield. Both young men had been forced to jump over some of the charred craters to get there. Tenchi grabbed Sword Tenchi and one of his grandfather's arms. Tris grabbed the other arm. They began to drag Lord Yosho back to the relative safety of the area occupied by the unconscious Princess Ayeka and her two Guardians.  
  
"I thought I told you to stay back with Sasami!" Tenchi yelled at Tris as they both dragged Lord Yosho.  
  
"You did! So what?" Tris snapped.  
  
"Damn it, when I tell you to do something, you do it!"  
  
"Like hell I will! Who made you the goddamn general?" Tris was panting a little from dragging Lord Yosho. Tenchi was also. Unnoticed by either of them, Lord Yosho smiled at their semi- hysterical arguing. It was gratifying to be reminded of how highly regarded one was.  
  
"I'll kick your ass for that!" Tenchi told Tris, panting. A blazing green glob whizzed overhead, but not close by. The entity was only harassing them, evidently quite satisfied to allow the retreat.  
  
"You can try any time!" Tris panted back. "Right after we get your grandfather to safety, if you want!"  
  
"Fine with me!"  
  
The two young men dragged Lord Yosho to where Sasami and Washuu stood awaiting them anxiously.  
  
Just behind them, Azaka II and Kamidake II, both still rooted beside the form of Princess Ayeka, watched the proceedings with mingled interest and concern.  
  
"I wish the Princess would wake from her slumber and order us to attack that creature," Azaka II said, considerably upset at being left out of the battle.  
  
"As do I. Perhaps she will awaken soon. It is not like her to sleep during the daylight hours," Kamidake II said. "Particularly with so much activity going on around her."  
  
But Princess Ayeka continued to sleep that unnatural sleep. Already, her face was losing its color. She was slowly drying so that the mind monster of Professor Klove could live and kill.  
  
------  
  
The battle was also being observed from the Galaxy Police cruiser, the Yagami.  
  
"Well, Lord Yoshio is alive, anyway," Kiyone said, peering at her viewscreen. Her bald statement belied the intense relief in her voice.  
  
"Yes, that's wonderful--but I don't see Ryo-Ohki anywhere!" Mihoshi said, peering at her own viewscreen anxiously. "Oh, I hope the sweet little thing is okay!"  
  
"That sweet little thing took a hell of a beating," Kiyone noted.  
  
The two Galaxy Police officers were ensconced in their cockpit seats, keeping tabs on the Earth below through the viewscreens. Both still wore their work shirts and the blue jean short-shorts. Kiyone had dictated that they didn't have time to change into their uniforms, although she dearly wanted to. As a result, their blaster sidearms were stuck rather roughly into the waistbands of their short-shorts. It felt strange to Kiyone to be on the bridge, hunkered down in her cockpit seat with her legs and feet bare. But it wasn't uncomfortable and it didn't inhibit her actions and that was all that mattered.  
  
"Tenchi and Tris--they're so brave!" Mihoshi said, her voice warm with affection.  
  
"They're so stupid!" Kiyone replied, but only half-heartedly. Her heart had been in her throat when she saw Tris run toward the fallen Lord Yosho. Now her heart sang as she saw that he and Tenchi had pulled Lord Yosho to the relative safety of the area immediately adjacent to Ayeka that the others occupied. Idiot boy! Idiot! But she knew now she wouldn't have him any other way. It was so damned unfair! Right when she was in love--really in love--with a boy and she had made up with her beloved brother--that damned Klove attacked! He was going to pay for that in spades, she vowed.  
  
"Guess now it's our turn, huh, Kiyone?" Mihoshi said quietly.  
  
"Yes, partner. It's our turn."  
  
"Well..." Mihoshi smiled sadly. "If it doesn't turn out good...I'm glad you let me be your friend, Kiyone. I hope you haven't minded too much having me around all this time."  
  
Kiyone smiled at her partner, warmly and ironically. "Are you kidding? What could possibly be better than facing dismissal from the service and fighting a monster that will probably chew us up and spit us out? Don't be silly, ding-dong."  
  
"Oh, Kiyone..." Mihoshi sniffled.  
  
"Save the tears, partner. We're not dead yet!"  
  
------  
  
Indeed, it turned out that no one was dead yet.  
  
Washuu finished examining Lord Yosho. "Yeuch...nice deep burn in your side, Grandpa. The only good thing about those green globs-- they burn, so they cauterize the wound." Her fingers softly prodded at the charred area beneath Lord Yosho's right armpit and the already closed flaps of skin at the entrance of the wound. His kimono was split all the way down his side, the edges charred and black. Fortunately, the globules were so caustic that they disintegrated the cloth, thereby preventing any of it from getting into the wound and possibly festering into blood poisoning. "Did the glop get deep into your body, do you think?"  
  
Lord Yosho shook his head. "No. I believe it did burn some muscle tissue, Professor Washuu." He might have been describing a mosquito bite, he was so calm and collected. "In addition to the pain, I am quite stiff on that side."  
  
"Well, no more sword play for you, Grandpa," Washuu said sternly. "A direct hit, and you'd be a cinder now. We'll have to wait before I can dress your wound. We're kinda stuck here for the time being, you know."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. He was sitting up on the grass, not showing the intense pain of his third-degree burns. "I understand. I can wait, of course."  
  
"Thank goodness you're alive, Lord Yosho!" Sasami burst out, trembling with relief. "I...I thought that horrible thing had killed you!" She knelt next to Lord Yosho and began to softly wipe his perpiring brow with a silken handkerchief.  
  
"It takes a bit more than that to kill me, Princess Sasami." Lord Yosho smiled at her. Referring to her by her royal title was deliberate, a way to keep her spirits and courage up.  
  
Sasami looked away. "You should not call me that, Lord Yosho. If I truly were a princess, I could use my powers to help defeat that awful thing."  
  
"Your crowning will be the proper time for that," Lord Yosho told her gently. "You have the courage and the self-possession of a true princess. That is the most important thing."  
  
"Thank you...Lord Yosho," Sasami said, her voice breaking. She wept silently on Lord Yosho's shoulder for a moment while he gently stroked her head with one hand.  
  
Washuu watched this with a soft expression on her face. Then she regarded Tenchi and Tris, who were shaking hands.  
  
"Okay, blockhead, I guess I couldn't have gotten Grandfather here quite so quickly without your help," Tenchi admitted. "So if you want to get yourself killed--have at it!" He grinned.  
  
"Gee, thanks, pal." Tris grinned back.  
  
"If you two guys are done male bonding, you might notice Ryoko is coming our way," Washuu told them.  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked up. Sure enough, Ryoko was hovering overhead. Her face was constricted with anxiety.  
  
"Tenchi!" she called. "Do you see Ryo-Ohki anywhere down there?"  
  
First, Tenchi glanced at the entity. The gelatinous mass just squatted in the distance, its great yellow eye contemplating them, shaking its tendrils. Of course, it was impossible for such a shapeless bulk to register an expression...but Tenchi could have sworn it looked entirely self-satisfied. Why not? It had won every round up to now. It seemed content to let its enemies lick their wounds for the moment before resuming the battle. Klove, no doubt, relished extending his pleasures as long as possible.  
  
Then Tenchi, like Tris, surveyed the lawn for Ryo-Ohki.  
  
A weak "meow-er" reached their ears. Tenchi and Tris looked down.  
  
Ryo-Ohki now appeared before them. She had run a wide circle around the lawn to avoid another attack from the entity and then limped up to them. The cabbit's fur was badly singed but it had stopped smoking, at least. The scent of burnt fur filled both Tenchi's and Tris's nostrils. As much as the two young men felt for the cabbit, they couldn't help but pinch their noses shut at the odor.  
  
"Meow-er," said Ryo-Ohki miserably. She knew that she smelled bad. She also smarted in a dozen places.  
  
"Oh, thank God!" Ryoko exclaimed from the air. "She's not very hurt, is she? How come you two are holding your noses?"  
  
Sasami left Lord Yosho and walked up to the cabbit with a concerned look on her face. But the smell of burnt fur gagged her too. She also held her nose. "Ohhhh...poor Ryo-Ohki," she said, her voice sounding nasal due to her pinched nostrils. "You fought so bravely!"  
  
"Meow-er," Ryo-Ohki acknowledged the tribute. She wondered if any carrots might be in the offing.  
  
Being careful to breath through their mouths, Tenchi and Tris un- pinched their noses and knelt down to examine the scorched, battle- battered cabbit. Although Ryo-Ohki's fur was badly singed, no flesh showed through the fur itself. Thank goodness! The cabbit's skin was not damaged and there were no wounds. But with her shields gone, a second shot of the caustic green plasma might well have seriously injured or even killed Ryo-Ohki.  
  
Tenchi relayed this to the hovering Ryoko. The airborne space pirate's wan and pale face mirrored her relief. She loved Ryo-Ohki. The cabbit was not only her starship, but also her companion and friend...the only friend she had for a long time before she met up with Tenchi.  
  
"Yeah, she's okay, Ryoko," Tris added. He was carefully petting Ryo-Ohki. She seemed to appreciate the gesture, although one couldn't pet her at all hard. Now Sasami knelt down and softly stroked Ryo-Ohki's fluffy ears. "But she's definitely hors de combat," he added.  
  
"Who's a whore?" Ryoko demanded, glaring at him.  
  
"It's just a phrase, Ryoko," Tris quickly explained. Ryoko was tired and frustrated after battling Klove's seemingly invincible mind creation and clearly in no mood for frivolity. "It just means Ryo-Ohki is through with fighting for now."  
  
"Hell, I know that, goofball!" Ryoko said testily. "Tell me something I don't know."  
  
Tris looked up at her. "Okay. You have a smudge on your nose."  
  
Ryoko's cheeks flamed and she quickly scrubbed at her nose. In fact, she was generally disheveled and her platinum hair and her torn dress were both soaked with perspiration. The hard fighting, including countless teleportations and generating power beams and fireballs, had greatly taxed even her immense inner resources. Ryoko's power was not unlimited by any means. Just like Ayeka, her power could be drained completely by constant use. Such a complete draining would mean death.  
  
Contemplating Ryoko, Tenchi wondered if that wasn't what Klove, working through his mind-projection monster, intended for the space pirate. If he could keep her fighting without respite, he would exhaust her eventually and she would become as easy a target as poor Ryo-Ohki had proven to be.  
  
Klove's mind monster was not attacking them now and presumably he was willing to allow this temporary halt. But he was doing them no favors, Tenchi knew. Ryoko needed rest and food to recharge her organic power sources. Ryoko could rest a while, but if she moved away from the vicinity of the Princess for food, the entity would simply hurl the deadly green globules at her and she would have to use her waning powers to avoid them. In fact, her need for water was going to become a vital issue much sooner than food would be. Thanks to the unseasonably warm spring weather, Ryoko had perspired heavily during the battle. Dehydration was a distinct and dangerous possibility. In the meantime, if Dad came back home and unknowingly walked over to them...  
  
Tenchi shook his head dispiritedly. Professor Klove had all of this figured out very neatly. Grandfather and Ryo-Ohki were out of the battle and Ayeka wasn't even in the battle, nor were her Guardians. They were all but cornered in one spot from which attempted escape would mean death from the fiery green globules. The entity's aim could be deadly when it wanted it to be...of course, it had gotten plenty of practice with all its other victims. Professor Klove surely had them in check now--and if their next big effort against him failed, he would have them in checkmate.  
  
He related those thoughts to the others. Washuu nodded. She looked uncharacteristically morose. "You're right, Tenchi. We might as well face it. Klove's creation has Ayeka's Jurai power and it's handing out a lot worse punishment than it's getting. Poor Ryo-Ohki survived only a few hits from that thing! We've got to destroy that goddamn glob of grue or it'll destroy us...and the smart money is on the glob right now."  
  
"Well, you can put your money on me, Washuu!" Ryoko called down. "I'm not done yet--not by half! Lord Yosho got real close and it was just bad luck with him and Ryo-Ohki getting hit. Now it's up to me and my sweetums! We'll get the job done--won't we, Tenchi?"  
  
"We're going to try," Tenchi told her. "Ryoko, are you all right? I know you must be tired. Why don't you come down here and rest--"  
  
"But I'm just fine, sweetums! Really, I am! I'm ready to go again and really kick that blob's butt this time. And we don't want to stop now, do we? We don't know what old Ugly is going to do next."  
  
"That's true," Tenchi admitted. "But a little rest might be a good idea."  
  
"You do look a little woofed, Ryoko," Washuu told her.  
  
"Who's woofed? Not me! I'm on the case! Tenchi, you're ready to take that sword and gut that blob right now, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes I am, Ryoko. Only you're forgetting about Mihoshi and Kiyone up there in Yagami, aren't you?" Tenchi replied. He indicated the sleek red form of the Galaxy Police ship hovering high overhead.  
  
"Oh, them! What can they do that Ryo-Ohki couldn't do better?" Ryoko demanded. "They'll just get in the way and probably get knocked off real quick. I know I said they could join in if anyone dropped out, but that blob's lots stronger than we thought. They'll just get clobbered. I can just fight faster and harder this time. Old Ugly won't be able to take his nasty eye off me."  
  
"But they have the most up-to-date shields on Yagami, Ryoko," Washuu pointed out. "It's true that Ryo-Ohki's shields failed after a few hits from Klove, but Yagami's are stronger. You know that. Kiyone and Mihoshi can at least help you distract that blob a little while-- long enough for Tenchi to do his stuff."  
  
"That's right. You've done magnificently, Ryoko," Tenchi told her. "You've really kept that thing on the defensive. But you can't do it alone. None of us can. We're a team...like we were against Kagato."  
  
"Well..." Ryoko seemed uncertain.  
  
"You know we must band together, Ryoko," Lord Yosho said from where he sat, painfully, on the grass. "With you and the two Detectives in their patrol shop attacking that entity of Professor Klove's, Tenchi will have a fighting chance to bring Sword Tenchi to bear on our enemy. Otherwise...any such effort may fail."  
  
Lord Yosho ignored the fiery pain in his side and contemplated the sheathed Sword Tenchi that his grandson had given him to hold. He knew there was something else--had to be something else--that could help them defeat Professor Klove. He felt it as surely as he had felt Klove's malignant presence in the past. But he didn't know what that something could be.  
  
"In other words, Ryoko, Grandpa here's telling you this is probably our last chance," Washuu added grimly. "We need to use every resource we have."  
  
As if to second that notion, a bright green globule sailed overhead and slammed into the ground a few dozen yards away. Again the grass and soil were consumed by a hellishly hot flame. This time they all could feel the heat from that flame. The smoking crater left after the white-hot flare dissipated reminded tham all of the monstrous power of their enemy.  
  
"Looks like Klove's getting a mite impatient," Washuu commented.  
  
Kneeling by Ryo-Ohki, Tris felt a stab of fear. He also felt Sasami press against him. She was trembling slightly, but otherwise kept her composure as she comforted the injured cabbit. She had to be the bravest little girl in all the world...perhaps in all the galaxy. He noted that Sasami kept glancing anxiously at her prone, silent, and unconscious big sister. He understood Sasami's distress. Ayeka was being drained of her vitality more and more with every moment that passed. Eventually the Princess would be lifeless.  
  
Tris silently urged Ryoko to see sense. Besides, Kiyone and Mihoshi deserved their chances at bat.  
  
"Ryoko?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Well...okay," Ryoko said. "Washuu, can you contact them on that console thingy of yours?"  
  
"Sure. Of course."  
  
"Contact 'em."  
  
"Right." Washuu's fingers tapped at the keyboard of her translucent console. Then she said into the screen, "Kiyone? Mihoshi? Do you read me?"  
  
"We read you loud and clear, Washuu." It was Kiyone's voice. "It seems we can communicate with you, anyway."  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?" Washuu asked.  
  
"We just tried to contact our Command Post, as a precaution," Kiyone explained. "We couldn't beam our transmission outside the atmosphere here. You think that Klove--?"  
  
"I don't think--I know!" Washuu groaned. "Damn him! He's using his inter-dimensional buffer to bottle up communications. That explains why no one of those massacred families ever got a distress message out. He doesn't miss a trick."  
  
"Yeah, that makes sense. Now, what--"  
  
"Is Lord Yosho okay? How is Ryo-Ohki?" Mihoshi's worried voice now boomed from the console.  
  
"Mihoshi!" Kiyone's voice grated. "I was just going to ask about them!"  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Lord Yosho and Ryo-Ohki are burned but unbowed," Washuu reported.  
  
Lord Yosho nodded, pleased. "That was very well put, Professor Washuu," he said.  
  
"Meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki agreed. She was feeling a bit better now from all the stroking and petting, although a few carrots would not have gone amiss. She trotted over to Lord Yosho. They sat together now, two wounded veterans of the battle against Professor Klove.  
  
"Oh, gosh! I'm so glad!" Mihoshi sounded tearful.  
  
"So don't start crying, ding-dong!" Kiyone's irritated voice broke in. "Anyway, Washuu, what's our next move?"  
  
Ryoko answered before Washuu could respond. "The next move is we do it again! Only better!"  
  
An ironic chuckle issued from Washuu's console. "Well...that's nice and direct!" Kiyone commented. "I take it that we will attack that monster simultaneously, Ryoko?"  
  
"You got it, girl," Ryoko said. "Just try not to hit me, okay? It's going to be hard enough mixing it up with old Ugly again."  
  
Tenchi groaned inwardly, but did not intervene. Ryoko likely didn't really mean to insult Kiyone and Mihoshi...she just had a way of doing it regardless of her motives.  
  
Tris rose now, shaking his head. Boy, if he ever said anything like that to Kiyone--pow! To the moon! He hope Kiyone would refrain from lashing out at Ryoko.  
  
He needn't have worried. Kiyone's voice was sweet--deceptively sweet--as she replied, "Why, of course, Ryoko! We'll just try our best not to shoot little old you instead of that huge thing. It'll be real hard because we're both so nearsighted, but--"  
  
"I'm not nearsighted, Kiyone!" Mihoshi's voice objected.  
  
"Mihoshi, will you please just shut--"  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Let's just move along, okay?" Ryoko grimaced and shook her head, impatiently. "Sheesh!"  
  
"Good idea," Tenchi said, giving Ryoko that oh-so-special look. Ryoko now looked abashed, floating in the air. Tris had to grin despite the desperate situation. That super-powerful monster of Professor Klove's couldn't faze Ryoko, but one cross look from Tenchi and she became as contrite as a kid caught with a hand in the cookie jar.  
  
Another glowing green glob zoomed above their heads. This time it landed a bit nearer to them, with the usual white-hot result to the flora. Klove was putting on the pressure to resume the battle.  
  
Tenchi took charge now. He walked over to where Washuu stood with her console. He spoke into the console. "Kiyone, you saw what happened to Ryo-Ohki. You'll need to try to avoid what that blob tosses at you and don't get anywhere near those tentacle things. You're just going to distract it--don't worry about how many shots you fire at it. Just hold its attention. Ryoko will do the same. The second it looks possible, I'm going in. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, Tenchi." Kiyone's reply was calm. If she was worried, her voice did not betray it.  
  
"Tenchi, you be careful!" Mihoshi's anxious voice urged.  
  
"I will, Mihoshi," Tenchi promised her.  
  
There was a pause, then Kiyone's voice asked, "Tris...can you hear me?"  
  
"Sure can," Tris said.  
  
"Good. Tris...there's something I want to tell you." Kiyone's voice, issuing from Washuu's console, sounded hesitant.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I...well, I...oh, I'll tell you later! Out."  
  
Washuu looked up from her console. "She just terminated the transmission."  
  
Tris glanced at Tenchi. Tenchi shook his head.  
  
Washuu said to Tris, "You don't know the significance of what Kiyone and Mihoshi are doing, do you? You don't know jack about Yagami, really."  
  
"No, I guess I don't," Tris admitted.  
  
"Well, I'll put it in fighter-jock terms so you'll understand. Yagami is a police cruiser, designed to chase other spacecraft. She's what you would call an air-to-air fighter, or a pursuit vessel. Oh, Yagami does fine in a planetary atmosphere, but she's designed for space travel. And she's definitely not designed to attack an object on the ground, like that blob. To use your terms, Yagami's not an air-to-ground fighter."  
  
"Actually, the fighter jocks call it air-to-mud, Washuu," Tris said.  
  
"Whatever. Anyway, by attacking that blob, Kiyone and Mihoshi are using Yagami for something she wasn't designed for. That's pretty risky. For example...if Yagami is damaged badly enough to crash, they're so close to the ground that they probably won't have time to deploy their escape pods."  
  
"You mean--they'll just crash with their ship?" Sasami asked, looking horrified. "But they'll be killed!"  
  
Washuu just nodded. "So, whatever Kiyone wanted to say to you just now, Tris...must have been pretty important."  
  
Unseen by the others, Lord Yosho nodded. He didn't speak, however.  
  
Tris looked up at the Yagami. Fear for Kiyone--and Mihoshi--filled him. Despite the sunny day with its warm, soft breezes and blue sky, the shadow of death hung over everything. Tris knew that Kiyone-- with Mihoshi by her side--would keep attacking the entity until either it was defeated or they couldn't attack anymore--and that last scenario could mean a fatal crash. Tris wished Kiyone hadn't cut off the transmission so soon. He now had something he wanted to say to her, too.  
  
But now Ryoko said, "No one's gonna crash but that blob! I'm heading in now, before it gets any closer with those globs things. I guess Kiyone and Mihoshi will follow my lead. Sweetums, you get ready with your sword. Right?"  
  
"Right." Tenchi walked to where his grandfather sat. Lord Yosho handed Sword Tenchi to his grandson. Tenchi shook the golden hilt a few times. The blazing blade shot from it, radiating incredible power. "This time it's defeat for Professor Klove!"  
  
"You bet it is, lover!" Ryoko now launched herself at the huge, suppurating, flesh-colored mass that squirmed and heaved, horribly, with its great glaring yellow eye and waving tendrils. Above her, the Yagami, with a soft roar of her engines, followed her in.  
  
"If courage and steadfastness count for anything," Lord Yosho said, "Professor Klove is about to meet up with his deadliest foes."  
  
The others nodded silent agreement. This was it. Their lives and perhaps millions or even billions of other lives depended on the outcome of the impending battle.  
  
Yet, that outcome--and the aftermath--was something that no one, not even Professor Klove, could have expected.  
  
_________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) Dr. No once accused secret agent James Bond also of being just a stupid policeman in Ian Fleming's novel of the same name. Kiyone, at least, is in good company. 


	23. CHAPTER 22: No Need For A Miracle

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO  
  
No Need For A Miracle  
  
_____________________  
  
"Stand by for action, partner!" Kiyone said.  
  
Her voice was charged with excitement and anticipation. She studied her viewscreen intently while managing to punch up the coordinates she wanted Yagami to follow in attacking the mind monster of Professor Klove. "There goes Ryoko, flying over to that damned blob. We'll let her get the first shots in and then we'll hit it with everything we've got!" The Galaxy Police officer's face was hard and purposeful.  
  
When she heard no response from her partner, Kiyone looked up from her viewscreen, irritated. She glanced over at Mihoshi. The latter was staring at her with a worried expression.  
  
"What's wrong, Mihoshi?" she asked impatiently.  
  
"Kiyone," Mihoshi asked timidly. "Are you sure this will work? Yagami wasn't meant to do things like this."  
  
Despite her impatience to begin the battle (and to show the others, especially Ryoko, what the Yagami could do even against monsters from another dimension), Kiyone relented a little. Mihoshi, after all, was right. Attacking terrestrial targets was the job for specially designed Galaxy Police tactical vessels, whose wings, fins, and overall design were maximized for use in an actual atmosphere with its attendant problems with air friction and gravity. At best, the Yagami could cruise and maneuver adequately in a planetary atmosphere. So Mihoshi's obvious reservations about using their ship to attack Klove's creature were well founded. Kiyone couldn't fault her for that.  
  
Yet, as far as Kiyone was concerned, if the Yagami could fly in Earth's atmosphere, she could fight in Earth's atmosphere. They would be pushing the Yagami's performance envelope, yes, but the ship could take it, Kiyone was certain. Besides...they couldn't just sit back and watch that monster destroy their friends. And even beyond that was the specter of a new intra-galactic war, a possible conflagration too terrible to contemplate. Klove had to be defeated. The only way to do that was to distract the entity and allow Tenchi to get close enough to slay it with Sword Tenchi. Despite Ryoko's boasts, Kiyone was certain the space pirate even in overdrive couldn't provide sufficient distraction. They had to use the Yagami, too. There was no other choice.  
  
"Of course it will work!" Kiyone told Mihoshi confidently. "You've seen the automatic course I've plotted for the attack dives." In this mission, Kiyone would act as Starcraft Commander (pilot) and Mihoshi would serve as Weapons System Officer. Those were the duties each was best at. "Yagami will dive at that thing at the twelfth declension and pull up at ten parsecs, which is where you must fire all of our quasar beam cannons." Yagami's four cannon pods were fully deployed, each one with its individual barrels extended, ready for use. It would add to their air drag but that couldn't be helped. Hopefully, she had compensated enough for that in her programming of the ship's attack scenario.  
  
"When we pull up from that dive, we're going to be almost squashed," Mihoshi said. She was referring to the gravitational force (g-force) that such an abrupt change in direction would generate on them. She was right, of course.  
  
"Sure, but our seats are programmed to counteract g-forces, Mihoshi," Kiyone reminded her. Each of the pilot seat's bolsters and armrests would automatically wrap around their arms and legs when excessive g-force was detected, squeezing their extremities to ensure sufficient blood remained in their heads to prevent them from blacking out. "We'll be able to handle that all right."  
  
"Uh-huh...but we're going to get awfully close to it," Mihoshi pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, but we have to. As it is, you'll have only an instant to fire and hit the target." Now Kiyone smiled at her partner. "But I know you can do it, Mihoshi."  
  
Mihoshi looked at Kiyone a moment. Then she slowly smiled back. "Yes, I can, Kiyone. And I will. After all, we have to...don't we?"  
  
"Yes, partner. We have to."  
  
"Right." Mihoshi turned her attention now to her Weapons System console, punching touchpads, inputting coordinates for the cannons' fire-control program. Her face was expressionless, neutral--no, more than that--her expression was determined.  
  
Kiyone's own expression warmed as she contemplated Mihoshi. Her partner had conquered her timidity. She was a Galaxy Police officer now, in every sense of the name. She would do her duty, just as Kiyone would do hers.  
  
Now the teal-haired Galaxy Police officer returned to her navigation module. She began to input commands to Yagami's flight control system. She paused, just for a moment, to touch the plain gold ID bracelet around her left wrist. Then she increased the ship's throttle.  
  
In the blue sky of early afternoon, the red starship picked up speed, hastening toward the battle with Professor Klove's mind monster.  
  
------  
  
"Go get 'im, Blue Eyes," Tris muttered, his eyes glued on the sleek red shape of the Yagami as it followed Ryoko's zooming figure toward the house-sized, flesh-colored, one-eyed creature. He had his fists clenched.  
  
He stood with Tenchi and Washuu. Lord Yosho sat next to them on the grass, his face drawn and pale with pain, but his expression serene, his eyes sharp and glittering. Ryo-Ohki nestled against his uninjured side. Lord Yosho gently petted the scorched cabbit.  
  
Immediately behind them was Princess Ayeka, lying unconscious in the grass, with her two wooden Guardians blinking worriedly a few feet from her. Sasami knelt by her sister, staring tragically at how pale and wan Ayeka appeared. The little girl softly stroked her sister's forehead. It was still warm, and Ayeka still breathed. But her body heat was slowly fading.  
  
Sasami shivered with fear and sorrow. In a short time, Ayeka's forehead would be cold to the touch. She would be dead...and so would they all. Sasami shook her pigtailed head firmly to dispel the fatalistic thoughts. Ryoko and Kiyone and Mihoshi and Tenchi were still in the battle, she told herself. They would win! They just had to!  
  
"They're going to have to hit that thing hard and fast," Tenchi said. He held Sword Tenchi with its blazing blade aloft, ready to sprint to the entity when an opportune moment arose. It was at his suggestion (order, actually; with his grandfather injured, Tenchi was definitely in command) that everyone had moved as close to Ayeka as possible. He didn't like to...it did seem somewhat cowardly. But with the battle going against them, closeness to the Princess was an edge (for the moment) and they all needed to grab and hang on to any edge they could get.  
  
"They will, Tenchi," Sasami spoke up. "They'll tie that awful monster up in knots."  
  
Both Tris and Lord Yosho murmured agreement.  
  
Washuu didn't say anything. The redheaded scientific genius was tapping furiously at the keyboard of her translucent console, intensely concentrating on what she was doing. She seemed oblivious to what was going on around her.  
  
And there was a lot going on around her now.  
  
Ryoko swooped in first. She worked her hands, quickly. Two red glowing fireballs appeared in her gasp, suspended between her hands. With a curse that Tenchi and the others could hear, Ryoko rolled those fiery orbs right at the mind monster's gelatinous midsection. Both fireballs exploded blazingly against the rubbery, blubbery mass, covering much of the entity with blinding, seething proton fire. The blob shuddered, the eyeball rolled upward, and a long, low sound resembling a groan rent the air. When the entity reached for Ryoko with its flaying tendrils, the space pirate simply teleported away. The blob was suddenly attacking empty air.  
  
"Damn! That sure hit that thing night in the breadbasket," Tris said, enthralled. "Ryoko's fireballs sure seem to be having a bigger effect now."  
  
"Yeah," Tenchi agreed. "Maybe it's a cumulative effect or something." He glanced at Washuu to see her reaction, but the super scientist was still bent over her console, tapping away like a woman possessed. Tenchi shrugged. He turned back to the battle just as he heard Tris exclaim, "There goes Yagami!"  
  
The huge red starship seemed to pause in the air a split-second or so. It hovered with its small stabilizer rockets. Then it dived steeply, its bright crimson fuselage gleaming in the brilliant sunlight. The Yagami split the air with a scream as it accelerated its power dive. It hurtled straight for the tendril-waving, pulsating mind monster. The Yagami became a red streak.  
  
"It's going to hit--" Tris gasped.  
  
Then, at the last possible moment, the Yagami pulled up from the steep dive, climbing, gaining attitude at a terrific clip. Just at the moment its trajectory put it closest to the entity, all four of the Yagami's quasar beam cannons erupted, blindingly. Over a dozen beams of burning-bright incandescence jolted from the individual barrels of the cannons--and smacked into the squirming fleshy blob with a crackle of cosmic lightning. The blob shook violently and the sound from it resembled an obscene, grating gasp. It seemed to actually shrivel as the Yagami passed over it. Its tendrils snapped at the Galaxy Police cruiser, but missed by meters.  
  
"Wow!" Tris marveled. "Those beams hit that thing like pile-drivers! Looks like they crushed it a little, even!"  
  
"Sure does!" Tenchi agreed. "Maybe quasar beams are one thing that the blob is vulnerable to! It's really reeling!"  
  
From where he sat, Lord Yosho studied the mind monster's massively adverse reaction to the attack by the Yagami. Professor Klove's mental creation from the Dream Dimension did seem to have collapsed into itself, somewhat. He frowned, started to say something, and then thought better of it.  
  
Washuu was also silent. All her attention was devoted to the rapid calculations she was making via her console.  
  
"That's what I call flying!" Tris crowed. "Sierra Hotel!(1) I wish Dad were here to see this!"  
  
Kneeling next to her older sister, Sasami smiled hopefully. Kiyone and Mihoshi were so brave! They would come through for sure!  
  
------  
  
In Yagami's cockpit, both Mihoshi and Kiyone would have agreed with that assessment. Their faces were flushed from the g-force generated by the power drive and power climb and their pilot seats' bolsters and arms rests had just released their limbs from the necessary squeezing. It hadn't been pleasant, not a bit. But they were both grateful to have survived--and Kiyone was also ecstatic at the results of their attack.  
  
"Do you see that thing just curdle up when Yagami's cannons hit it?" Kiyone asked, elated by their instant success against the seemingly invincible mind monster.  
  
"Uh-huh. I was surprised," Mihoshi said.  
  
"Surprised? You know Yagami packs a hell of a lot of firepower! That Ryoko won't admit it, but we've got the best weapons in the galaxy-- quasar beam cannons!"  
  
"Well, maybe they are stronger than force beams, Kiyone...but that much stronger?"  
  
"Sure!" Kiyone said confidently. "And not just stronger--different, too. Obviously, that blob thing isn't invulnerable to all weapons from this dimension. Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki softened it up and we're going to smash it to smithereens!" Kiyone was pumped, pumped up high. After contemplating a fight that would largely be more distraction than destruction, the prospect of actually damaging the entity was heady, indeed. She and Mihoshi might even destroy it all by themselves! Think of the credit they'd receive--the kudos! She had been silly to consider this a possible suicide mission--this was a victory mission, and that victory would be sweet!  
  
"Okay, Mihoshi," Kiyone said, her tapping fingers re-inputting the navagational coordinates into the Yagami's data banks. "We're going in again. Ready?"  
  
"Ready!" Mihoshi had finally caught her partner's enthusiasm. She adroitly re-keyed the firing sequence into her Weapons System console. "Let's go!"  
  
------  
  
As he watched Ryoko and the Yagami return to their attack positions, Tenchi heard Washuu address him. He turned to her.  
  
"Washuu, did you see--" he began.  
  
"No, Tenchi, no time--if they're distracting that blob, that's all that matters," Washuu told him firmly, finally looking up from the screen of her console. "You're the one who has to kill it--"  
  
"But it looks like Ryoko and the girls in Yagami are killing it." Tris shoved his oar in.  
  
"Let me finish, Tris! Tenchi, I've finally done it--I can help now!"  
  
"Really? How?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"I've gathered all the power from my lab's main solarite generators. That power is now locked into a transmitter that I can manipulate from here. It's almost impossible to do, since solarite power outside of the specially designed containment unit is terribly unstable, but of course I--"  
  
"Yes, yes," Tenchi said impatiently as he watched both Ryoko and the Yagami circle overhead for another attack run at the blob. "What does it all mean, Washuu?"  
  
"It means I can create a power-plasma bubble and place it around you. It'll give you protection from both that blob's tentacles and its globules."  
  
Now all of them, including Sasami, stared at the petite scientist. Aside from Lord Yosho's usual calm expression, their faces mirrored awe and admiration at this seemingly eleventh-hour scientific salvation from Washuu Hakubi, certified genius.  
  
"That is tremendous, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho said. "That may very well tip the scales in our favor."  
  
"Washuu!" Sasami clasped her hands as a surge of hope filled her.  
  
"That's it! That blob's a goner," Tris enthused.  
  
"Way to go, Washuu!" Tenchi added warmly.  
  
Washuu smiled modestly. Then she held up a hand. "Well, I have to tell you this, too...the plasma bubble probably won't survive more than a few dozen hits. It's going to drain almost all my power reserves to keep it powerful enough to resist those flying globules even for a short span of time. This is the Jurai power we're dealing with. And you can't use Sword Tenchi when you're encased in the plasma bubble-- no way it'll survive those globs and being punctured by that sword's Jurai power. So it's a defensive mechanism--to be used if you need its protection."  
  
She saw that the eager expressions had evaporated. It aggravated her, especially after all that hard and brilliant work. "Well, it's protection for Tenchi! Best I can do!" she snapped.  
  
"Of course it is a wonderful invention, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho said paciically. "It could prove to be a lifesaver, and that is tremendous in itself."  
  
"Thanks, Grandpa." Washuu grinned with some of her old perkiness.  
  
"Anything else we should know about this bubble thing you devised?" Tenchi asked her knowingly. He saw that Ryoko and Yagami were poised for another attack. Ryoko paused to wave at them. He waved back. Ryoko blew a kiss at him.  
  
"Well..." Washuu hesitated. "The fact is that this plasma bubble is an envelope of highly radiant energy, Tenchi. It's not exactly what I would call user friendly. All that power will probable feel a little unpleasant when you're enveloped in it."  
  
"How unpleasant?" Tenchi demanded.  
  
"Well...sort of like thousands of electrified ants crawling all over your skin."  
  
"Washuu!" Tenchi shouted, appalled.  
  
"But it's just a side effect. It shouldn't do any permanent damage."  
  
"Shouldn't? Shouldn't?" Tenchi took a step toward Washuu. "If you think you're going to use that bubble on me--"  
  
Just then, Tris exclaimed, "There goes Ryoko!"  
  
They all turned to watch. Ryoko streaked blurringly toward the blob, which was still considerably crumpled-looking. Now it was waving its tendrils feebly. She held out both arms. Radiant red force beams jumped from her outstretched hands and slammed into the squirming mass of the entity. The latter let out another bellow. They all heard Ryoko laugh with glee. More and more force beams blasted from her hands, hammering the pulsating, blubbery form of the mind monster. When she was within range of its tendrils, she again teleported out of harm's way. The mind monster missed her again.  
  
"That's one sick-looking blob!" Tris noted with delight.  
  
"I'll say!" Tenchi agreed with equal delight, forgetting about Washuu and her plasma bubble for the moment.  
  
"It really looks hurt!" Sasami agreed hopefully. "And here come Kiyone and Mihoshi again in Yagami!"  
  
The Yagami had regained her pre-attack position, hovering with the aid of her stabilizer jets. Now the sleekly pointed nose of the Galaxy Police cruiser pointed downward and its rear afterburners roared. Again, the precipitously steep dive, down, down, to the frantically undulating flesh-colored blob behemoth. Again, seemingly at the last possible moment, the starship broke the dive, climbing rapidly, while unleashing a torrent of quasar beams from its extended cannons. The beams hammered the entity, crackling and flashing, white-hot, against that obscene blubbery mass. The entity again tried to ensnare the ship with its tendrils and failed miserably. It had also visibly shrunk into itself again, making noises that were faintly reminiscent of groans. The Yagami, triumphant again, streaked away from the mind monster.  
  
"That thing's really getting its ass whupped," Tris said. "Look at it. It was ugly before, but now it's ugly and sorry-looking."  
  
"Yeah, it's hurt and hurt badly," Tenchi agreed. "It's about time! Ryoko was right. We have the firepower to defeat it."  
  
"Looks that way, all right," Washuu said. "Don't know why quasar beams should prove to be so much more effective against it than Ryoko's fireballs and her and Ryo-Ohki's force beams, though."  
  
"That is a good point, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho noted quietly.  
  
"Maybe it's just something that works better," Sasami guessed. "We don't know much about it, do we?"  
  
"No, we don't," Washuu admitted ruefully. "I sure don't know enough about it. I'm trying to gather as much data about it as I can, but there are other priorities, you know...like trying to keep us alive." She placed heavy significance on that last sentence.  
  
Tenchi looked at Washuu. He knew what she was hinting at. "We understand, Washuu. If you can come up with something to help us, that's what you need to do. But that plasma bubble! I'll pass."  
  
"But, Tenchi--"  
  
"I said, I'll pass!" Tenchi was getting testy. Being cooped up on that spot, worrying about how injured his elderly grandfather really was, dreading the possible arrival of his father into harm's way at any moment, and anticipating the dangerous task before him--all these combined to strain his normally easy-going nature. But Tenchi had a firm grip on himself and he quickly recovered. "Sorry, Washuu. It's a tremendous thing you've accomplished, I know. If I don't succeed, well...okay. We'll need your invention then. But I'm going to succeed--and I don't want anything slowing me up. Right?"  
  
Washuu nodded. "Right, Tenchi. Like I said, it's just defensive."  
  
"Sounds pretty offensive to me--ants in the pants!" Tris muttered.  
  
"It's time to finish this," Tenchi said, ignoring Tris's comment. He watched Ryoko and then the Yagami circle back to their attack positions once more. "When they attack that thing again--I'm going in, too." He hefted Sword Tenchi. Its burning, blazing blade seemed as indomitable as the young man who wielded it.  
  
"Very good, grandson," Lord Yosho approved. "Do not make my mistake. Join into battle with the entity just as the others are doing likewise. That way, it will have three enemies to defend against at the same time."  
  
"You didn't make a mistake, Grandfather," Tenchi protested. "It was just bad luck."  
  
"We make our own luck, Tenchi," Lord Yosho said quietly. "I have told you that many times. I have trained you as well as I can. You are ready for the battle, grandson. You must rely on that and forget about my failure. That is all the luck you need."  
  
"Yes, Grandfather," Tenchi said just as quietly.  
  
No one else spoke. Most of them were visibly tense and anxious. As soon as Ryoko and Yagami attacked the mind monster, Tenchi was going to risk all for one quick lunge of his incredible power sword into that huge roiling mass of evil and corruption and hatred.  
  
Yet there seemed no reason for anxiety. As Ryoko dived in toward the entity, the latter seemed to actually cringe at her approach. It shrunk into itself even more, its huge yellow eye rolling with agitation, its tendrils snapping at the diving form of the space pirate seemingly with more timidity than threat.  
  
It was a truly theatrical show. So theatrical that Tris muttered, almost unconsciously, "Kabuki." He was referring to the ancient Japanese theater, where the actors wore masks and everything was pantomimed ritualistically. Tris had only sat through an actual performance once...it really wasn't his cup of tea, although he respected the tradition behind it. Tris had no idea why he said what he did and quickly disregarded it.  
  
Everyone else seemed to either ignored Tris's comment or just assign it as another silly outburst from him. Except Lord Yosho. He frowned. The word was more than just an inconsequential utterance, he felt certain. He tried to discern its hidden meaning,  
  
"Okay. Right after Ryoko zaps that thing and Yagami joins in, I'm off," Tenchi said.  
  
"Perfect," Washuu said, looking up. "That's exactly the right moment. You'll whip that blob, Tenchi!" She looked back down at her console. There might have been a hint of moisture in her eyes.  
  
"Good lucky, buddy," Tris said, keeping his voice light. "When you get back, we'll go get the stuff for the pizza, right?"  
  
Tenchi grinned at Tris. He appreciated his friend's upbeat approach to what might be their last moments together. "Right! You still have that shopping list, Sasami?"  
  
"Shopping list? Oh...yes, Tenchi," Sasami replied softly. "You come back to us...okay?"  
  
"That's a promise, Sasami." Tenchi glanced at his grandfather, who seemed lost in thought. He shrugged. Grandfather didn't need to tell him anything now. Everything had already been said.  
  
Now they all watched Ryoko once again zoom from above the treetops toward the mind monster. She laughingly unleashed two fireballs that covered most of the entity with blazing flame. Then she pummeled its gelatinous bulk with a brace of force beams. The entity's flaying tendrils missed her as usual. She laughed once more. They could hear her shout:  
  
"That's the best you can do, Ugly? Think I'll let Kiyone and Mihoshi finish you off. I've wasted enough time on you, already!" She quickly zoomed above the entity to get a ringside seat for the Yagami's attack.  
  
Tenchi grinned. That Ryoko! Yes, she deserved a kiss or two...or even three...right after this battle was over. Now he braced himself.  
  
The Yagami, with a scream of power and speed, dived toward the entity.  
  
Tenchi began to run. Quickly, his sprint became a distance-eating dash. He was in superb physical condition. He had trained to razor sharpness. His mind was fully on his task. Sword Tenchi blazed like a beacon in his grasp. He ran and ran, heart pounding, blood singing, toward the mind monster. In seconds, he was halfway there.  
  
From where he sat watching his grandson's run at the enemy, Lord Yosho straightened suddenly with realization. Kabuki! Masks! False faces! Deception! He yelled, "Tenchi! Come back!" But his grandson couldn't hear him. The Yagami's roaring dive toward the entity drowned out his voice. The starship reached the limit of its dive, firing its cannons as it did. White-hot quasar beams pounded the entity. The red Galaxy Police cruiser pulled up from the screaming dive, climbing rapidly. Tenchi was close to the entry now. Just a few seconds more, and--  
  
And then everything went to hell.  
  
With a thunderous roar that sent out vibrations that everyone could feel, the entity suddenly, monstrously, expanded back to its normal-- abnormal--size. Still climbing for altitude, the Yagami nearly hit it. Ryoko suddenly found herself eyeballs-to-eyeball with the mind monster of Professor Klove. It wasn't a fond look they exchanged. Ryoko tried to teleport, but one of the blob's tendrils wrapped around her. She screamed as her writhing body was again encased in flashing incandescence. The pain was searing, excruciating--another tendril wrapped around her--then a third. Ryoko screamed again.  
  
"God--Ryoko--" Washuu gasped. "She's got to get away from that damned thing--got to break free--"  
  
"If only she can..." Lord Yosho murmured. "If only..." To Tris, watching the scene with alarm, it sounded more like a prayer than a speculation.  
  
"Break free, Ryoko!" Sasami pleaded, standing up from where she had been kneeling beside Ayeka. "Ryoko!"  
  
But the space pirate only struggled in the searing grip of those galvanizing tendrils, seemingly in vain. Then, a moment later, another catastrophe occurred.  
  
A tendril snapped. A glowing green globule hurtled into the air from it. The glowing glob smacked squishily into Yagami's aft, right into her rear exhaust. The Yagami, no more than fifty feet in the air now, shuddered. When the glowing green slime evaporated from her rear exhausts seconds later, only a weak glow was emitted by the thrusters. Yagami lost speed rapidly and had to employ her side stabilizer rockets to right herself.  
  
"What?" Tris shouted, floored by the sight.  
  
"Damn, that Klove is a cagey bastard!" Washuu groaned. "He hit Yagami in the one spot her shields can't cover--her rear thrusters. Her exhaust plume has to have a way of escaping the shields or the ship would be surrounded by its own exhaust."  
  
"Can--can they stay airborne?" Sasami asked anxiously.  
  
"Just barely. But they've got to get away from that blob, now!"  
  
And disaster still wasn't through with them yet.  
  
With two foes no longer a threat, the mind monster rolled its glaring eyeball toward the rapidly approaching figure of Tenchi Masaki. It began to snap over a dozen tendrils at once, sending a flood of the deadly green globules at Tenchi, who was only fifteen feet away.  
  
With a curse and a inward groan at the catastrophe, his heart sinking as he saw the Yagami crippled and Ryoko squirming in the entity's grasp, Tenchi had to start swinging Sword Tenchi in a wide arc to deflect the barrage of globules--just as his grandfather had done.  
  
He had failed...just like Grandfather.  
  
Back at the spot they shared with the unconscious and slowly sinking Ayeka and her two Guardians, Lord Yosho, Washuu, Tris, and Sasami simply watched, horrified, impotent, confounded by the stunning and calamitous turn of events. Their new optimism, their surging hope, all was quashed. They numbly listened to Ryoko scream and scream in the mind monster's searing grip.  
  
It took a lot, one hell of a lot, to make Ryoko scream like that--she had to be dying, horribly, in the killing grasp of those tendrils-- just as Professor Klove had promised she would. The Yagami could barely make any headway with most of her rear thruster engines gone, thanks to the invading plasma globule. And Tenchi was obliged to swing Sword Tenchi quickly, almost blurringly so, in order to deflect the rain of green globules splashing and flaring all around him. His face was a rictus of concentration that also mirrored his inner torment at hearing Ryoko in so much horrible pain and being unable to help her.  
  
Huddled against the folds of Lord Yosho's kimono, Ryo-Ohki cried and cried at her mistress's screams.  
  
Lord Yosho's eyes closed tightly at the sight of the disaster. Then he opened his eyes. "Professor Washuu," he said quietly. "Please employ your plasma bubble to assist my grandson. He can advance no further. He must retreat now."  
  
"Yes, Lord Yosho," Washuu said miserably. Lord Yosho had just announced their failure, a failure that would likely soon lead to their demise.  
  
Washuu marveled that she had lived so very long and had done so many things, just to die on this hick planet. Then suddenly she thought of Nobuyuki. The great scientist was glad that Nobie was away from danger...yet she also wished he were there for her to hold a final time. Ryoko's anguished screams shook Washuu badly. She suddenly realized how much she truly liked--and yes, loved--the sassy space pirate. Please don't let her suffer long, Washuu prayed, but to what she prayed to, she really didn't know.  
  
Again, Klove had outfoxed them, Washuu knew. The force beams and fireballs and quasar beams had hurt the entity, but not seriously. It had only been shamming, cagily. Klove had manipulated them like game pieces, luring both Ryoko and Kiyone and Mihoshi in the Yagami closer and closer to him so he could inflict the maximum damage on them. He had also lured Tenchi to him, spoiling the only chance the young Juraian Prince had to attack with Sword Tenchi with any real hope of success. Now Washuu was about to use up nearly all of her power reserves to help Tenchi retreat from the mind monster, the incredible cerebral creation from the Dream Dimension. Then she was finished too, just like the rest of them. Clinically, she couldn't help wondering how Klove would kill her. She felt certain it would be interesting, if unpleasant.  
  
Then she steeled herself and began working at her console. She could at least help Tenchi return to them. She depressed a final touchpad.  
  
Suddenly, a wavering glow settled around Tenchi. The green globules slammed into it and slid off it, wetly--it was rather as if the young man were encased in a transparent plastic blister, one that the horribly corrosive globules could not penetrate. Her invention was a success! A costly success, though. Tremendous power had to be expended every second to keep such a stupendously strong force field in operation. Washuu watched as the power meters on her console's screen registered full power...nine-tenths power...  
  
"Tenchi!" she shouted. "Sheath your sword! Run back here as fast as you can! I can't keep the power in the bubble up much longer!"  
  
"Yes, grandson, hurry!" Lord Yosho called. Anxiety was etched on his normally placid face.  
  
"Meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki also urged.  
  
Tris and Sasami were silent, both praying with everything they were worth--not only for Tenchi but also for Ryoko, whose screams had tapered off now, frighteningly--and for Kiyone and Mihoshi aboard the badly damaged Yagami as well.  
  
"Ow! Yeow! Damn it! Washuu!"  
  
Tenchi was trying to hurry. But the hundreds of tiny eruptions of pain on his exposed skin had him hopping and rubbing himself, frenziedly. Washuu had been correct about the effect of the plasma bubble on him--he felt as if he were being eaten alive by ants--fire ants. Their electric bites itched and stung, abominably.  
  
But somehow, he managed to hop-run back the group, still jerking and jolting in pain, rubbing himself in a dozen placed with his free hand, the hand not holding Sword Tenchi. He had obeyed Washuu and sheathed Sword Tenchi, fortunately--his pain-induced gyrations might have caused him to inadvertently puncture the protective bubble.  
  
Washuu saw with alarm that her lab's power banks were down to one- half of capacity. The equivalent of an entire civilized planet's power output had been expended in a moment! Damn that Jurai power, the power that made those globs so potent! It made even her mighty power banks seem puny.  
  
"Run like hell, Tenchi! I'll be out of juice in a few minutes!"  
  
Cursing and yelping and rubbing himself, Tenchi somehow managed to run, hoppingly, a bit faster. The rapid-firing glowing green globules kept plastering the transparent energy bubble that encased him and kept sliding off. Finally, Tenchi made it to safety--he was within a few yards of the small group that watched his painful gyrations anxiously. The barrage of globules ceased abruptly, as the entity evidently noted that it was in danger of hitting the Princess if it continued.  
  
Azaka II and Kamidake II almost lifted from the grass. But the threat to Ayeka didn't materialize and they remained in place, talking fretfully to each other and imploring the Princess to awaken.  
  
Of course, she didn't. Her shallow breathing and her now-waxy skin indicated she would never wake up again. Sasami now sat beside her big sister's prone form on the grass and grieved silently, both for Ayeka and for Ryoko, who was now hanging, limp and silent, in the mind monster's tendrils. The little girl had run out of tears, it seemed. But not out of grief.  
  
Now the shimmering essence faded away from Tenchi. The plasma bubble had burst, more or less. He groaned with utter, thankful, shuddering relief, stumbled a few yards, and all but collapsed at Tris's feet. Tris grabbed him, steadied him.  
  
As he did, Washuu saw on the viewscreen of her portable console that her main power banks were now empty. If she were back in her sub- dimensional lab, she could fire up the immense dynamos and recharge her power stores. Of course, it would take a little while to do so. Funny...that was one function that she hadn't created a remote access for so she could activate it from the console. Of course, she hadn't seen the need for it. Oh, well--another mistake on her part. Now her console was running on its own battery stores. Those would last a little while...probably longer, she reflected fatalistically, than she would herself.  
  
Lord Yosho rose painfully and hobbled over to his grandson. He gently took Tenchi from Tris and embraced his grandson, briefly.  
  
"Grandfather," Tenchi panted. He was soaked with sweat, and tiny fiery red pinpoints dotted his face, hands, and forearms from being encased in the plasma bubble. "You shouldn't be walking."  
  
"Yes, I should, grandson," Lord Yosho said to him. "I must be on my feet. No matter what happens, no foe must ever find a Juraian Prince on his knees." He released his grandson. "You did your best, Tenchi. We must now be prepared for what fate has in store for us."  
  
"Yes, Grandfather," Tenchi said. His voice was hoarse but firm. He was another Juraian Prince who would meet his enemy on his feet.  
  
He looked past his grandfather at the now inert and silent form of Ryoko, still being held by the entity's tentacle-like tendrils. God, I'm sorry, Ryoko, he thought. Sorry was a horribly inadequate word, but it was the only word he had. Ryoko was gone and Ayeka was all but gone. The two women who had meant so much to him...gone. Tenchi felt completely empty inside. The only thing to fill that void was duty--duty to his friends who remained alive. He must continue fighting to defend them, even unto death.  
  
"Sorry about putting you through all that, Tenchi," Washuu apologized. "I didn't have time to develop a buffer--"  
  
"Don't apologize, Washuu," Tenchi said. "You saved my life. That thing meant to kill me. It would have, too, if it weren't for your invention. You're the greatest genius in the galaxy--you truly are."  
  
"Some genius!" Washuu said forlornly. "Out of power! I can't do a damned thing now...except monitor what's going to happen next."  
  
"Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho said, "please contact Yagami and instruct our Detectives to depart immediately. That obscenity will be robbed of a few victims at least. And we can still defeat Professor Klove's overall scheme."  
  
"Right!" Tenchi exclaimed. "They can tell the GP and the Galactic Union what really happened here. That should stop any suspicion that Ayeka was responsible. We can prevent a galactic civil war, at least--"  
  
He was interrupted by a piercing scream--no, not a scream, a high- pitched yell--a yell of triumph. And it came from the entity--but not from the entity--from something else--someone else--  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted, flabbergasted, ecstatic, and overwhelmed with joy.  
  
Mustering all her powers, her indomitable courage, and her protean love for Tenchi, Ryoko now broke free of the tendrils that held her. The space pirate darted into the air above the mind monster. No, she wasn't dead--it seemed she could do a little shamming, too. She streaked away from the entity, avoiding the tendrils that snapped and grasped at her. She teleported just before a shower of globules saturated the spot she had occupied a second ago.  
  
Far from the entity now, Ryoko reappeared. Her sheath dress was in tatters and her exposed skin gleamed with red stripes of fiery inflammation. Ryoko looked as if she had just survived a jaunt through a meat grinder. But she was alive and airborne. She grinned shakily, and blew another kiss at her Tenchi.  
  
"Meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki scampered from Lord Yosho's feet. "Meow! Meow!" The cabbit literally hopped with euphoria.  
  
"That blob tried to get fresh with me, sweetums!" Ryoko called. "But I told it I only have eyes for you!"  
  
"Ryoko! Thank God!" Tenchi shouted, joyfully. He felt tears moisten his eyes. He blinked them away.  
  
"Damn, Ryoko!" Washuu exclaimed, her voice catching a bit. "You're just flat out amazing!"  
  
"You sure are, Ryoko!" Tris agreed. "You're the best! The best!"  
  
Lord Yosho nodded, his face beaming. He agreed with Tristram's assessment absolutely.  
  
Staring up at the resurrected space pirate, little Sasami discovered she did have a few tears left, after all. She shed those happy tears now, overjoyed that Ryoko hadn't been killed.  
  
Hearing Tenchi, Tris's, and Washuu's return shouts, Ryoko grinned at them and gave them the thumbs-up sign. She pointed to the blob and made a nasty face. Then she made motions with her hands. Clearly, she was going to rest up a moment and then attack Klove's mind monster again. The space pirate was determined to keep on fighting.  
  
"Ryoko is an indomitable warrior," Lord Yosho observed meditatively. "Such a warrior can never be defeated, not truly."  
  
"That Ryoko's a scrapper all right." Washuu nodded in relieved agreement. "Now, if she'll just get aboard Ryo-Ohki and get the hell out of here...that'll be four survivors."  
  
"Right!" Tenchi bent down to pick up Ryo-Ohki. But the cabbit just scuttled away from him. Then Ryo-Ohki stopped and regarded Tenchi with love and understanding...and also with an unshakeable resolution. Tenchi tried a few more times, but Ryo-Ohki kept scampering out of his reach. "What wrong with her?" he demanded, frustrated, grabbing at the cabbit again.  
  
"Oh, Tenchi," Sasami said sadly. "Ryo-Ohki won't leave us--because she knows that Ryoko won't. Don't you realize that?"  
  
Tenchi stopped. He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah...I guess I do, Sasami."  
  
"I should have realized that, too," Lord Yosho admitted, somehow still standing upright without assistance despite the massive burn wound on his side.  
  
"Well, that makes it cozy," Washuu said ironically. "That damned Klove probably is counting on that--Ryoko's love for Tenchi to keep her here rather than her scooting off."  
  
"But there's still Kiyone and Mihoshi!" Tris pointed out. His fear had subsided greatly now; he was resigned to what seemed to be the inevitable. His only concern was that Kiyone and Mihoshi survive. It was about the only thing preventing him from just curling up into a ball and waiting for Klove's mind monster to flambé him. "Weren't you going to call them and tell them to scram out of here?"  
  
Lord Yosho and Tenchi nodded in agreement. "If you would please put through that call now, Miss Washuu," Lord Yosho requested.  
  
"Right, Grandpa." Washuu began to punch touchpads on her console keyboard. "Kiyone? Mihoshi? Can you hear--?"  
  
Before she could finish the sentence, Washuu's communication was rendered moot.  
  
As the Yagami continued to limp away from the entity, attempting to gain more altitude, the mind monster gave what looked like a contemptuous flick of one of its tendrils. Instantly, a pulsating green globule blasted from the tip of the tendril and once again found the exhaust aperture in the ship's shields. It hit the Yagami's rear thruster exhausts again with deadly accuracy.  
  
The red starship shuddered--and her glowing rear thrusters were suddenly dark.  
  
"Damn it--no!" Tris cried, fear welling in him again.  
  
Washuu looked up from her console. Her expression was grimly tragic. "That last glob completely quenched Yagami's reactor core. They need to re-ignite it--and they don't have time. They're fifty feet in the air now and they're going to crash--and nothing can stop it."  
  
As if to underline her assessment, with a final sputter of thrusters that refused to function, the Yagami dropped like a stone. The red starship hurtled to the ground. She was a sturdy vessel, constructed of the strongest alloys in the galaxy. When she hit the ground she likely wouldn't be too badly damaged, wouldn't crack open...but her two occupants wouldn't be so fortunate.  
  
------  
  
Inside the Yagami, those two occupants were facing certain death in surprisingly different ways.  
  
Kiyone sat in her pilot seat, looking helplessly, hopelessly, at the heads-up displays that told her the ship's engines had flamed out, that reactor re-ignition would take ten more minutes, that they were dead ducks--her hands gripped the armrests so tightly her knuckles were white. She felt the sudden lurch and then the plummet. She stayed put--by the time she made it to the escape pods, it would be too late. Now she looked at Mihoshi. She wanted to say something, something affectionate maybe, before they died together. But--she saw that her partner was frantically pushing touchpads on her console, her pretty tanned face rigid with concentration.  
  
"Mihoshi, what are you doing? This is it, damn it, don't you realize we're going to die and--"  
  
"No we're not, Kiyone!" Mihoshi punched a touchpad.  
  
Kiyone felt a tremendous lurch--felt herself compressed deep into her seat--and also felt her stomach turn somersaults. But--the ship had stopped falling!  
  
"Mihoshi--what--how--?" she sputtered, astonished.  
  
"I took manual control of the power grid--I diverted all the back-up battery power for the life-support system--we don't need it now because we're so close to the ground. I diverted the battery power to the stabilizers," Mihoshi explained breathlessly.  
  
"Good God!" Kiyone was stunned. Taking control of the Yagami's power grid--those hundreds of miles of circuitry--and overriding the mandated flow of battery power to the life support system--that was an impossibly complex task. Kiyone's head swam just at the thought of attempting it from her console. But it wasn't impossible--their engines had flamed out, yet they had stopped falling. The side stabilizer rockets had to be working, somehow. Mihoshi had done it! That dizzy, wonderful ding-dong had done it! The teal-haired Galaxy Police officer felt a new sensation--awe. Awe for her bubble-headed screw-up of a partner.  
  
"Mihoshi--you wonderful--!" Kiyone started to praise her fulsomely-- and then the ship dropped again!  
  
"What the hell--Mihoshi--!"  
  
"We--We don't have enough battery power to keep the stabilizers on long," Mihoshi explained apologetically as they hurtled down. "I can only turn them on for a few times, for a few seconds--so we'll have to drop and stop."  
  
"Stop! Stop now!" Kiyone demanded. The sensation of falling so rapidly made her dizzy, not to mention sick to her stomach.  
  
"Okay!" Mihoshi punched the touchpad again. The ship stopped plummeting. Kiyone and Mihoshi were pushed deep into their seats again from the g-force. Kiyone felt as if her stomach was laying on the bridge's floor somewhere.  
  
"Only a second, Kiyone--then we'll have to drop again--we're almost out of battery power--"  
  
Kiyone began to reply--and then, sure enough, they dropped again.  
  
It was a hell of a ride--the question was whether they'd survive it. Mihoshi had to time it perfectly and use the stabilizers wisely. They likely had only power enough for one more stop. If so--and they stopped again too soon--they'd have a fatal fall remaining to Earth. If she waited too late--they might hit the ground before the stabilizers could buoy up the ship. For the first time in a long time, Kiyone prayed.  
  
------  
  
Tris had been praying, too, for Kiyone and Mihoshi, as he watched their ship drop like a stone. Then he stopped praying and just stared--as did the others--as the crippled starship suddenly stopped in mid-air with all the grace of a drunken goose. But it did stop.  
  
"Oh, thank--" he began. Then he saw the Yagami fall again.  
  
"Damn!" he shouted. "What the holy hell--!"  
  
"What's happening?" Sasami cried.  
  
"Washuu--?" Tenchi knew whom to ask.  
  
Washuu had been frantically tapping away at her console's keyboard. She whistled appreciatively when she read the viewscreen. "That's what I call inspired! They diverted Yagami's battery power to the stabilizers. Only enough power to fire those stabilizers just a few quick times. But it may be enough to save them."  
  
Although her comments were heard, they weren't entirely absorbed by the others. The Yagami was falling again, after a second momentary pause. Gasps and cries of dismay rose from the group as they watched the Yagami plummet to Earth again.  
  
Suddenly Ryoko loomed overhead. "What the hell are they doing?" she demanded. "Are they nuts?"  
  
A heartbeat later, less than fifteen feet above the ground, the Yagami halted once more, as her stabilizer rockets spurted again. The ship once more hung in the air momentarily--then it dropped to Earth.  
  
"Out of power!" Washuu announced.  
  
The Yagami slammed into the ground, massively. The force of the red starship's immense bulk pounded the sod and threw up billowing dust clouds. The ship dug deep into the turf. The ground shook with the impact.  
  
The dust clouds slowly dissipated.  
  
The Yagami lay on the ground, apparently undamaged. But she was alloy and polymer, not flesh and bone. And that had been a long, hard drop.  
  
"Are they alive?" Tris all but jumped with agitation, his face a contorted mask of anxiety. "Are they--?"  
  
Washuu held up her hand as she scanned her console screen. Then she grinned with fathomless relief. "You can put it back in neutral, cutie. They're alive! I'm reading their body heat signatures clearly inside their ship. They're not only alive, they're moving around in there."  
  
"Oh, thank God!" Tris felt suddenly weak...weak as a newborn kitten with relief. Tenchi patted his shoulder, with a grin wide enough to split his face. Behind him, Sasami's eyes teared with joy. Washuu looked a bit misty eyed as well. Lord Yosho smiled broadly.  
  
"Damn, that's great!" Ryoko said, hovering above them all. "That's one hell of a rotten landing, though. Bet they got headaches that won't quit!"  
  
The Yagami had settled some thirty feet from the group, quite near the lake. The soft spring sunlight made the spacecraft's red hull glisten. Staring at it, Tris spotted the exit hatch on the Yagami's starboard side that faced them. "They'll be coming out of that," he pointed. "That hatch there. I'll just go meet them--"  
  
Tenchi grabbed him, tightly. "No, you don't!"  
  
"Huh? Let go!"  
  
"No!" Tenchi's voice brooked no argument. "Listen, bonehead. You leave this area and that monster will roast you with those glob things. You saw how accurate it is--it threw them straight at me and Grandfather. You stay here!"  
  
"But--" Tris struggled in Tenchi's grasp. He was finding out how strong Tenchi was--especially when he sought to save a friend from his own stupidity.  
  
"Tris, they don't need you with them," Washuu told him, her voice as firm as Tenchi's. "What if you pull one of your usual boners and fall? They'll have to stop and try to help you. Then all three of you will be toast. Just let them get out of their ship and make their way here to us the best they can. That's the only way, cutie."  
  
Tris, despite his extreme, heart-pounding anxiety for Kiyone and Mihoshi, knew they were talking sense to him. He had to admit that tripping at critical times was an old story with him. "Okay, you're right," he said dispiritedly. Tenchi released him.  
  
"Yeah, you stay there, goofball!" Ryoko called down to him. "I'll just fly over to Yagami and--"  
  
"Look out!"  
  
Lord Yosho, who had kept his eye on Professor Klove's creation, suddenly called out, urgently.  
  
Ryoko turned her head in the direction of the mind monster. "Yikes!" She zoomed toward the heavens and teleported from view. Immediately, the sky overhead seemed filled with scores of the glowing green globules. But they weren't aimed at Ryoko, not this time. They were meant for the Yagami--and its occupants.  
  
Like computer-guided artillery shells, the green globules soared into the air, then arced downward in a perfect trajectory toward the crashed Galaxy Police ship. Those globules slammed into the ship's hull. They burst gelatinously on that hull, spreading their corrosive liquid fire. Tenchi and the others held their breaths, fearing the worst. Yet the fiery slime did not penetrate the hull.  
  
"Yagami's too strong for that stuff!" Tris crowed. "That blob's wasting its time!"  
  
"Yeah, thank goodness!" Tenchi agreed, relieved. "Good to know something can stand up to those damned globs."  
  
"Well, Yagami is constructed of the strongest alloys known. Ryo-Ohki's more organic in her makeup--more vulnerable to a corrosive plasma," Washuu pondered. "That could explain it."  
  
"Who cares--as long as they're safe in there," Tris said.  
  
"Maybe...maybe Kiyone and Mihoshi can get Yagami going again!" Sasami said hopefully. "They can still get away!"  
  
"Could be," Washuu nodded. "It'll take a little while to fire up the reactor and then get the thrusters warm..." Washuu was an expert on the Yagami, having repaired her more than once. She kept punching touchpads, analyzing Yagami's operational condition and also keeping tabs on the movements of Kiyone and Mihoshi within. "Those two are getting around just fine in there," she added. "They were badly shaken no doubt, but I'll bet they weren't really injured. Their pilot seats are designed to absorb impact."  
  
"Thanks, Washuu," Tris said gratefully. He knew that the redheaded scientist had tossed out those last few sentences especially for his benefit. Then he frowned as he saw more of the glowing green globules smack wetly against Yagami's hull, again seemingly without effect. "That's weird," he noted. "I thought that blob thing was intelligent."  
  
"It is intelligent," Washuu said. "Remember, that thing is really Klove's mind--his brain waves, materialized into form and substance."  
  
"Well, he must have had a brain dump," Tris countered. "That thing keeps raining those globs on Yagami even when they aren't doing diddly squat to it. That's pretty dumb."  
  
"Yeah, it sure seems like that blob's wasting its energy," Tenchi agreed. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."  
  
"I sincerely hope that it is indeed wasting its efforts," Lord Yosho murmured. But he looked worried.  
  
The barrage of green globules was steady now, becoming a constant splatter of the horribly corrosive but seemingly ineffectual plasma weapon on the red Galaxy Police cruiser's fuselage.  
  
"It does seem odd," Sasami noted. "It doesn't stop. I wonder why?"  
  
Staring at her console's screen that displayed the Yagami's vital statistics, Washuu's face suddenly grew troubled. "Uh-oh. Klove does have a reason for pelting Yagami with those globs--damn it!"  
  
"What reason, Washuu?" Tenchi queried.  
  
"Those plasma globules radiate a lot of heat as well as corrosive power," Washuu explained, her voice distressed. "All those globs hitting Yagami's hull have raised its temperature--about fifty degrees higher!" She glanced up from her console. "Look--you can see it."  
  
They all now regarded the Yagami. Indeed, the ship was emitting a haze that distorted the air around it--indicative of a very high temperature.  
  
"Fifty degrees higher? They'll roast in there!" Tris exclaimed.  
  
"And the temperature just rose another five degrees," Washuu reported. "I get it now. Klove could just melt Yagami's hull with those globs at full intensity. But he's using a lower intensity-- just because he wants to parboil those two, the sick bastard! He's enjoying himself, and he's conserving his own energy, too."  
  
Still more green plasma globules splattered on the Yagami's hull, courtesy of the mind monster. Tris imagined he could feel the heat now radiating from the Yagami. He felt sick.  
  
"Again, Professor Klove had out-maneuvered us," Lord Yosho said quietly but sorrowfully. "Our two Detectives must leave Yagami or perish from the heat within--yet by escaping the heat, they will expose themselves to Klove's weapons."  
  
"Exactly, Grandpa," Washuu said glumly. "Talk about being between the devil and the deep blue sea!"  
  
"Hell!" Tris said.  
  
"That's exactly what it must feel like inside Yagami," Washuu agreed, shaking her head. "Temperature's up another ten degrees."  
  
"They've got to get out of there!" Tenchi said, appalled.  
  
"Oh, no! No!" Sasami cried, as a terrible thought came to her. "Maybe they can't get out--maybe the exit doors are stuck from all the heat!"  
  
"God, no!" Tris groaned.  
  
"Ryoko! Ryoko!" Tenchi yelled anxiously, noting that she was no longer with the group. If anyone could help--  
  
Moments later, the platinum-haired space pirate appeared a few feet above him. Tenchi had interrupted her rest, high up in a tree where the mind monster couldn't see her. "Yes, sweetums--what is it?"  
  
"We think Yagami's hatches may be stuck," Tenchi told her tersely. "Kiyone and Mihoshi have to get out of there! Yagami's becoming an oven because of those damned glob things. Can you--"  
  
"--get a hatch open?" Ryoko finished for him. "Well, I guess so, Tenchi. Once all those globs stop flying around the ship."  
  
But the globule barrage showed no sign of abating. Still, Ryoko readied herself to streak to Yagami once it did. She hoped she wouldn't be too late.  
  
Suddenly the side hatch of the red starship slid open. An instant later, the figures of Kiyone and Mihoshi, looking somewhat mussed in their work shirts and short-shorts, scrambled out.  
  
"See? That hatch works just fine, sweetums," Ryoko told Tenchi.  
  
"Run! Run Kiyone! Mihoshi! Run over here!" Tris shouted.  
  
Both Kiyone and Mihoshi started running all right--they ran like cheetahs, somehow avoiding the corrosive slime from the plasma globules splattering against their ship. They sprinted like Olympic hopefuls. Their bare legs flashed, their bare feet pounded the turf, their arms pumped frenziedly. But they ran around Yagami, not toward the group, but away from it--and toward the lake.  
  
"Hey, stop--no, no, don't stop! I mean--come over here!" Tris shouted again, totally confused at what he was seeing.  
  
Meanwhile, noting that its prey had left the red-hot death trap it had devised, the mind monster now directed its globules at the two fleeing Galaxy Police officers. But Kiyone and Mihoshi both ran a serpentine pattern and the entity's aim was not equal to the challenge--it was just too far away from them for total accuracy.  
  
"Could that landing have knocked them silly or something?" Ryoko asked, still hovering above Tenchi, as she watched Kiyone and Mihoshi sprint toward the glistening lake.  
  
"I don't know," Tenchi replied, nonplussed. "Why would they run away from the only safe spot around here?"  
  
"It doesn't make sense," Sasami said fretfully. "Oh, I wish they were with us now!"  
  
"Perhaps there is method in their apprent madness," Lord Yosho suggested mildly. He stepped forward, wincing at the pain in his side, so that he could observe the antics of the two Galaxy Police Officers more clearly.  
  
"That's right, Grandpa!" Washuu said, grinning. "Now I know what those two are up to."  
  
"Huh?" Tris asked. "What?"  
  
"Just watch," Washuu told him.  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi reached the bank of the lake now. Without a moment's hesitation, both of them dove into the blue water and disappeared.  
  
"What the hell?" Tris shouted. What had been confusing before was now even more so.  
  
"What a crazy time for a swim!" Ryoko commented. "They must be bonkers."  
  
"No, they're smart--damned smart," Washuu insisted. Lord Washuu nodded, his injured body relaxing with his relief.  
  
Several glowing green globules smacked into the water right where Kiyone and Mihoshi had dived in. The globules raised some steam but otherwise did no damage. Then the heads of Kiyone and Mihoshi popped up from the surface of the lake a distance away. More green globules came at them. Their head disappeared under the water. The globules slammed into the water where their heads had been, again sending up plumes of steam. Then Kiyone's and Mihoshi's heads popped up again, many yards away.  
  
"You see, that mind monster of Klove's can't see into the lake...any more than we can," Washuu explained.  
  
"I get it!" Tris was giddy with relief and admiration for the two smart and plucky Galaxy Police officers. "When that blob sends some of those plasma things their way, those two just dive under the water and come up someplace else. That lake's too big for even that damned blob to cover it all."  
  
"That's right, cutie." Washuu nodded. "Of course, now they're stuck there in that lake. They don't dare move from it or those flying globs will get them. But they're safe for now. That's one heck of a brainy girlfriend you've got there--and her partner's no slouch either."  
  
"You said a mouthful, Washuu!" Tris agreed.  
  
"Then they meant to do that?" Ryoko said. "They figured all that out before they left their ship? Well, damn...how about that?"  
  
"That's so smart! Hurray for them!" Sasami clapped her hands. Beside her, Azaka II and Kamidake II blinked happily as they talked to each other, commending the two Galaxy Police officers for their ingenuity.  
  
"Yes, Sasami. Hurry for them!" Tenchi agreed.  
  
"Our two Detectives are resourceful, indeed," Lord Yosho murmured gratefully. "That is good. Resourcefulness is what we all need now."  
  
"What do you mean by that, Grandfather?" Tenchi asked, sensing the elder Juraian Prince's comment was meant to be more significant than it sounded.  
  
"Our Detectives have finally out-witted Professor Klove, if only in a minor way," Lord Yosho pointed out. He was right. The mind monster had ceased flinging its corrosive green globules at the lake. It seemed to realize that, for the moment, attacking the two women was fruitless. "That's what we must do also if we are to survive and stop Professor Klove's scheme to destroy the Galactic Union."  
  
"Survive?" Washuu queried. "I hate to be a wet blanket, Grandpa, but we're just about out of options. Sure, Ryoko can still fight--"  
  
"You bet I can still fight!" Ryoko snarled above them. "That creep gave me a mussing up, that's all. It's personal now. I'm going to kick its flabby butt! Watch me!"  
  
"And I can still fight, Washuu," Tenchi said. He hefted Sword Tenchi. "As Grandfather said, this sword has the supreme Jurai power. I'm sure I can kill that damned thing. I just have to get close enough to do it."  
  
"How, Tenchi?" Washuu asked him. "Ryoko alone can't distract it enough for you to get close--"  
  
"Who says I can't?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"I say you can't!" Washuu snapped, raising her head to glare at the hovering space pirate. Her expression softened as she surveyed the platinum-haired woman. God, Ryoko was a mess! "Listen Ryoko, stop kidding yourself. You go over there in your weakened condition and that thing will really kill you this time. Meanwhile, Tenchi makes a suicide run and he dies. Then what?"  
  
"Well, Washuu, I'll just have to--" Tenchi began.  
  
"Listen here, Washuu!" Ryoko interrupted Tenchi angrily. "You're forgetting about the Princess's Guardians, aren't you? They won't just stand by and watch us all get fried. They'll finally get their wooden asses in gear and--"  
  
"They're programmed just to guard Ayeka." Washuu sounded weary. The roller coaster of triumph, tragedy, hope--and then black despair--had wrung her out, as it had done the others. "That blob won't touch Ayeka. It won't get near her. It doesn't need to in order to kill her--we talked about that already, Ryoko. God damn it! I'm tired of repeating myself. I'm tired of--"  
  
"Are you tired of living, you worthless hag? Don't worry--your death is nigh!"  
  
The flat metallic voice startled all of them. They looked in the direction it had come from---where the mind monster squatted in the distance.  
  
"Ah, that dulcet tone...those sweet sentiments," Tris muttered caustically. "Sounds like Klove has found his tongue again."  
  
"Crap!" Ryoko groused. "It's bad enough having to look at that ugly turd. Do we have to listen to it, too?"  
  
"You won't have to listen long, space pirate!" the voice rasped. Now they could see a kind of slit--a wet, obscene, slobbering slit-- appear in the blubbery mass of Professor Klove's mind monster, just below the huge red-veined eye.  
  
"I tire of your stupid antics. I thought you would provide more sport, but no, you make obvious moves that a babe in arms could counter!" the entity's voice told them.  
  
"We are still very much alive, Professor Klove," Lord Yosho responded calmly. "We have not surrendered and we will not."  
  
"Bravado from an old man who could not even approach me unscathed!" The mind monster's voice was contemptuous. "You have survived this long only because I chose to toy with you for my amusement. I have waited long for this day. But your stupidity bores me now. It is time to kill you all and set the spark that will engulf the galaxy in strife and war."  
  
"You speak of stupidity, Professor Klove," Lord Yosho countered. "Yet, how wise was it to throw everything you achieved away to conduct experiments on helpless children? How wise was it to relegate yourself to a nonexistence and to turn from science and discovery to slaughter and destruction? Any normal person has led a richer and more fulfilling life than you, Professor Klove. They have known joy, happiness, love, and contentment. What have you known, Professor Klove? Hatred and horror and coldness. No, you accuse the wrong persons of stupidity, I believe."  
  
Tenchi and the others stood quietly when Lord Yosho finished. The Juraian Prince's quiet but powerful words infused them with warmth and a kind of understanding. For just a second--but for that second--all of them, even Tris Coffin, could look at the horrible, ugly, and obscene entity that was truly the mirror of Professor Klove's own mind and soul with pity. Yes, they might die...but they would die having known some of the pleasures and treasures that a life filled with friends and loved ones provided. That was the primal difference, the joy of a life truly lived, that separated them from the kind of cold, calculating, manipulating sociopath that Professor Klove represented.  
  
Evidently Lord Yosho's words also had some affect on the entity itself. It seemed to inwardly roil with rage and wrath, its slimy, pulpy, flesh-colored mass squirming with agitation.  
  
"Enough!" the voice bellowed. "Now die!"  
  
The ground seemed to shake with a sort of low, thundering rumble. The entity appeared to quiver, violently. Then--it moved. Slowly, inchingly--but it moved.  
  
It moved toward them.  
  
"That tears it!" Washuu said flatly. "I was kind of hoping...well, it was just a hope. It can move. It'll come up close and use its tentacle things to grab each of us. That explains why some of the other victims were found dismembered. Taking us out that way, the Princess's Guardians won't be triggered to attack. If we run, we'll have the honor of being toasted by those plasma globs--"  
  
"Thanks for the pep talk, Washuu!" Ryoko interrupted. "I'm not going down without a fight and neither is my sweetums--are you, Tenchi?" Ryoko swooped down to the group and landed alongside him. Before Tenchi could speak or even move, she embraced him and planted a lingering kiss on his lips.  
  
"There...that's for luck, lover, and maybe goodbye if the optimist over there is right," Ryoko said softly, parting from her true love. "I'll get in position now, Tenchi. You wave at me and I'll start hitting old Ugly with everything I've got. You pick your time and come in for the finish. All right?"  
  
Tenchi, a little shaken by the sudden embrace and kiss, slowly smiled at Ryoko. "All right," he said.  
  
Ryoko's golden eyes glowed at Tenchi, her wonderful, manly Tenchi. And he was a man, now...what a man! She stopped down to pet Ryo-Ohki a moment, making the cabbit purr with happiness.  
  
"You stay put, Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko ordered. "You're in no shape to fight. If things go the wrong way, you scoot off. That's a command. Understand?"  
  
"Meow-er." The cabbit sounded resigned.  
  
Then Ryoko straightened. Without another word, she soared above them. In a few moments, the bloodied, battered, but unbeaten space pirate was in position, hovering high above the mind monster. The latter had already moved an appreciable distance toward the group. It moved slowly but steadily. It would soon be upon them.  
  
"Well, it's a plan," Washuu said. "I guess it's all we have." She closed her console, for what she was certain would be the final time. The only good thing about all this was that Nobie still hadn't returned. She hoped he wouldn't be too devastated at what he would find when he did.  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. "Yes. Yet, I feel...there is something else. Something that we should recall..." He shook his head. "I am mistaken, I suppose. It may be simply that I want a solution to appear. I know we are all praying for a miracle. Well, why not? Miracles do happen."  
  
"I...I hope they do, Lord Yosho," Sasami said in a small, sad voice. She was again kneeling beside Ayeka's body where it lay on the grass. The little Princess was resolved to be with her big sister at the end. She looked at Ayeka's still, silent form. Sasami couldn't tell if Ayeka was alive or dead. Well...perhaps it really didn't matter now. At least Ayeka wouldn't suffer. There was comfort in that.  
  
Tris glanced behind him. He saw Mihoshi and Kiyone standing in the lake, near the bank. Where they stood, the water only came up to their waists. They both held their blaster pistols. Kiyone waved at him. He forced a grin and waved back at her. He was half tempted to leave the group and try to join Kiyone and Mihoshi in the lake. But he wouldn't. He wasn't going to make it that easy for Professor Klove.  
  
"Cripes," Washuu muttered as the mind monster lumbered slowly, coming closer and closer to them. "Wish that blob would get on with it. It moves slower than a old man with bunions."  
  
"Patience, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho said calmly. "It will be upon us soon enough."  
  
Tenchi knew how Washuu felt. He tightened his grip on Sword Tenchi. All he had to do was raise it and the fiery blade would appear. Then he'd nod at Ryoko and the final battle would begin. It was a battle he and Ryoko were sure to lose. He was loath to take that step, even though a suicidal attack on his enemy was part and parcel of his cultural upbringing. Like Grandfather, he just couldn't accept that it had to end like this. There must be a way to defeat Klove. But how?  
  
"Man," Tris muttered. "Getting offed by something that's just a damned dream! If we had to have a dream come to life, there's about a dozen of my own dreams I'd much rather nominate. Of course, you'd have to leave the room, Sasami." Tris grinned weakly at the little Princess where she knelt beside Ayeka.  
  
Sasami looked up at Tris. "Oh, Tris," she said. She smiled a little.  
  
Tenchi had to grin. His buddy...naturally, he'd be cracking jokes even at the end.  
  
"Yeah, I'd rather have even Pretty Sammy again than that ugly old blob," Tris kidded with Sasami. "Really!"  
  
Sasami nodded her head. "Yes, I wish this were a dream and I could become Pretty Sammy, and--what's wrong with you, Tris?"  
  
The American had evidently lost his mind. He was jumping, actually jumping, up and down, his face dominated by a grin so wide that it surely would cleave his cheeks. "Pretty Sammy!" he shouted. "Pretty Sammy!"  
  
Sasami shook her head. She looked confused and concerned for Tris.  
  
"Tris?" Tenchi said, suspecting that his friend had finally gone around the bend. All of this was too much for Tris, of course. It was almost too much for even--  
  
Then, suddenly, a crazy, idiotic, impossible notion blazed in Tenchi's mind. It was stupid! It was nuts! But--it might work! Excitement made him jump, up and down, with Tris. "Yeah!" he yelled. "Yeah!"  
  
"What the hell has that goofball done to my sweetums?" Ryoko shouted.  
  
The space pirate had been hovering in the air, waiting for Tenchi to signal her. Instead, he was jumping up and down with that Tris, both of them looking like fruitcakes. It was as if Tris had gone nuts and then Tenchi had, too. Maybe Tris had crazy kooties! And he gave them to Tenchi!  
  
Lord Yosho seemed startled--then he smiled. "Could it be? Such a fantastic notion...yet all of this is fantastic."  
  
Washuu had caught on, too. "It's absolutely crazy!" she shouted at the jumping, gleeful Tenchi and Tris. "It's bloody insane! Stop jumping, you two! It won't work."  
  
"How do you know?" Tenchi asked her, grinning and still jumping.  
  
"Yeah! You can't even make a decent force field," Tris added, keeping right up with Tenchi. Ryo-Ohki began to hop happily with the two young men.  
  
"Why, you--" Washuu sputtered.  
  
Now Tenchi and Tris stopped jumping. They laughed uproariously.  
  
Washuu grinned at the two loonies. Then she laughed, too...she couldn't help herself.  
  
"You're right," she said. "We might as well give it a try. Why not? What do you say, Grandpa?"  
  
"Yes, we should." Lord Yosho smiled. "I had thought there must be a solution. Of course, I expected something a bit less...fanciful."  
  
"What's fanciful about it, sir?" Tris asked, finally quelling his laughter. "You just use a dream to fight a dream--that's all. It's as logical as property taxes."  
  
"It's a goofball idea and you know it," Tenchi said, grinning. He patted Tris's back. "A goofball idea from my goofball buddy. But, yeah...it just might work."  
  
"What might work?" Sasami asked, perplexed. "I don't understand what you're all talking about."  
  
Washuu smiled at the little Princess. "I'll explain it to you, Sasami. After all, you're a big part of this nutty notion."  
  
"I am?" Sasami asked. "That's great! I'm ready to help. But what's it all about?"  
  
Ryoko appeared above them. "What's going on? Have you all cracked up? We gotta get ready to fight that blob!"  
  
"I'm about to explain, Ryoko," Washuu told her.  
  
"Okay, but don't take too long," Ryoko advised. "Old Ugly ain't fast, but he's coming all the same."  
  
"Right." Washuu turned to Sasami. "You know you have the Jurai power in you, Sasami. It's not something you get, it's something you were born with--it's your blood heritage. Right?"  
  
"Sure," Sasami said. "I know that."  
  
"Of course you do. And you know the reason you can't use your power right now, don't you?"  
  
"Uh-huh. I have to be formally crowned. At my coronation, I'll be taught the techniques and the mental and spiritual katas I must follow in order to...but what does all of this have to do with right now, Washuu?"  
  
"Damned good question, Junior Princess," Ryoko said, annoyed with Washuu for wasting everyone's time.  
  
Washuu ignored Ryoko. "But when you dream, Sasami, you do become someone who knows how to channel her inner power into a weapon. Right?"  
  
"You mean Pretty Sammy? But that's just make-believe. She's a character I made up and I sometimes dream about becoming...like one of the pretty magical soldiers I watch on TV." Sasami was still confused. None of this seemed pertinent--not with Professor Klove's mind monster coming for them.  
  
"But if you could really become her, you could be able to use that persona to harness your Jurai power. At least, that's the theory," Washuu said dryly, glancing back at Tris and Tenchi.  
  
"Hey, did that goofball come up with this? That's classic!" Ryoko laughed.  
  
"Be quiet, Ryoko," Tenchi requested.  
  
Ryoko stopped laughing. "Yes, sweetums."  
  
"Look Sasami, that blob is supposedly from some sort of Dream Dimension," Tris said. "If it is, and it's come into our dimension, then it had to leave the door open or something--"  
  
"You mean leave the portal open, cutie," Washuu corrected him. "That's right, in a way."  
  
"So, Sasami, if you could go into a dream state, you'll be in the Dream Dimension, and as Pretty Sammy, you could go through that same portal," Tenchi finished for his buddy. "And fight Klove with your Jurai power."  
  
"Golly..." Sasami was stunned. "I...I will fight him, of course. But is it possible?"  
  
"We cannot know, Sasami," Lord Yosho told her. "But it may work. It is really a questionable proposition, as Professor Washuu has pointed out. But if it should work..."  
  
"I'll do it!" Sasami said firmly. "I'll try anything."  
  
"Good girl!" Washuu smiled.  
  
"Boy, Junior Princess, I don't know..." Ryoko began, her voice doubtful.  
  
"Ryoko," Tenchi said.  
  
Ryoko subsided.  
  
"But--how can I possibly fall asleep now?" Sasami asked, taking the practical tack. "With that monster coming toward us and all that's going on?"  
  
Now Tris stepped forward. "Kitten, you'll have to trust me and concentrate real hard. But if you're willing to try..."  
  
Sasami smiled. She understood now. "Of course, Tris. I trust you. I'll cooperate completely."  
  
Ryoko now realized what was being proposed. Yipes! Letting that goofball hypnotize the Junior Princess? Fighting Klove's blob monster head-on sounded safer than that! She started to say something, but noticed that Tenchi was giving her that very special look once again. She kept silent.  
  
Tris walked up to Sasami and kneeled in front of her. He dug into his pocket. He wished he had that alien ring to use, but there was no time for Ryoko to go get it from her stash. At least he had a shiny new 500-yen cupro-nickel coin. He pulled the "Nihon Koku" out.  
  
"Now, kitten...just look at the coin and concentrate. That's right. Just concentrate on its shiny surface...concentrate..."  
  
------  
  
Standing thigh-deep in the lake, Kiyone and Mihoshi watched the mind monster suddenly become mobile and lumber toward Tenchi, Lord Yosho, and the others. The two women had resolved not to use their blasters until they could get a close shot at the entity. Well, now it seemed they would get that chance...for what it was worth.  
  
"Well, that does it, partner," Kiyone said dolefully. "Now that the monster can move, I don't think there's much hope. I'm sure Tenchi and Ryoko will give it one last try...but it'll likely fail. Might as well face facts."  
  
"Uh-huh," Mihoshi said absently. The water felt kind of cool and nice, but she hated having her clothes soaked. She knew her maroon hair ribbon had unraveled and her blonde hair was plastered all over her face and back. Gosh, she must look a sight! And the mud around her toes felt kind of icky. She recalled Ryoko's comment that the fish doodled in the water. She wondered if she had drunk any of it while she was swimming underwater. Yuck! She was a poor swimmer and really had to thrash to get anywhere. She noticed that Kiyone was looking at her narrowly.  
  
"Did you hear what I just said?" Kiyone demanded.  
  
"Um...no," Mihoshi admitted.  
  
"I said it's probably curtains for us! Pay attention!"  
  
"Yes, Kiyone." Mihoshi's lower lip trembled.  
  
Kiyone relented. The last thing she needed was a crying jag from Mihoshi. If that happened, Kiyone thought she might start crying, too. It was just so damned hopeless! And there was no way she could get to Tris--not even for a last kiss or a final chance to tell him she loved him. They would die apart and he would never know...oh, damn it to hell!  
  
"Listen, when that thing comes here to us, we're going to empty our blasters into it. Probably won't do much but at least it'll hurt it a little. Then I'm going to stand right here. Mihoshi. I'm not going to swim from it anymore. To hell with that! You do as you wish."  
  
"I'll stand right here with you, Kiyone," Mihoshi said softly. "Like I told you once...we're partners forever."  
  
Kiyone looked at Mihoshi. Of course the ding-dong would stay with her. Mihoshi was her best and truest friend. She had finally come to realize that--right at the very last minute. Just like she had realized her true feelings for Tris and the way she should have lived her life...all too late...damn, she was going to cry!  
  
"Okay, Mihoshi," she said huskily, averting her face.  
  
Mihoshi regarded Kiyone tenderly. She wanted to hug her, but she knew Kiyone would think it was wrong at such a time. She wished she could hug Trissy one more time...her stuffed puppy dog who had needed a friend...and Tris, too. That last thought made Mihoshi think of something else.  
  
"Kiyone, what were you going to say to Tris? You know...just before we attacked that blob thingy?"  
  
Kiyone now turned to face her. Her cheeks had reddened. "None of your business, Mihoshi!"  
  
"Were you going to tell him you love him?" Mihoshi's voice was soft. She didn't see any reason for Kiyone to hold back. Not now.  
  
"I..." Kiyone shrugged. Ayeka knew and even Ryoko knew. What difference did it make now, anyway? "Yeah, yeah, I was."  
  
"What took you so long? You've been in love with him for a long time, Kiyone."  
  
"Huh?" Kiyone glared at her partner. "What makes you think that?"  
  
"Because you have," Mihoshi said simply. "I fell in love with him when he took me to that lovely restaurant and bought me Trissy. But you're the one he liked best. You acted like you didn't care but then you two had that funny race and...well, everyone could see you were in love with him."  
  
"Everyone?" Kiyone was appalled.  
  
"Sure. Tenchi's Dad even asked me when you two were going to get married! He's so funny sometimes..."  
  
"God...!" Kiyone, her face flaming, closed her eyes. Disaster! Ruination! Everyone knew, all the time--even before she did! Embarrassment and chagrin seethed though her. Now she wanted to die. Oh, come on, you monster--kill me! See if I care!  
  
"But I guess you wanted Tris to tell you he loved you first," Mihoshi was saying. "That makes sense. I'd want him to, if it were me. Of course, it may be a long time before he does. Boys are funny like that."  
  
But kill Mihoshi first, monster, Kiyone now thought, eyes still closed, as she absolutely burned with embarrassment. Please!  
  
"Hey! Look! Tris is jumping around!" Mihoshi sounded startled.  
  
"Huh?" Kiyone opened her eyes.  
  
"See? He's jumping. Oh, no, maybe one of those glob things hit him--" Now Mihoshi sounded anxious.  
  
"Don't be stupid! If he was hit by one of those things, he'd wouldn't be jumping around--he'd be dead!" Kiyone eyed the boy she loved. "Just what the hell is that idiot doing? Hasn't he embarrassed me enough? I'll kill him myself if that monster doesn't!"  
  
"Gosh! Now Tenchi is jumping, too! What's going on, Kiyone?"  
  
"I don't know--but that clown is behind it, mark my words," Kiyone fumed. "Can't even die with dignity, that big stiff, and now he's set off Tenchi, too!" Kiyone made up her mind. "Come on!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said, come on! We're going to settle that idiot's hash!" Kiyone began to slosh through the water, toward the bank.  
  
"But...that awful blob thingy...those globs..."  
  
"It can go to hell and those globs, too!" Kiyone swore. "I'm going to go see what the hell is going on over there and then I'm going to give that goofball such a kick! That monster will probably thank me! Now come on!"  
  
Kiyone, a veritable lake goddess in her fury, just about parted the water with a look that clearly intimated that no lousy H20 better mess with her. She finished wading through the water and climbed onto the bank. She headed over to where Tris and the others seemed to be having some sort of discussion while that blob monster moved toward them. With a worried look, Mihoshi followed her partner.  
  
------  
  
Tris, with Tenchi's help, slowly lowered Sasami to the soft grass. The little girl's eyes were closed and she breathed slowly, softly, immersed in deep hypnotic sleep. They laid her beside her still and silent older sister. Tris prayed inwardly that it wasn't a foreshadowing. At any rate, placing Sasami so close to Ayeka would insure that the mind monster wouldn't attack the sleeping child for fear of hitting Ayeka...at least, not until it came a lot closer.  
  
Ryo-Ohki walked up and sniffed at the sleeping Sasami. The cabbit could not understand why two of the tall beings were sleeping when so much was happening. Azaka II and Kamidake II shared the cabbit's puzzlement.  
  
"Wow, Tris!" Ryoko said admiringly, still hovering in the air. "That was smokin'! You put her under in nothing flat!"  
  
Tris nodded. Sasami had been very cooperative. Now was the moment of truth...more likely the moment of failure.  
  
"Sasami," he said quietly to the sleeping little girl, "you can hear me, can't you?"  
  
"Yes, Tris," Sasami said, eyes closed, her childish voice drowsy.  
  
"You know the terrible crisis we're facing. Our powers can't save us. We're facing death from that monster. Only Pretty Sammy can save us." Lord--he sounded like the narrator of a particularly cheesy anime. "Do you understand?"  
  
"I...understand."  
  
"We need you to transform into Pretty Sammy. Then you must find the opening in the darkness that monster is using to attack us. You must go through that opening and fight him. It's asking a lot, but we know Pretty Sammy can do it. She can, can't she?"  
  
"Yes..." Sasami's sleepy voice agreed. "Pretty Sammy can do anything."  
  
"That's right. Now, transform into Pretty Sammy and find your way to us."  
  
Sasami was silent. Tris looked at her a moment, then he rose. Tenchi did likewise.  
  
"You did your best, Tris," Tenchi told him. "You did good, buddy. We'll just have to see...if it works."  
  
"Yes," Lord Yosho said. He was still standing, although his wounded side must have been giving his torrents of excruciating pain. "You did very well, Tristram. Now it is up to Sasami."  
  
"Well, yeah, Grandpa," Washuu said. "And it's also up to whether I'm right about the Dream Dimension, and whether anyone in a dream state can enter it and--"  
  
"Okay, Washuu, we get the message," Tenchi said. "We'll just hope for the best." He walked up to his grandfather and accepted Sword Tenchi back from him. "But we'll also prepare for the worst."  
  
"Yeah! You're the biggest wet blanket I ever saw, Washuu. You've got the Princess beat, you know that?" Ryoko charged.  
  
"Don't mess with me, Ryoko," Washuu told her, nettled. "I'm in no mood."  
  
"Yeah? Well, I know what you're in the mood for." Ryoko grinned slyly. "You want Tenchi's Dad to hold your hand and maybe give you a big smooch!"  
  
Washuu growled. She took a step toward Ryoko. Ryoko just floated higher and laughed.  
  
"Look! Isn't that Mihoshi and Kiyone coming toward us?" Tenchi intervened. He had just glanced in the direction of the lake.  
  
"It sure is! What are they doing? They were safe in that lake!" Tris was both amazed and perturbed as he observed Kiyone and Mihoshi out of the water and walking toward them. They were still a little distance off.  
  
"Safe for a while, anyway," Washuu agreed, appearing just as puzzled as Tris. "Well, not any more. Wonder what's up?"  
  
"That damned blob's going to attack them!" Tris said angrily.  
  
"Yeah, they're big targets out there," Ryoko observed. "Big wet targets."  
  
"I think not," Lord Yosho said. "Since they are coming up to us, I believe that Professor Klove's creation will be content to have us all together for the final act."  
  
He appeared to be correct. Klove's mind monster keep edging closer and closer to them but it didn't bother to hurtle the glowing green globules at the fast-approaching Kiyone and Mihoshi.  
  
"Jeeze, look at Mihoshi! Lost her hair ribbon. That pile of hair's about covering her face. Now that's a new look for her. I like it!" Ryoko laughed.  
  
"Yeah, that dip in the lake sure didn't pretty those two up any," Washuu agreed, chuckling. Typically, the two women had forgotten about their spat.  
  
"They sure don't look happy--especially Kiyone," Tenchi commented. "She looks royally ticked off. Wonder why?"  
  
"If Kiyone's in a tear, it has to be because of a certain goofball," Ryoko said with a knowing grin.  
  
"What did I do?" Tris demanded.  
  
"You got about half a day to spare?" Ryoko asked him. "If so, I'll tell you!"  
  
"Aww!"  
  
"There's that brilliant conversation again," Ryoko noted.  
  
Tris was tempted to hand Ryoko a hot one, but he instead studied Kiyone's angry face. She was glaring right at him. Yeah, he had to be the cause, all right. But what did he do?  
  
"Well, at least we'll all be together," Washuu said. "It'd be kind of bad if we weren't, I guess." She thought of Nobie. "'Course, I'm glad your father's not here, Tenchi...you know what I mean."  
  
Tenchi was thinking of his father as well. "I don't know if Dad can handle...well...what he might find." He looked down. "He's not that strong, you know. Poor Dad."  
  
Tenchi looked as if he were near tears. His grandfather gently touched one of his shoulders.  
  
Ryoko bit her lip. She hated to see her Tenchi so sad. She was tempted to settle to the ground and comfort him. Then she looked at Ayeka, laying so very quiet, not moving the tiniest bit. Washuu had confirmed that the Princess was still alive, just barely. Well, Ryoko had said fair fight and she meant it. She had stolen a kiss from Tenchi but that would be it. As long as the Princess lived and was unconscious, Ryoko wouldn't take advantage of the situation again.  
  
"You're beginning to sound like Washuu, sweetums," Ryoko told Tenchi. "Your Dad's going to come home and we'll all be here to greet him, and--"  
  
She stopped as a blinding light--a blinding pink light--filled her eyes. She closed her eyes and averted her head. The pinkish incandescence was coming from the vicinity of the mind monster. Damn it! What new weapon did that pile of crud have now? Some days a girl couldn't catch a break at all--  
  
Suddenly Klove's metallic boomed out. "Who are you? Answer me!"  
  
Then, incredibly, impossibly--a little girl's voice answered:  
  
"I am Pretty Sammy! You are attacking the people I love, you monster! In the name of love I shall chastise you! So there!"  
  
"What the flaming hell?" Ryoko opened her eyes. "Cripes!" She closed her eyes again. It couldn't be--couldn't be! She slowly opened her eyes again...  
  
A glowing figure--glowing with a pink radiance--stood before the tendril-waving, massive one-eyed blob. The figure was in the shape of a little girl. The figure held a baton-like thing that looked like some sort of scepter. At the top of it was a lustrous jewel in the shape of a heart. The small figure spoke again.  
  
"You are ugly. You are mean. You would hurt Tenchi and everyone. I will stop you!"  
  
The voice, somewhat distorted, was undeniably Sasami's. In fact, anyone looking at Sasami at that moment would have seen her lips forming those words in her hypnotized slumber.  
  
"Hot damn!" Tris shouted.  
  
"All right!" Tenchi yelled.  
  
"Now I have seen everything," Washuu said. "And you can quote me!"  
  
Ryoko groaned. It was Pretty Sammy! And the little pest was going to show her up and save the day! Up until now, Ryoko had figured that Tris had just been blowing smoke and her sweetums had been taken in by it. But it had worked! Ryoko swore inwardly. She'd almost prefer death to being rescued by Pretty Sammy. Almost, that is.  
  
That sentiment was not shared by the others. Tenchi and Tris whooped. Lord Yosho simply smiled. Ryo-Ohki pranced at the elder Jurian Prince's feet, meow-ing with happiness.  
  
Washuu shook her head. Like Ryoko, she had also doubted the plan would work. It wasn't exactly the scientific solution she would have preferred, but it was a solution--maybe!  
  
"Listen, Tris, Tenchi," she said to them. "She might be able to actually hurt that thing if she really can call upon her Jurai power. But she's going to have to fight against her older sister's power, you know. We'll still need more firepower."  
  
"And you got it!" Ryoko grinned. This was more like it! Now she could get more licks in and not be a damned spectator.  
  
"Right, Ryoko!" Tenchi said. "You attack that monster, too. Just keep it busy. I'll still come in with Sword Tenchi."  
  
"You got it, lover!" Ryoko was excited and ready for battle again.  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. "Yes, that is the way now. It is so very appropriate--Professor Klove created that portal from the dream world into our world in order to destroy. Now, it may well destroy him."  
  
"With our help, Grandfather," Tenchi added.  
  
"Yes, grandson. With our help."  
  
------  
  
Meanwhile, Mihoshi and Kiyone had paused, some yards away from the group.  
  
"Catch me, Mihoshi," Kiyone groaned. "I'm going to faint!"  
  
"Huh? But why?" Mihoshi asked. "Don't you see--it's Pretty Sammy! She's going to save us!"  
  
"That's why!" Kiyone groaned again.  
  
------  
  
The mind monster also seemed nonplussed by the sudden turn of events. Professor Klove clearly had not expected some other dream-made-flesh to use his Dream Dimension portal.  
  
"Leave now, brat!" the mind monster snarled at the small glowing figure. "Or I will destroy you, too!"  
  
"No I won't!" Pretty Sammy said. "You shan't get past me!"  
  
"You are nothing but a child's dream! Nothing!"  
  
"I am Pretty Sammy! You will soon be nothing!"  
  
"What? Then die, you miserable brat!"  
  
The mind monster began to whip its tendrils toward the small luminous figure. Glowing green globules spat out from the tips of the whipping tendrils. Those globules slammed burningly, flaringly, into the ground. But Pretty Sammy was not there.  
  
"Here I am!" Pretty Sammy had moved with fantastic speed. She now stood beside the mind monster. She raised her scepter. The heart gem blazed.  
  
"Frizzom frizzom froom! Sweet love power! Attack!"  
  
Blinding bolts in the shape of hearts blasted out from the gem and pounded into the blubbery mass of the entity. The mind monster bellowed with pain and this time it wasn't shamming. Clearly, the heart power beams were wounding it. It tried to hurl more green globules at Pretty Sammy, but she zipped away again--only to reappear once more, this time a distance away from the mind monster. She employed the heart beams again. The entity shuddered with agony.  
  
"That's the way! Give it hell!" Ryoko yelled. She had to admit--she liked Pretty Sammy's style. Now it was her turn. Ryoko swooped toward the now cringing and flustered mind monster.  
  
"Sweet mother of the galaxy!" Now Washuu was whooping. "Pretty Sammy--I mean, Sasami--is channeling her Jurai power. She hurt that ragged assed son of a bitch! Holy hell! We might just win this battle." The surge of hope that coursed through her accounted for the rare indulgence in profanity.  
  
"We will," Tenchi said confidently. "Nothing this impossible could have happened without reason, Washuu."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded, smiling. His grandson's wisdom was profound. Tenchi had grown, finally, into his rightful place--both as a Juraian Prince and as the defender of the Earth and the galaxy.  
  
Ryoko reached the mind monster as it cringed at another shower of burning beams from Pretty Sammy's heart jewel-topped scepter. The entity again flailed its tendrils at the glowing figure of the little girl-cum-magic warrior and again, Pretty Sammy scooted away before deadly contact could be made. Now Ryoko rolled two fireballs at the entity. The mind monster shuddered at the additional fiery pain.  
  
"I know you missed my love taps, Ugly!" Ryoko laughed, her fighting blood up again. "Well, I'm back! Now, eat this!"  
  
She raised her hands. Searingly bright force beams jolted from her hands and punched the entity with protean power. The sound coming from the blubbery mass sounded almost like a scream. It whipped its tendrils at Ryoko but she had already teleported away. Then she appeared in the opposite direction. She laughed tauntingly.  
  
"Why don't you tell us again how you're going to kill us--you miserable walking booger!"  
  
------  
  
A distance away, Mihoshi grimaced. "Yuck!" But then she thought about it. "I guess it does look like a booger--a big one. Huh, Kiyone?"  
  
Kiyone did not reply. She was still staring open-mouthed at the glowing figure of Pretty Sammy.  
  
"Kiyone?"  
  
Kiyone slowly shook her head. "That goofball! He hypnotized Sasami so she would become Pretty Sammy. And there she is...and she's really hurting that monster." Her voice was charged with wonder--and warmth. "That darling--that hopeless, darling idiot!"  
  
"So that's what he did!" Mihoshi smiled fondly. "How about that?"  
  
Suddenly Kiyone was all business. "Let's go over there." She pointed to a spot some yards away from the group that would give them a clear view of the battle. "And then we'll use our blasters on that blob. We'll get in this fight too, by damn!"  
  
"Right!"  
  
The two Galaxy Police officers scurried to their attack positions.  
  
------  
  
"Between the two of them, Ryoko and Pretty Sammy are giving that blob merry hell," Washuu reported with satisfaction. She happily popped open her translucent console. She tapped a few touchpads and peered at the screen. "Oh, yeah! I see his power signature's dropped ten percent already! Pretty Sammy's power beams are weakening him. Way to go, Sasami!"  
  
"Yeah, just a few more attacks and I'll go in." Tenchi said. He was girding himself with the mental force of Bushido, becoming battle- ready. He could feel the aura of his Juraian heritage suffuse him. He knew this was truly the time for him. Whatever happened, he would go in and would not come back out...unless the enemy was destroyed.  
  
"That's the spirit, buddy," Tris told him. The American was still a bit surprised--and shocked--that their ploy had worked. He had already pinched himself twice after seeing Pretty Sammy materialize before his eyes. He should have known, though. Sasami Jurai was more than a great cook and a little sweetheart. She was a warrior and a true Princess of Jurai.  
  
"Remember, Tenchi," Washuu advised, tapping at her console, "we don't know yet how Sword Tenchi will affect that blob. It's still from another dimension and with all that concentrated Jurai power--well, you need to get away from it after you make your thrust. You might end up in a world of hurt otherwise."  
  
"I get you, Washuu." Tenchi nodded.  
  
Suddenly he and the others turned as two bright beams shot out beside them. They now saw Kiyone and Mihoshi standing a distance away. The two Galaxy Police officers were aiming their hand blasters at the entity and firing at it. Hitting it, too.  
  
"All right!" Tris approved heartily. "Kiyone and Mihoshi are joining the rumble. More bad news for Professor Klove!"  
  
"That's great!" Tenchi grinned. "Good for them!"  
  
"Yeah, well, those hand blasters will only sting that blob a little. But every little bit helps," Washuu observed.  
  
"It certainly does," Lord Yosho agreed.  
  
"Meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki added her approval.  
  
The mind monster was indeed having a bad time of it. Pretty Sammy-- that is, the dream projection of little Sasami's mind--kept ravaging the pulpy entity with those scalding heart beams. Meanwhile, Ryoko swooped and dived, discharging fireballs and force beans, adding to the mind monster's misery. Every time it tried to grasp those two tormentors with its tendrils or hit them with a plasma globule, both just eluded it. Now it was being stung by Kiyone and Mihoshi's hand blasters, too. It flung a glowing green globule at the two Galaxy Police Officers, but in the heat of battle its aim was not perfect. Kiyone and Mihoshi just dodged the globule and kept on firing.  
  
"Okay, pal," Tris said. "That blob seems pretty distracted now." Tris didn't want Tenchi to risk his life again, but he knew it was necessary. Now seemed the best moment.  
  
"Right you are, buddy," Tenchi said.  
  
"Wait for the moment all of them attack Professor Klove's creation at the same time," Lord Yosho advised, "and then strike, grandson."  
  
"Yes, Grandfather."  
  
From where she stood working on her console, Washuu nodded. It sounded good, sounded possible. Then she heard a soft rustling noise behind her. She glanced back. "Holy cats!" she exclaimed.  
  
Now the others looked back also. The sight they beheld transfixed them.  
  
Princess Ayeka had her eyes open. She was slowly, painfully, rising, somehow managing to sit up.  
  
"How in the world--!" Tris marveled.  
  
"Of course! That blob's losing power! It's slackening its hold on Ayeka!" Washuu said. "She's breaking free!"  
  
"We prayed for a miracle," Lord Yosho said quietly. "And we have received it."  
  
"Ayeka!" Tenchi went to her. Ayeka looked up at him. She smiled at Tenchi with great weariness and a greater love.  
  
"Princess! You're awake!" Azaka II proclaimed.  
  
"We hope you enjoyed your slumber, Princess," Kamidake II added politely.  
  
Tenchi wanted to hug Ayeka, to hold her close--he was soaring with relief and exultation at her revival. But there was no time for that. There was something he had to get her to do, to say--before she possibly succumbed to Professor Klove's ultra-hypnosis again.  
  
"Ayeka--listen to me!" Tenchi said anxiously. "Professor Klove is attacking us with a monster. We're barely holding our own. We need help!" He prayed Ayeka would understand him--could understand him--  
  
Ayeka blinked. Her eyes were still a bit glazed and she was tremendously weary and ready to drop back into black oblivion in a heartbeat. But her iron spirit forced her to fight the mind control, to concentrate on what Lord Tenchi was telling her. She looked past him and saw the horrible creature, now being attacked by Ryoko and some strange being. She recognized the creature with a shudder. She nodded, weakly. Then she spoke:  
  
"Azaka! Kamidake!" Ayeka raised a trembling hand toward the living embodiment of the nightmare creature that had plagued her dreams for so long. "Attack!"  
  
"Oh, yes, Princess!" Azaka II said happily.  
  
"Thank you, Princess!" Kamidake II added.  
  
Immediately, the two large wooden cylinders fired their rockets. They rose into the air. A second later, they jetted toward the mind monster.  
  
Ryoko watched the two Guardians zoom in to join the fight. "Hey, this party's getting pretty crowded!" But she smiled. She knew that the more attackers distracting the mind monster, the safer it would be for her Tenchi.  
  
The two Guardians blinked their acknowledgement of Ryoko, paused to blink uncomprehendingly at the glowing figure of Pretty Sammy, and then turned to the task at hand--Professor Klove's mind monster. They hovered before the house-sized, battered-looking fleshy blob with its flailing tendrils and its great yellow eye. That eye took them in. It saw the two Guardians' front cabinets slide open. Now it was staring at two sets of four force beam cannons apiece. An instant later, those eight cannons blazed. The blob recoiled, groaningly, as the eight force beams rocked it, massively.  
  
"Bet that hurt!" Ryoko said, laughing.  
  
The entity grabbed for the two wooden cylinders with its tendrils. But Azaka II and Kamidake II jetted away rapidly. At that moment, Ryoko unleashed another pair of glowing red fireballs at the entity, instantly plastering it with scorching proton flame. The entity shuddered.  
  
"See? My friends will punish you, too, you bad monster!" Pretty Sammy told the entity. "Love power--punish that monster again!"  
  
The shimmering diminutive figure raised her scepter. Once more, heart-shaped rays spiraled from the radiant heart jewel. Those rays pummeled the pulpy mass of the blob, resoundingly.  
  
The entity shivered and shook like gelatin in a mixer. Its yellow eye rolled. It was in terrific pain. To add to its torment, Kiyone and Mihoshi kept needling it with their blasters, firing beam after beam into the squirming bulk. Azaka II and Kamidake II swooped down again, cabinets open, force beam cannons flashing. More force beams plowed into the entity with brutal force. Ryoko tossed in two more fireballs, laughing as the blob shuddered again at the pain of the blazing flame searing its slimy skin.  
  
Meanwhile, Ayeka was still sitting up, shaking her head, trying to clear it. She couldn't quite succeed; Professor Klove still enthralled her somewhat, still had a tap into her, but she was regaining control of her mind and her soul, slowly but very surely. Tenchi stared at her, gratified beyond measure. Again she smiled at him lovingly. It filled him with a steely determination. He raised Sword Tenchi. The burning-bright power blade again flared into existence. Then, without preamble, he began his final run at the entity.  
  
"Good luck, buddy!" Tris called.  
  
"Yes, good luck, Tenchi!" Washuu added. She closed her console and walked over to the Princess. She helped Ayeka rise to her feet. "Keep fighting him, Ayeka," she advised. "I know it's damned hard-- but fight him--expel him!"  
  
Lord Yosho watched his grandson sprint toward the mind monster. "You are ready, Tenchi. This is your moment. Take it. And Godspeed."  
  
Tenchi had picked the perfect moment for his run. The mind monster, in addition to truly being hurt, badly hurt, for the first time since it had materialized from Professor Klove's subconscious, was also finding its hands--its tendrils--filled with trying to deal with so many enemies.  
  
Pretty Sammy was the worse. Each and every attack with her heart beams not only wounded the entity but also sapped its power and, consequently, its tap into Princess Ayeka. But Ryoko's fireballs and force beams also were quite painful, especially now that the entity was so weakened. The constant force beams from Azaka II and Kamidake II also pounded it heavily, adding to its agony. Even the sniping rays from the blasters of the two Galaxy Police officers felt quite painful now. The entity didn't know which enemy to attack first, so it just flailed at all of them, discharging the glowing green globules, but so distractedly that its enemies easily dodged them. Its tendrils grabbed nothing but empty air. The mind monster wasn't impotent by any means, but it was confused and rattled. And it had a serious design flaw.  
  
Professor Klove had fashioned his nightmare creature with the object of making it as horrible and frightening as possible in order to initially get the greatest feedback from his test subjects. He succeeded in that respect. But with only one eye, as massive as it was, the mind monster could only keep so many targets in focus. Thus, battling almost fruitlessly with Ryoko, Pretty Sammy, Azaka II and Kamidake II, and Kiyone and Mihoshi, the mind monster simply wasn't aware of the tiny figure of the slim young man racing toward it, carrying a terrible swift power sword. Not until that figure was upon it.  
  
"Its eye, Tenchi!" Lord Yosho called. "That's your target!"  
  
Tenchi heard his grandfather. He was at the base of the massive fleshy blob, so close he could see the glistening mucous covering it, the roiling pulsations beneath its rubbery skin--and he could smell its foul, fetid odor. The odor of death. The odor of the grave. Tenchi steeled himself and made a tremendous leap--  
  
"Wow!" Tris exclaimed. He couldn't believe Tenchi could jump so high--he was Olympic gold medal material, for sure. It must have had something to do with carrying Sword Tenchi, he guessed.  
  
"Strike, Tenchi!" Lord Yosho called. "Strike!"  
  
High in the air and hurtling down fast, Tenchi saw the huge yellow eye with its curiously vapid black pupil and the web of red veins loom before him. He thrust Sword Tenchi forcefully into that pulpy yellow orb--plunging into it, lunging into it, with all his skill and might.  
  
A second later, the air was rent with a high keening sound, a veritable scream of agony from the entity. An eye-searing flash of fiery incandescence blasted Tenchi. Sword Tenchi was doing its duty. Shutting his eyes, he thrust Sword Tenchi in deeper, deeper, impaling the evil mass with the full power of the house of Jurai.  
  
Gripping the sword tightly by the hilt, hanging from it in mid-air now, Tenchi could actually feel the fiery shaft of pure cleansing energy scour the internal organs of the mind monster, burning, destroying, dissolving, obliterating the diseased, seeping, roiling guts of it--it screamed again, terribly--  
  
"AAAHHHHHRRRRRHHHRRRRRRRRR--!"  
  
--Tenchi felt himself blown back from the shuddering fleshy mass by the force of that scream, but he held onto Sword Tenchi with an unbreakable grip. He collapsed on the grass before the massive creature. Sword Tenchi's blazing blade disappeared. It had done its work.  
  
He quickly tumbled backward, rolling and rolling, putting distance between him and his wounded enemy--he remembered Washuu's admonition. He could hear scream after paralyzing scream wrenched from the entity, but he felt no pity for the monster, only relief that he had struck the killing blow.  
  
For there could be no mistake. From its screams, the mind monster of Professor Klove was mortally wounded. But it was wrong to think of it that way. It was a malignant cancer, a boil of hate and spite that Sword Tenchi had lanced with the full, protean, pure-white power of the Juraian dynasty.  
  
Somehow, amidst all his tumbling, Tenchi heard Pretty Sammy's childish voice, flush with victory: "That's what you get for being so mean, you awful monster! Love triumphs!"  
  
Once he adjudged he was far enough away, Tenchi rose, shakily, to his feet. He looked at the entity.  
  
Its eye was destroyed, utterly. The ocular orb was now only a bubbling, spurting yellow splash on the entity's squirming flesh- colored form. The blob's pseudo mouth was opening and closing as it keened and keened with dreadful anguish. It shook its tendrils, but no plasma globules issued from them. Professor Klove's mind monster was no longer able to attack or even defend. All it could do was suffer and die.  
  
Tenchi experienced no triumphat the sight--just gratitude that a great evil had been vanquished. Now he experienced a bit of anxiety as he watched the mind monster shudder mightily and begin to collapse within itself, for real this time. The shimmering halo all around it was now crackling with blue sparks. It looked pretty unstable...and pretty dangerous. He turned to run from it--  
  
Then he felt a pair of soft but strong hands grasp his shoulders. Now he was rising in the air. He groaned, knowing the source of his sudden ascent.  
  
"Ryoko!"  
  
"That's me, sweetums." Ryoko's voice was gleeful. "You were wonderful, Tenchi! You stuck that sword right in Old Ugly's eyeball. He's finished, and good riddance! Listen to him scream--isn't it lovely? I knew you could do it, Tenchi. We did it--you and me. That's the life for us, lover. You and me, fighting creeps and monsters."  
  
"Uh-huh," Tenchi said dryly, as Ryoko carried him to just below the treetops. "Just you and me...not to mention Azaka II and Kamidake II, and Sasami, and Grandfather, and Washuu, and Ayeka, and Tris, and Kiyone and--"  
  
"Oh, they helped a little. But it was you and me, sweetums, really. That's the way it was meant to be. Don't you realize that?"  
  
"What I realize is," Tenchi told her, "that monster looks like its going to come unglued. We better get away from it--"  
  
"Of course, sweetums. That's why I picked you up."  
  
"Okay, then you can take me to Grandfather and the others. We need to talk about what's happening to that monster. We still might not be out of danger."  
  
"But, sweetums..." Ryoko was disappointed. Now that the Princess was on her feet again, Ryoko saw this as a golden opportunity to get a little wooing time with her Tenchi up in one of the trees. Of course, she was kind of a mess, but Tenchi wouldn't mind--  
  
"Ryoko!"  
  
The space pirate sighed. "Yes, sweetums."  
  
Now, obediently, she carried him, still grasping him by the shoulders, over to the small knot of people still standing in the spot they had occupied for so long. Tenchi saw, with immense relief, that Ayeka was standing upright without assistance. She was staring down at the sleeping form of her little sister with a puzzled look on her face. Tenchi glanced back. Azaka II and Kamidake II, sensing their enemy was vanquished, had flown back to their usual posts just outside the front gate. The shimmering figure of Pretty Sammy had disappeared. Tenchi turned his head and looked down at the group of people below him again--his family. Yes, his family...all of them.  
  
Ryo-Ohki, her fur still blackened, was nonetheless hopping with joy. Tenchi noted that Kiyone and Mihoshi had put away their blaster hand weapons and joined the group. They stood very close to Tris. In fact, Kiyone was slowly stroking his back with her fingernails. Her eyes sparkled at she looked at him. Tris was rubbing his side, but not looking all that upset. Tenchi had to grin--no doubt, Tris had received a jab and then a kiss from Kiyone. His grin faded as he glanced at Grandfather and Washuu. They both looked worried.  
  
"Thank goodness you brought him, Ryoko," Washuu said when he and Ryoko were within earshot. "We gotta get out of here!"  
  
"Huh?" Tenchi asked. "Why?"  
  
"Because that blob's dying and it doesn't have access to Ayeka's Jurai power anymore," Washuu explained, her voice strained. "It can't maintain the buffer it's using to isolate this dimension from its own dimension. When it fully collapses and dies, the two dimensions are going to touch for a nanosecond."  
  
"And that's bad," Tenchi guessed.  
  
"That's bad. It means a hell of an explosion when those dissimilar elements meet. We gotta get as far away as we can. Now!"  
  
"Got you, Washuu!" Ryoko now zoomed away, carrying Tenchi, toward the lake.  
  
"Ryoko! Wait!" Tenchi cried.  
  
But Ryoko didn't wait. She flew herself and Tenchi past the lake and into the wooded area beyond.  
  
"That is so typical of that woman!" Ayeka said, enraged. "Using this perilous situation to have Lord Tenchi all to herself!" No one could doubt that the Princess was back to normal, despite the great weariness that still showed on her face.  
  
"Whatever." Washuu shrugged. "Like I said, we gotta beat feet. If we all hurry, we can put Yagami between us and that blob. It'll give us some protection, anyway. Grandpa, lean on me, will you?"  
  
"With great pleasure, Professor Washuu," Lord Yosho replied amiably. The two of them, rather a comical sight with the taller Shinto Priest leaning on the diminutive super scientist, began to trot toward the downed Yagami and away from the collapsing mass of the entity. "Come on, you guys!" Washuu turned her head and called to the others. "Get organized and get going!"  
  
Now Kiyone took charge of the situation. "Mihoshi, you help Ayeka. Tris, you carry Sasami."  
  
"Right!" Mihoshi moved to stand alongside the Princess.  
  
"Well, let me awaken Sasami first," Tris said.  
  
"Forget it! Carry her, I said!"  
  
"But Kiyone--"  
  
"Tris Coffin, you're going to do what I say from now on! You got it?"  
  
Tris nodded. "Yes, Officer."  
  
"Get cracking, you!"  
  
Tris walked over and kneeled beside Sasami. He gently picked up the sleeping little girl who had saved the day for them all.  
  
"Let's go!" Kiyone led the way at a sprint.  
  
Mihoshi, letting Ayeka lean against her, was right behind her partner as she dragged the Princess along. Just a few steps behind was Tris, carrying Sasami. Ryo-Ohki scampered beside them. Washuu and Lord Yosho were just ahead of them.  
  
"Wish I knew how long we have," Kiyone panted. "Because then I could have--"  
  
Suddenly a blinding flash blazed from behind them. The air around them was seared with white-hot gusts. The ground shook as if in the throes of a great earthquake. A kind of force-wind, incredibly strong, slammed into them and sent them sprawling.  
  
The ground rumbled, mightily. Leaves and limbs, torn from trees that were bent almost to the ground, filled the air. The concussion of the two dimensions meeting and imploding was terrific. It flattened everything, trees, bushes, and people. The very air seemed to punch the landscape like a giant fist.  
  
Then the leaves and branches and plants torn out by their roots that filled the air like confetti settled as the explosion dissipated. The debris covered the ravaged ground.  
  
The rumbling ceased. Stillness reigned over the land. The sun poked though the clouds, its rays caressing the lake and causing it to glisten brightly. Birds not blown away by the inter-dimensional blast began to twitter in those trees still left standing.  
  
And nothing moved. Nothing at all.  
  
________________________________________  
  
CHAPTER NOTES  
  
(1) Actually, "Sierra Hotel" is the G-rated version of the traditional fighter pilot's shout of approval. I'll leave the R-rated version to the reader's discernment. 


	24. CHAPTER 23: No Need For Kudos

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE  
  
No Need For Kudos  
  
_________________  
  
"Put me down, Ryoko!"  
  
Tenchi, in the process of being airlifted back to the blasted landscape of his front lawn by Ryoko, kicked his legs impatiently. He could see nothing but leaves and plants and branches scattered like a blanket all over the ground, except where the Yagami had crashed. The entire grounds just outside the gate and all the way up to the lake were a mound of torn up flora and other debris that defied easy description.  
  
Where was everybody? The house and the gate--and Tris's car--had somehow survived the terrific blast. But what about his family?  
  
"Ryoko, I said put me down! Now!"  
  
"Yes, sweetums."  
  
Ryoko lowered him to the leaf and branch and debris-strewn ground, some yards from the Yagami. "This is where they got to when old Ugly exploded...I think," Ryoko said worriedly.  
  
Azaka II and Kamidake II were buzzing about the area, calling for Princess Ayeka. At least Tenchi and Ryoko wouldn't be alone in the search.  
  
"Yeah, it looks like the place," Tenchi said, as Ryoko floated to the ground beside him. "God, Ryoko--if that blast--if they didn't survive--!" Tenchi's face crumpled with grief.  
  
"Oh, Tenchi." Ryoko slipped her arms around him. "Maybe they aren't all dead. Oh, lover..." She held Tenchi close. "We'll start digging, and--"  
  
"Unhand Lord Tenchi--you--you--!"  
  
Ryoko and Tenchi wouldn't have parted more rapidly if each had burst into flame. They stared, dumbfounded, in the direction of the voice.  
  
With a rustle of leaves and branches, Princess Ayeka Jurai rose from the ground. She looked majestic, despite the soil that splotched her face and robed gown, and the leaves that were tangled in her deep purple hair. An instant later, her two Guardians jetted up to her, blinking happily. The Princess nodded to them and they contentedly departed to take up their old stations by the gate again. Now the Princess turned to her rival.  
  
"You could not wait until my body was cold in the ground before making your tawdry advances toward Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said, furious with the space pirate. "That is despicable, even for you, Ryoko--"  
  
"Ayeka--you're alive!" Tenchi shouted joyfully.  
  
"Whoop, whoop," Ryoko muttered.  
  
"Of course I am alive, Lord Tenchi. If Professor Klove could not kill me, why would you think a silly explosion could--"  
  
She stopped as Tenchi ran to her and embraced her, gleefully.  
  
"Hey!" Ryoko said.  
  
"Oh...Lord Tenchi..." Ayeka melted in Tenchi's arms. She sighed with love as Tenchi held her close. Then she moaned as Tenchi kissed her--full on the mouth.  
  
"Hey, hey!" Ryoko said.  
  
Tenchi smiled at the Princess. Ayeka's face glowed, her ruby eyes shimmering. "My darling...Lord Tenchi..."  
  
"Boy, that's a hell of a note! We all get killed and you two start necking!" Washuu now rose from the debris that covered the ground, leafy and twiggy stuff falling from her body like snowflakes.  
  
Tenchi released Ayeka, who still swayed a bit with rapture. "Washuu!"  
  
"Right the first time, Tenchi." Washuu grinned. "Hey, I have something here for you." She reached down and helped Lord Yosho rise to his feet. She brushed the leaves and dirt from his kimono, gently.  
  
"Grandfather!" Tenchi was all but overwhelmed.  
  
"Correct, grandson." Lord Yosho smiled. He looked more or less immaculate aside from a leaf here and a dirt splotch there. "I think you will find that all of us survived the explosive end of Professor Klove's creation."  
  
"Most of the force of the blast passed over us," Washuu explained. "And, well, the ground is nice and soft. Kinda icky, though," she added, prying a cicada from her blouse and dropping it on the ground.  
  
"Meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki jumped up from a pile of leaves and branches and bounded over to Ryoko. The space pirate picked up her cabbit and held it to her breasts, nuzzling it. "You bad little thing! Making your mistress get all worried."  
  
"Meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki replied lovingly.  
  
"Oooooohhhh--I think I ruined this blouse," Mihoshi said, as she rose from the leaves-and-branches blanket that had covered her. "Look, it's all torn and spotted. Now I'll have to buy a new one...or borrow Kiyone's."  
  
"No you won't!" Kiyone rose also, scattering leaves and debris. "Mine's not any better off than yours--and you keep your mitts off my clothes, Mihoshi!"  
  
"Yes, Kiyone."  
  
Tenchi's head was spinning with relief and joy. Everyone was alive! They had all survived! But wait...  
  
"Where's Sasami?" Ayeka had also noticed someone was missing.  
  
"Here I am!" Sasami popped up from another pile of leaves and branches. Evidently the trauma of the blast had broken the hypnotic trance. That was one benefit from the earth-shaking explosion, anyway.  
  
"Oh, dear!" Ayeka walked over to her little sister. "Are you hurt?"  
  
"Uh-uh," Sasami told her. "I'm okay, Ayeka. I landed on something soft."  
  
Then they all heard a moan beneath the little girl's feet. That something soft was Tris.  
  
"Tris!" Kiyone cried, aggrieved. "Oh, Tris!" She bounded over to where Sasami and Ayeka stood. Little Sasami, her face anxious, quickly stepped off Tris's prone form. Kiyone sank to her bare knees in the pile of leaves and branches. Her face was tragic. Mihoshi quickly joined her.  
  
"Oh, Tris!" Kiyone looked as if she would cry. "Darling!"  
  
"Let's get him up, Kiyone," Mihoshi said anxiously.  
  
Both young women grasped Tris's arms and heaved him up. Tris was an unholy mess, covered with dirt, leaves, twigs, and the remains of several stray mushrooms. They dragged him to a spot where the ground wasn't so deeply packed with debris. Frantically, Mihoshi and Kiyone brushed the American off. He sagged in their grasp. There was a bloody gash on his forehead.  
  
"No!" Kiyone wailed. "Darling--say something!"  
  
Tris did not appear to hear her. His eyes were closed.  
  
"Good heavens!" Ayeka said, from where she stood with Sasami, greatly perturbed.  
  
"Oh, no!" Sasami sounded tearful. "His body was under mine when we hit the ground. Somebody do something!"  
  
"We shall do something, dear," Ayeka reassured her. "Most assuredly."  
  
"Knew that goofball's head would hit something," Ryoko offered. "It always does."  
  
Tenchi glared at Ryoko. Ryoko instantly looked contrite. Shaking his head, he walked over to where Kiyone and Mihoshi were propping up Tris.  
  
"God...is he badly hurt?" Tenchi asked, unable to believe that harm had come to his best friend now, after all they had survived.  
  
"Professor Washuu, please see about Tristram," Lord Yosho requested, his drawn face reflecting his deep concern.  
  
"On my way," said Washuu.  
  
She walked up to Tris, who still sagged in the tight grip of Kiyone and Mihoshi.  
  
"Do you think it's bad, Washuu?" Kiyone demanded fretfully. "I can drive his car--there's a medical clinic in the village--"  
  
Inwardly the great scientist smiled. If Kiyone had earlier wished to keep her true feelings about Tris Coffin incognito, she was certainly letting them all hang out now. She was fussing over him like she was his mother...or his wife. Mihoshi seemed pretty rocky, too, as she looked at Tris.  
  
"I can drive him, Kiyone," Tenchi said, stepping forward. "I have a driver's license. We'll take Grandfather, too."  
  
"My wound is already closed, Tenchi, as you may recall," Lord Yosho said. "A bit of bandaging and rest is all I require."  
  
"Thank goodness!" Ayeka said gratefully. "But poor Tristram--"  
  
"Can't you help him, Washuu?" Sasami asked dolefully. She seemed devastated that Tris had gotten hurt helping her.  
  
"Let me see," Washuu said. She grasped one of Tris's wrists--that boy had lovely large, well-formed hands, something a woman especially noticed--and checked his pulse. It beat with reassuring regularlity. His skin temperature was normal. She saw that he was breathing slowly but steadily and there was no sign of nerve damage, no trembling or convulsing. She dropped his wrist, quickly popped open her console, and scanned Tris thoroughly.  
  
Unnoticed by the others, Ryoko silently rose in the air and teleported away.  
  
"You can relax, Kiyone, Tenchi...everyone," Washuu told them, reading the scan. "He's had one heck of a bang on the head, but that's all. He's probably coming out of it now. There may be a slight concussion, though--no, Kiyone, no need to take him to one of the local quacks."  
  
"You sure?" Kiyone demanded. She studied Tris again, her face mirroring her distress.  
  
"He's hurt, Washuu!" Mihoshi insisted. "He's bleeding!"  
  
"We'll bandage that up right away," Washuu said confidently. "Like Grandpa, he needs bed rest and I'll also give him--"  
  
Suddenly, Ryoko loomed above them. She held a brimming glass of water. She landed close to Kiyone and Mihoshi and Tris. Washuu turned to look at her as did everyone else. The great scientist grinned.  
  
"Go right ahead, nurse," she said.  
  
Now Ryoko grinned. She tossed the water on Tris's face, managing to splash Mihoshi and Kiyone, too.  
  
"Hey!" said Mihoshi.  
  
"Ryoko--what the hell!" Kiyone growled.  
  
"Just reviving the corpse!" Ryoko told them. She turned to the others. "No damage inside the house--at least, not in the kitchen where I got this water. Didn't want to use that lake water--fish poop in it, you know."  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi snapped. "This is no joke. Tris is--"  
  
"He's just woozy, Tenchi," Washuu intervened. "It's okay, the water will help bring him around."  
  
"It had better," Kiyone said darkly. As far as she was concerned, Ryoko enjoyed tossing that water at them a bit too much.  
  
Tris slowly opened his eyes. He raised his head. "Where--?" He surveyed the group groggily. "Oh, there you are, Ryoko. That proves I'm not dead...at least that I'm not in heaven, anyway."  
  
"Thanks a heap, goofball," Ryoko gritted.  
  
"If you're going to toss liquid at me, Ryoko, couldn't you have made it a beer? I could sure use one."  
  
"Maybe I should have used water from the lake," Ryoko said. But she smiled as she said it.  
  
"Oh, Tris!" Kiyone said and averted her face. Mihoshi smiled as tears flowed down her cheeks. Sasami wiped her eyes and smiled as well.  
  
"Hey, what is this, a wake?" Tris demanded. "I thought only that blob monster was dead and who cares about him?"  
  
The others laughed quietly. It felt good to laugh, particularly after everything they had been through in the last few hours.  
  
"Idiot!" Kiyone embraced him tightly. Mihoshi stood back, smiling at the two of them.  
  
"Hey, Tris is right," Ryoko said. "What's all this wah-wahing about? We kicked that blob's ass. Big time! It's time to celebrate!"  
  
"You're right, Ryoko," Tenchi agreed. "We'll just--" Then he looked around himself. "Hell! Just look at this place, Tris!"  
  
Tris, having ended the embrace with Kiyone but still propped up by her and Mihoshi, did so. "Damn it! I don't believe it!"  
  
"Huh? What's with you guys?" Ryoko asked.  
  
"Just look at the lawn!" Tenchi cried angrily. "Look at it!"  
  
"What about it?" Mihoshi asked, confused.  
  
"We busted our butts all that time on this lawn--and it's a disaster area!" Tris was angry, too. "Holy hell--it's going to take a month to get this place straightened up again! All that work wasted!"  
  
"Damn right!" Tenchi groused. "Spring Break is almost over and what do we have to show for it? Nothing! Zip! Just more yard work to do!"  
  
"That goddamn Klove!" Tris grated.  
  
"What?" Kiyone said. "You're upset about the stupid lawn?"  
  
"I don't believe you guys," Washuu said. "We almost got killed--we survived just by the skin of our teeth--and you're pinging over a little debris?"  
  
"A little debris? Hah!" Tenchi replied.  
  
"Yeah! Hah!" Tris agreed.  
  
"They've both gone off their rockers," Ryoko said to Ayeka.  
  
"Yes." Ayeka smiled. "Isn't it wonderful?"  
  
Now she walked up to where Tenchi and Tris--and by default, Kiyone and Mihoshi and Washuu--stood discussing future landscaping plans for the Masaki Shrine. To summarize the discussion: Tenchi and Tris said they'd be damned if they'd break their backs again over that lawn and the women told them to shut up about it already. To the Princess, hearing Lord Tenchi and Tristram grouse about a small bit of labor just like little boys was proof positive that things were returning to normal with their family. The two young men couldn't help but act so foolishly, of course...after all, they were males. Nonetheless, all of this had gone far enough and they needed to move on to other things.  
  
"Lord Tenchi...Tristram," Ayeka said as she reached them. "I am certain we are all very sorry about your hard work being spoiled, but that is of no consequence right now. You are both being silly and we have much more important matters to attend to."  
  
"No consequence?" Tenchi asked Ayeka, aggrieved.  
  
"Silly?" Tris added, in high dudgeon.  
  
"Exactly so. You both heard me. Now Tristram, you may be badly hurt and you must not talk until Miss Washuu can get you into the house and examine you properly. Then you must be fed and put to bed forthwith."  
  
"But Ayeka," Tris protested.  
  
"I said you must not tax yourself with talking." Ayeka looked at him with those ruby eyes and it was clear once again that she was the First Princess of Jurai. "I shall not have to repeat myself, shall I?"  
  
Tris surrendered. His head was still throbbing to beat the band. Bed sounded good, damned good. And Ayeka was no one to mess with when she took charge, he had learned. He nodded, knowing better than to speak.  
  
"Very well, Tristram." Ayeka smiled affectionately at him. She then addressed herself to a now-grinning Kiyone and Mihoshi. "Please help Tristram to the house, you two. After he bathes, put him in Lord Tenchi's bed."  
  
"Hey--" Tenchi responded.  
  
"Naturally, you will be happy to give up your bed for your injured friend, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka told him, smilingly. "A Juraian Prince would not think twice about such a trifle, of course."  
  
Tenchi grimaced. But he knew when he was licked. Besides, he really didn't begrudge giving Tris his bed for a while. It was just that Ayeka had caught him unawares--as usual!  
  
"Sure, of course."  
  
"Thank you, Lord Tenchi. Perhaps you would be best employed assisting Lord Yosho to the house. Miss Washuu and Sasami and I shall depart now to collect the First Aid supplies and begin preparing a hot meal. We could all use a meal, I am certain."  
  
"What about me, Princess?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"You! You can--" Ayeka stopped. No, she would not demean herself with another ill-tempered outburst. She was on a roll and she would not scuttle herself. Besides, there were better ways to get even with Ryoko.  
  
"I suggest you teleport to the house now so that we do not have to view you in those rags anymore. Then you should go to the baths and soak your--yourself. Those weals are still quite angry-looking on your skin, Ryoko. But we will not know how bad your injuries are until you have cleaned yourself up properly. Then you can dress decently and report to Miss Washuu for a through medical examination."  
  
Ryoko's face flushed beet red. "What are you saying? That's I'm a mess? I'll have you know, Princess, that--"  
  
"Of course," Ayeka interrupted her mildly, "if you wish to stand out here and argue whilst poor Tristram is bleeding..."  
  
The others did their best to hide their amusement at Ryoko's discomfiture and Ayeka's small victory. They weren't entirely successful, which raised the space pirate's ire even higher. But, like Tenchi and Tris, Ryoko knew when she was holding a busted flush. Score one for Princess Pain-In-The-Patoot...this time.  
  
"Okay," Ryoko muttered. She rose into the air and disappeared via teleport. With a "meow-er," Ryo-Ohki scampered after her toward the house.  
  
"Well, that seems to account for everyone," Ayeka said briskly, all but dusting her hands. "Of course, Lord Tenchi's father will likely return sometime soon. We will at least have a meal ready for him. Sasami, Miss Washuu, we will proceed to the house. The rest of you follow at your own pace, of course. Let us depart."  
  
With a queenly bearing, Princess Ayeka swept away toward the house, with Sasami and a grinning Washuu in her wake. The others looked at each other, several shrugs were exchanged, and then they too followed the royal procession. Tenchi supported his grandfather, while Tris continued to be propped up on either side by Kiyone and Mihoshi.  
  
They all heard Ayeka's voice from up ahead: "My! Have you ever noticed how the absence of a certain person seems to simply brighten the landscape? The air is so sweet and clean. Just listen to the lovely birds sing. I believe this has turned out to be a wonderful day after all; I truly do."  
  
"A formidable woman, grandson," Lord Yosho murmured, smiling and leaning against Tenchi as they walked. He now carried the sheathed Sword Tenchi. "Every bit a Princess."  
  
"Yes, she is, Grandfather." Tenchi smiled, too.  
  
Behind them, Mihoshi asked, "Remember when we were all on Vestra and we walked together like this? Is it that deja vu thingy again, Tris?"  
  
"I guess so, Mihoshi," Tris replied, chuckling despite his throbbing head. "Deja vu all over again."  
  
"Hush, Mihoshi. Don't make him talk," Kiyone told her. Then Tris felt her soft lips gently kiss his cheek. He grinned. Some things were worth getting a cracked skull for.  
  
------  
  
At about that time, sitting in his un-spacious office at Galaxy Police Headquarters, Chief Tor Bodai felt like cracking a few skulls himself.  
  
He was desperately trying to tie up loose ends in his present job as Chief of Patrol for Region Gamma. Captain Tookal, the Grand Marshall's exec, had hinted to him that his promotion to Director of Personnel--and to Field Marshall rank--was imminent. The current personal chief had taken the bait and had demanded a logistics slot. Within a week, that worthy would be given the job at Logistics and then he would be handed his retirement papers. Chief Bodai shook his grizzled head. As always, the cobbler's children had no shoes. The outgoing personnel chief was woefully ignorant of personnel regulations. Well, he was no loss. He would receive a fat retirement, a golden parachute, while Bodai would no doubt have to clean up the mess his predecessor left behind.  
  
In the meantime, Bodai was trying to clean up a few messes that still plagued his present bailiwick. He did not have much time and he wanted to leave his pea patch as tidy as he could--to satisfy his personal standards of professionalism, if for no other reason. One of those messes was, of course, his re-investigation of the Slaakive mis-identification case that involved Detectives Kuramitsu and Makibi. Bodai has a shrewd idea that his successor would be loath to take up the probe...in fact, his successor would likely attempt to rid himself of two such troublesome officers. The instrument for doing that would be, of course, the hacking of the confidential GP files that had been traced to Earth. Bodai was certain that no culprit other than the two disgraced officers would ever surface.  
  
Sergeant Katzaar was keeping a weather eye on Sergeant Mitsuki, but that young woman had shown she was made of stone where the re- investigation was concerned. She would not crack, and that really was the only hope for Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu. No hope there, in other words. And with this new offense hovering over them...Chief Bodai shook his head, slowly, remorsefully. He hated to lose, especially where a fine officer's career was at stake.  
  
At least there was some good news. Lieutenant Zay're had put in for an extended leave. Rumor had it that he planned to resign his commission while on leave and enter local politics on his home planet. That was, at any rate, the first trimming of the deadwood and self-servers that Bodai vowed to make his top priority as Director of Personnel. Galaxy Police Headquarters would finally get the housecleaning it had needed for years. At that worthy task, Bodai knew he would not fail. He also knew that the Grand Marshall was behind him completely on that score.  
  
Not surprisingly, it seemed that Zay're and Mitsuki had broken off their engagement. Again, the ever-busy (and usually correct) rumor mill held that Zay're had given Mitsuki her walking papers. Bodai believed it. Zay're would not risk having a foreign bride on his arm while hustling the local yokels of his planet for votes. Sentiment would never influence any career move on Zay're's part. Thank heavens he would soon be gone from the GP! However, as a politician and a shrewd one at that, he could end up on the Galaxy Police Civilian Advisory Board...perhaps even hold the post of High Commissioner someday. Bodai hoped that would never happen.  
  
Although he hated such tactics, Bodai had contemplated interrogating Mitsuki again immediately after he had heard about her busted engagement to Zay're. It was a fact that emotional trauma often weakened the defenses people built up--any cop worth his or her salt knew that. But Chief Bodai just wasn't built that way. He couldn't browbeat a fellow, if junior, officer at the moment she must be feeling her lowest. Perhaps he had let a golden opportunity slip by. He would never know now.  
  
Chief--soon-to-be Field Marshall--Bodai put down the portable recordset he had been trying to list all his "to-do's" in. He simply had too much on his plate to clean up before his tenure as Chief of Patrol ended. He had to prioritize and concentrate on the tasks he really could accomplish in that time. Otherwise, too many worthy projects would be left to the tender mercies of his successor, and most successors had their own agendas. Bodai certainly had his back when he had taken over as Chief of Patrol.  
  
He picked up a stylus. He stared at the notation he had made about the Slaakive case re-investigation. He sighed, hating to do it. But...he ran the stylus over the notation. The notation was trashed. His administrative assistant would close out the case and archive it. The re-investigation was finished, officially.  
  
And so were Mihoshi and Kiyone...barring a miracle. And Chief Tor Bodai frankly didn't believe in miracles.  
  
He could not have known that one miracle had already happened and that another--a minor one--was waiting in the wings.  
  
------  
  
Lord Yosho was, among other things, a supremely patient and disciplined man. It took a lot of patience and discipline to lay stretched out on his bed, wearing nothing but...well, call it a white breechcloth...while awaiting medical treatment from Professor Washuu.  
  
As Washuu had observed during the battle with Klove, the wound itself was cauterized shut. But the burnt flesh was amazingly painful. Washuu had carefully probed it with a blinking organic scanner of her own design and then left him for a little while to whip up a remedy that she promised would cool his skin and promote fast healing. He had thanked her amiably, although his burns screamed with fiery inflammation. Before she returned, he, Tenchi, and Nobuyuki (who had returned from that building site a while ago) managed to have a short conversation.  
  
"Doesn't look so bad, father-in-law," Nobuyuki said, repressing a shudder as he looked at the charred flesh covering one entire side of Lord Yosho's torso.  
  
"That's right, Grandfather...I've seen worse," Tenchi added, his face turning an interesting shade of pale green as he glanced at the wound and looked away.  
  
Lord Yosho smiled. "The next thing you two will tell me is that third-degree burns are quite becoming."  
  
Tenchi and his father both looked a bit rueful.  
  
"Never mind," Lord Yosho told them. "At least I have Miss Washuu to minister to me. The wound is not deep and the pain is only temporary. Speaking of pain, son-in-law, I understand you were rather upset when you arrived home and saw our lawn so radically altered."  
  
"You heard me, eh?" Now Nobuyuki really looked rueful, although he managed a small apolegetic smile.  
  
"It was exceedingly difficult not to hear you. Now I know where Tenchi learned all his bad words from."  
  
Tenchi grinned. It had happened when Kiyone and Mihoshi had just gotten Tris to his and Tenchi's bedroom and Tenchi and Washuu had put Grandfather to bed in his own bedroom. The front door had slammed open and his father had entered the house like a living tsunami of righteous wrath. He had turned the air blue with strong words and demanded to know how Ayeka and Ryoko could have broken their pledges to him not to battle again. Both women had walked out of the kitchen and listened to him, too surprised to answer. When he had finished (by kicking his briefcase), Ayeka and Ryoko had laughed and laughed helplessly. Fortunately, Sasami had also come in and explained what really had happened. Totally deflated, Nobuyuki had then humbly apologized to Ayeka and Ryoko, who in turn had accepted his sincere regrets with amused grace and charm. After all, the lawn did rather resemble a scene from one of their memorable firefights of the past.  
  
"I can understand why you thought Ryoko and Ayeka had gotten rowdy again, Dad," Tenchi told him. "You kind of forgot about Professor Klove and his threat to us, right?"  
  
"I'll admit I did, son. After all, he hadn't made any moves against us aside from that wardrobe-overturning business and I guess I just discounted the whole thing after a while."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded. "That is exactly what Professor Klove meant for us to do. He was a clever manipulator. We talked and planned and prepared--we thought--for his coming. But when he did attack, we were unprepared. Had Mihoshi not proven to have such inner strength, the outcome might have been quite different. I am certain that Professor Klove attacked Mihoshi first because he thought her weak and timid. He underestimated her just as he underestimated our collective strength and determination. That was his undoing. But it was a close thing."  
  
"It sure was, Grandfather," Tenchi agreed somberly.  
  
"Although we'll never prove it, Professor Klove no doubt had a hand in the untimely deaths of some of the people involved in his prosecution and incarceration," Lord Yosho added. "He likely used his stupendous hypnotic powers to enthrall some of the people who came in close contact with him and then employed that control to commit silent murder. He was truly capable of anything. We may never plumb just how extensive Professor Klove's crimes were."  
  
"You speak of this Klove in the past tense, father-in-law," Nobuyuki said. "Do you believe he is dead along with his mind creation?"  
  
"Yes, son-in-law." Lord Yosho looked reflective. "He dedicated everything to his scheme to destroy us and to precipitate a civil war in the Galactic Union. That was his sole reason for living. When he failed, I am certain he simply had no reason to maintain his cold and numb existence. Likely, he has willed himself to die. He was but a small step from death all these years, anyway."  
  
"What a waste, Grandfather," Tenchi said. "What a waste of a brilliant intellect who could have done so much good."  
  
"That's right, son," Nobuyuki affirmed. "So many people squander their gifts. It seems they lack a sense of balance, somehow."  
  
"That is the key, son-in-law," Lord Yosho agreed. "Balance. Mind and heart. Science and soul. It is a lesson each generation must learn. The more advanced we become, the harder that lesson is to learn."  
  
"Speaking of science," Tenchi, who had been covertly monitoring his grandfather's expressions for signs the pain was becoming worse, now interjected, "where's Washuu and that medicine of hers?"  
  
"Right here, Tenchi!" Washuu walked into the bedroom. "You men were having such a deep discussion, I didn't want to interrupt!" She carried a blue jar in her hand. Inside, a yellow creamy substance could be espied. "This is just the stuff for Grandpa. I already put some of it on Ryoko's welts. She sure was a big baby about it. Ayeka almost had to sit on her before she'd cooperate."  
  
The three men exchanged grins.  
  
"You were welcome to join in our discussion, Washuu," Nobuyuki told her. "You're always welcome, you know."  
  
"Thank you, sweetie!" Washuu smiled fondly. She patted Nobuyuki's arm. "Why don't you help me rub this stuff on Grandpa? Tenchi, you really don't have to wait around..."  
  
Tenchi took the hint. He said goodbye to all three of them and left.  
  
As he exited the bedroom, Tenchi smiled. He didn't mind being more or less shooed away. His Dad and Washuu had a right to want to be alone...even if "alone" included Grandfather. He decided to check on Tris.  
  
Trundling down the stairs quickly, he walked past the living room where Ryoko and Ayeka were sitting on one of the couches. They were discussing Ryoko's injuries caused by the tendrils of Professor Klove's mind monster. He heard part of that discussion:  
  
Ayeka: "Do not be so stubborn, Ryoko. Although Miss Washuu says you are not badly injured, those wounds look ghastly. I have some wonderful cosmetics that will cover those welts until they are healed." Ryoko: "Aw, Washuu said they'll be gone in a few days. She put that miracle goop on them, you know. With me wearing this turtleneck sweater and these sweat pants, no one'll notice. Besides, all you've got probably is wrinkle cream. Lots of wrinkle cream!" Ayeka: "I do not! How dare you! My skin is flawless--" Ryoko: "Yeah, it's the best skin money can buy!"  
  
Tenchi quickly scooted past the living room as the two women's discussion reached a crescendo. Yes, things were definitely getting back to normal.  
  
Then he saw Mihoshi standing outside his closed bedroom door. She looked worried and resigned. She smiled wanly when she spotted him. She quickly put a finger to her lips. Puzzled, Tenchi walked closer. He heard the conversation within the bedroom quite plainly:  
  
Tris: "Look, I'm not gonna put on my pajamas until you leave, Kiyone." Kiyone: "Listen, goofy, you could black out with that head wound any minute. I'm not leaving until you're in bed. And then I'm still not leaving." Tris: "It was bad enough you waited right outside the shower while I was in it. I thought you were going to join me for a minute there." Kiyone: "I would have, only there wasn't enough room!" Tris (chuckling): "Okay, okay...at least turn around, will you?" Kiyone: "Hey, buster, I'm not five years old. I have an older brother, you know." Tris: "I know. He must have been a saint to put up with--ow!"  
  
Tenchi turned from the door and grinned. "These two are back to normal, huh?"  
  
"Uh-huh," Mihoshi said. "Don't tell Tris, but Washuu is going to give him something to make him sleep for a while once he gets in bed. That's why Kiyone doesn't want to leave him, I think."  
  
Tenchi nodded.  
  
"Tris asked us to leave so he could put on his pajamas. I did, but Kiyone wouldn't. And..."  
  
"I get it," Tenchi told her. "Hey, it sure got quiet in there."  
  
Now Mihoshi smiled with amusement. "I know why...don't you, Tenchi?"  
  
Tenchi smiled back. "Yeah, I do. Well, I won't interrupt them now. Be sure he gets into bed, Mihoshi."  
  
"We will, Tenchi."  
  
Tenchi hesitated. "Mihoshi..."  
  
"Yes, Tenchi?"  
  
"You know, you really saved all of us today. I don't know if I could have broken free of Professor Klove's hypnosis like you did. Then the way you used the remaining power in your ship to keep from crashing. I'm not sure how that worked, but I do know it was an extraordinary thing you did. I'll never forget it...and I don't think anyone else will, either."  
  
Mihoshi looked him, her blue eyes sparkling, her face radiant. Tenchi wondered why they didn't take the time more often to express their appreciation to her. She lit up so much when treated with consideration. She really was a beautiful woman in every sense-- beautiful inside and beautiful outside.  
  
"Thank you, Tenchi," she said softly.  
  
"No...thank you, Mihoshi." Tenchi leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. He smiled at her and walked away.  
  
Mihoshi touched her cheek where Tenchi had kissed her. She felt so warm and happy. She sighed soulfully and leaned against the bedroom door. It was a special moment for her. At least it was until Kiyone slid the door open to get Tris another pillow and Mihoshi fell, sprawling backwards onto the bedroom floor. She hit the floor with a thump she really didn't feel and just lay there, smiling.  
  
"Mihoshi! You ding-dong! What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Nothing is wrong with me, Kiyone," Mihoshi replied dreamily, spread- eagle on the floor. "Nothing at all. Just ask Tenchi."  
  
------  
  
"So Lord Yosho and Tris are okay, Tenchi?" Sasami asked him some minutes later. They were both in the kitchen, where Sasami was busily preparing dinner. She knew they had all missed lunch-- unavoidably--and she was endeavoring to prepare quite a substantial meal. Tenchi had offered to help and she put him to work washing vegetables in the sink. Ryo-Ohki was in the kitchen, too. The cabbit was digesting a huge meal of carrots provided by Sasami. Ryo-Ohki now drowsed contentedly at Sasami's feet.  
  
"Sure, Sasami," Tenchi told her. "Washuu has some medicine for Grandfather and she's going to make sure Tris gets lots of sleep. From the wonderful smells in here, I know your meal is going to be great medicine, too."  
  
"Thank you, Tenchi." Sasami smiled. She went to the stove, stepped up on her footstool, and stirred two pots that simmered on low heat. "I'm sure everyone will feel better with a hot meal." She paused, suddenly thoughtful. "You know, this dinner was going to be our pizza party. Gosh, all that seems to long ago...but it was only this morning that we talked about going shopping for it."  
  
"That's right," Tenchi agreed. He ran the hand sprayer over the vegetables. "It's lucky we only talked. If that Klove had waited ten more minutes to make his move, we probably would have been on our way to the village when he attacked."  
  
"I know," Sasami said. "It would have been awful to have come back and found..." she didn't finish. She didn't need to.  
  
"Yes. This day seemed like a century--almost an eternity." Tenchi then realized the irony in his words. The fact was, it could have become an eternity for all of them.  
  
"Uh-huh!" Sasami seemed to read his thoughts. "I'm grateful it's almost over with...the day, I mean. There's so much to be grateful for Tenchi. We really take everything for granted, I think."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. We sure take you for granted, Sasami." Tenchi glanced at her. "You won that last battle for us. You really did."  
  
"Ohhhh..." Sasami's face went pink with embarrassment. "I was really just having a dream. You all fought that Professor Klove's monster for real."  
  
"Sasami." Tenchi stacked the washed vegetables on the cutting board, ready for slicing and dicing. He then turned toward the little girl. "You fought Klove for real--and you won. You let Tris put you into that trance knowing you would be facing that monster. Yet none of us were sure you'd be able to call on your Jurai power. I think that's the bravest thing I've ever seen anyone do. To take on something as powerful as that mind monster...that took real courage, Sasami."  
  
Sasami stepped off her footstool. She walked up to Tenchi. She held out her arms, her cute freckled face flushed with happiness at his praise. Tenchi bent down. They held each other tightly, for a long moment. Then he gently disengaged himself. He smiled appreciatively at the child Princess. He was devoted to Sasami and he couldn't be more proud of her. He felt grateful for the opportunity to tell her so. He rose, and his smile turned into a grin. He indicated the vegetables.  
  
"Say, Sasami, want me to slice up these veggies? I promise I won't  
  
cut myself!"  
  
Sasami giggled. "I know you won't. That would be very nice, Tenchi."  
  
"Right. I'm glad you put out so much food, Sasami," he said, opening a counter drawer, looking for a knife. "We're all about ready to starve. I think I can hear at least one person's tummy rumbling!"  
  
In response, Sasami smiled and walked back to her low-boiling pots on the stove. "I'll bet everyone's tummy is rumbling. We'd better hurry!"  
  
------  
  
Thanks to a sleeping draught Washuu insisted he take after dinner (served to him in bed by Kiyone who made him eat every bite of it), Tris slept deeply and dreamlessly--not even Professor Klove and Pretty Sammy combined could have invaded that stony slumber. He finally awakened mid-morning the next day. Tenchi, who had slept on the futon this time, was long gone, if course. But he found Kiyone standing by his bed, smiling down at him.  
  
She was bursting with news and no wonder. After making her report to the Galaxy Police that morning in Washuu's lab, with Ayeka adding her testimony, both Kiyone and Mihoshi had suddenly been ordered back to Galaxy Police Headquarters.  
  
"Medals?" Tris asked. He was instantly wide awake at the wonderful news.  
  
"That's right!" Kiyone beamed. "We just got a call back from Chief Bodai. Both the Grand Marshall and the High Commissioner plan to award Mihoshi and me Meritorious Service Medals. Imagine! Junior officers almost never get those!"  
  
"Smoking!" Tris told her. "Your report must have really impressed them."  
  
"It impressed them--and maybe infuriated them a little too," Kiyone admitted with a wry smile. "Here they had this crack investigative team working for so long to solve all those serial killings and two low-ranking detectives did the job!" Kiyone looked quite pleased about that. "Ayeka really talked us up to the Grand Marshall and the High Commissioner got on the line, too, and heard it. He commended us for a second time. Tris, it's wonderful! With the case solved and the medals, we'll probably get our reprimands removed from our records. We'll be sergeants again!"  
  
"Hey, that really is wonderful!" Tris told her. But he felt an inward twinge at what that likely meant for him and Kiyone. He ignored it. This was Kiyone's big moment and he wouldn't ruin it for her. "Is Yagami able to take you back?"  
  
"Sure. Washuu and Mihoshi and I worked on her early this morning. We got her reactor going again and warmed up her thrusters. She's fully operational now, orbiting the Earth. The fact is, Mihoshi and I are about to take off. I just took the chance you might be awake to tell you."  
  
"Well, that explains why you're in uniform." Tris paused. That twinge had mushroomed into a full-grown thumping in his stomach. He felt certain now that Kiyone would not come back. Even if promotions didn't go with the medals, she and Mihoshi might still be assigned back to Headquarters. At the very least, Kiyone would work her damndest to parlay her medal into a Headquarters assignment. That was what she wanted above all else and nothing would stand in her way if that opportunity came to her again...and it just had. The Galaxy Police was Kiyone's real life and a somewhat hapless Earthling had no place in that life. Tenchi had told him that repeatedly and he had always known it, really. Even so, it didn't make him feel one whit better.  
  
Tris had already decided he wanted to give Kiyone something--something special. He'd better give it to her now.  
  
"Wait a minute." He flung off the covers and stood up out of bed. He swayed a bit, as his vision fuzzed, briefly.  
  
"Tris!"  
  
His vision cleared. "I'm all right." He waved off her anxious hands and walked slowly, barefoot and in his oversized sweatshirt-pajamas, to the closet. He opened the closet and withdrew a garment. He handed it to Kiyone.  
  
"Here...I want you to have this." It was his father's A-2 pilot's jacket.  
  
"Tris! You can't mean it."  
  
"I do mean it."  
  
"But..." Kiyone shook her head. "Your father's jacket!"  
  
He held it out to her. Finally, she took it from him.  
  
Tris walked back to the bed gingerly, and sat down on it. "Look, I've been doing some thinking...believe it or not! I've been pretty dense. You and Tenchi and Lord Yosho and practically everyone else have been trying to tell me that I've been leaning too much on the memories of my parents. They've become kind of a crutch, and that's the last thing Mom and Dad would have wanted. That jacket is a fighter pilot's jacket. It was worn by a fighter pilot. It ought to be worn by another fighter pilot. I'll never be one--I get airsick!" Tris grinned dolefully. "But I know Dad would have considered you to be a fighter pilot, Kiyone--a damned good one. He would have been happy for you to wear it. And I'd be happy if you took it."  
  
"Tris..." Kiyone's eyes glinted a moment and she quickly blinked away the sudden moisture. "This jacket means so much to you."  
  
"Your having it means more to me. Put it on."  
  
Kiyone did, with alacrity. "It's a nice fit...a bit long in the arms but that's all right," she commented. "It feels...wonderful."  
  
"Then you'll take it?"  
  
"I'll take it. But when I wear it, I'll be wearing it for both of us--and your Dad."  
  
"That works for me, Kiyone," Tris said. "Check out the right-hand pocket."  
  
Kiyone unsnapped the pocket flap and reached inside. Her hand withdrew the Ray Ban pilot's sunglasses. "Wow! Great! I love how I look in these. But won't you need them to drive?" She was referring to the trip to the department store--it seemed so long ago.  
  
"I've got another pair--ones I bought on my own," Tris told her. "Those shades kind of go with the jacket."  
  
Kiyone put the sunglasses back into the flapped pocket. Then she ran her hands over the soft lambskin, caressingly. "Since you're being so generous--how about the Mustang?" She grinned.  
  
Tris groaned. "Give a cop an inch...no, that's one crutch I'll hold on to. Got to wean myself away slowly."  
  
"You keep that car, Tris Coffin," Kiyone told him seriously. "You and your Mom and Dad had such wonderful times in it. It's not a crutch. It's a wonderful memory you can actually touch."  
  
"Okay. Well, I know you need to get going. I'll see you when you get back." Tris quickly slid back under the covers. He really didn't feel like resting after that long slumber, but he didn't want to prolong their parting. Pretending he was still woozy was a cheap trick, but he didn't have any others up his sleeve. He just didn't have the courage to play the scene straight. "I'm really feeling ragged...guess I'll have to conk out again for a while."  
  
Kiyone just stood there, in her Galaxy Police uniform and the leather pilot's jacket, looking at Tris. She pursed her lips. Then she walked up to him and bent over. She gently kissed his cheek. "You need to shave," she said softly.  
  
"Send in the nurse, then," Tris muttered. "Goodbye, Kiyone."  
  
Kiyone slowly straightened. She looked at him for what seemed a long time. "Goodbye, Tris." She turned and left the bedroom, sliding the door shut behind her.  
  
Tris spent a long miserable time in bed until he was certain Kiyone had taken off in Yagami with Mihoshi. Then he rose and took a long hot shower. After drying himself off, he dressed and wandered into the kitchen where Sasami happily prepared him some tea and generally fussed over him.  
  
Staring at him, the little girl thought Tris looked awfully sad...and she felt certain she knew why.  
  
------  
  
One person who didn't feel a bit sad was Chief Bodai. With Captain Tookal watching him, he had just personally inspected the official certificates that would go with the medals to be presented to Detectives First Class Kiyone Makibi and Mihoshi Kuramitsu.  
  
They were both in Tookal's office, a cramped cubbyhole that adjoined the Lord Marshall's cavernous lair. Re-reading the last sentence in Kiyone's certificate, "...reflects great credit and devotion to the Galactic Union and the Galaxy Police," Bodai was just about bursting with pride for his favorite pupil from the Academy days. In a very real sense, he felt vindicated.  
  
"Yes, they're fine, Captain," Bodai said. "Rather well composed, I'd say."  
  
"Thanks, Chief," Tookal said. He had prepared the certificates and written the words that praised the two detectives' exceptional performances in the line of duty. Such tasks fell upon Tookal as the Grand Marshall's executive officer. "The usual florid phrases and the boilerplate statements...all of which have to be included, you know. But I think I managed to get the gist of their accomplishments across."  
  
"You did. Our two detectives will be pleased and proud. I get the distinct impression that you're rather pleased with them yourself, Captain." And that was unusual. Tookal almost always maintained a professional disinterest in personnel matters. It was, perhaps, necessary since he often authored letters of reprimand and admonishment for officers who went astray. In fact, he had written the letters of reprimand over the Slaakive mis-identification case that still festered in Kiyone's and Mihoshi's personnel records.  
  
"Well...perhaps, Chief. At least, I am relieved that those serial killings have been solved. They plagued Himself no end. He and the High Commissioner inherited that mess, you know."  
  
"I know now," Chief Bodai replied pointedly. Even though he had been informed by the Grand Marshall about the case, of course, he knew little about its suddent solution, except that the covert investigating task force had been disbanded and that Professor Klove, a supposedly comatose prisoner, had been responsible somehow for all the killings.  
  
"Yes, well...perhaps keeping an airtight lid on that case wasn't the best idea, Chief," Captain Tookal admitted. "But that is all moot now, of course. Professor Klove died yesterday, showing no more signs of consciousness than he displayed all those years he was locked away. We have your officers' report and the testimony of Princess Ayeka Jurai herself on how Klove committed the murders and how he was defeated, and Himself and the High Commissioner are satisfied. What's more, the royals on Jurai have also indicated their satisfaction with closing out the case. And that, Chief, is that."  
  
Chief Bodai frowned. He didn't like being kept in the dark. He hoped this would be the last instance of such stonewalling he would ever see. Secret investigations and covert action had no place in the Galaxy Police, he believed. "Just one more thing. That hacking attempt--I should say, hacking success. The investigation into it..."  
  
"Will not be pursued, Chief. The matter is closed." Captain Tookal placed the certificates in transparent platters. The actual medals were in the Grand Marshall's office, where the Grand Marshall, the High Commissioner, and Detectives Makibi and Kuramitsu were having an informal chat. Bodai suspected both the Grand Marshall and the High Commissioner were gently grilling the two detectives on the actual involvement of Princess Ayeka in the defeat of Professor Klove, but that was to be expected. The Jurai royal family wielded tremendous clout. When such august personages were involved, every detail of their involvement was vital information.  
  
"Good. Well, we need to get this show on the road. I suppose they'll finish chatting in there eventually, and--" Chief Bodai stopped as Captain Tookal's comm module buzzed. Tookal punched a touchpad. The viewscreen remained blank. Only a voice issued from the module.  
  
"Captain Tookal?" It was the rasping voice of Sergeant Katzaar.  
  
"Yes, Sergeant. Is there a malfunction of your viewscreen?"  
  
"No, sir. Actually, I'm in Chief Bodai's office. Is he there, sir?"  
  
Tookal looked at Bodai. "Yes, Sergeant, he is."  
  
Bodai said, "What is it, Sergeant? We will be presenting the medals very shortly. In fact, it wouldn't hurt for you to be there when we do."  
  
"Sir..." Sergeant Katzaar's voice was hesitant. "Please come to your office. I--We--have something very important to discuss."  
  
Captain Tookal's saucer-shaped eyes widened with surprise. Chief Bodai grimaced. "Can't it wait? The medal presentation--"  
  
"Chief, this can't wait. And it has to do with the medal presentation, in a way."  
  
Bodai looked at Tookal. The captain shrugged. "You'd better go. I'll explain to Himself and the others. Just don't be too long about it."  
  
The Chief nodded. "All right, Sergeant," he said into the comm module. "But this had better be good."  
  
Chief Bodai left the exec's office. He walked down the hallway. He felt peeved at Sergeant Katzaar. Could it be that even after their discussion that damned Katzaar was still dedicated to shoveling dirt on Kiyone and Mihoshi? If so, God help him!  
  
After turning several corners and entering the Patrol Section of the Headquarters, Chief Bodai reached the closed door of his office. No doubt, Sergeant Katzaar had closed it. What was he being so damned secretive about, anyway? Bodai shrugged irritably. He pressed the security panel that opened his door, let it slide open, and barged in. "Now, what is this all about--?"  
  
He stopped.  
  
The Chief of Patrol was floored at what he saw in his office. Not so much by the presence of Sergeant Katzaar and Sergeant Sakakibara. No, what amazed him was the fact that they were holding hands. Mitsuki looked scared but also determined. Youri looked...well, like a man holding hands with a woman who most definitely was not a relative.  
  
"You'd better close the door, Chief," Sergeant Katzaar said.  
  
Chief Bodai just stared at him. He had told Katzaar that it better be good. Now he was going to find out just how good it was.  
  
------  
  
Washuu kicked at the leaves and sticks and shredded shrubbery and flower fragments and all the other debris that still covered much of the grounds between the house and the lake. As bad as all that flotsam looked, she knew that the ground beneath it must look even worse. Professor Klove's mind monster had been rather generous with those plasma globules, especially toward the end, and the ground was blasted in many areas with charred turf and craters. In fact, one had to step carefully to avoid falling into one of those craters.  
  
Despite the messy grounds, and the blasted remains of small trees and bushes all around her, Washuu had to admit the outdoors were, on the whole, rather pleasant. The unseasonably warm weather continued unabated. It was rather like summer, but a summer with the freshness and budding of spring. That blue Earth sky was a honey. Fluffy white clouds, a delicious oxygen-rich atmosphere, songbirds twittering in the remaining trees, a lack of anything really venomous insect-wise-- yep, Earth really was a paradise. Too bad the Earthlings either didn't know it or didn't appreciate it.  
  
Washuu, of course, was not outdoors to frolic in the pleasures of the spring day. She had already been outside once during the morning to help Kiyone and Mihoshi re-fire Yagami's main reactor and get her engines operational. But that had been accomplished hours and hours ago. Kiyone and Mihoshi were long gone. Washuu had already returned to her sub-dimensional lab to see about a few experiments she was beginning. Once satisfied they were well and truly launched and needed no input from her for a while, she had felt an impulse seize her.  
  
It was about time she and Tenchi had a talk. And Tenchi would be outdoors attempting to do something about the ruined landscape, no doubt. She had checked again on Lord Yosho and that cutie, Tris, and both had been doing nicely, except that Tris seemed down in the mouth about something or other. Then Washuu had again gone outdoors, this time to look for Tenchi.  
  
She found him staring moodily at a row of what once had been cherry tree saplings, but were now just ripped-up holes in the turf. The cherry trees, once matured, were meant to line the main stone walkway leading to the steps of the temple. Now they were mixed in amongst the debris on the lawn.  
  
"Hi there, Tenchi," Washuu said to him, as sprightly as ever. In his short-sleeved white polo shirt and dungarees, Tenchi was a handsome young man, a heartbreaker, really. Poor Ryoko and Ayeka! One of them was going to be horribly disappointed. Washuu was glad she had gotten involved with Nobie. Now there was a real man, too. He could be hapless and he was quiet and unassuming, but inside he had his son's strength and compassion. He was a pretty good kisser, too...there was plenty of fire left in his furnace!  
  
Tenchi turned to look at her. "Oh, hi, Washuu." He turned back to stare at the former home turf of the little cherry tree saplings he had planted himself.  
  
"Yup, those are holes in the ground," Washuu twitted him, attempting to lighten his mood. "So now you can say you do know something from a hole in the ground--right?" She chuckled.  
  
Tenchi did not share her humor. "Tris and I have to go back to college next week, Washuu. Even if I work every weekend and holiday and Tris helps me, we'll be forever cleaning up this place...and after all the work we did. Damn it!"  
  
Washuu inwardly smiled. Men! Getting so wrapped up in silly things like lawn care. "Well, you're lucky to still have a place to clean up, Tenchi. We all are."  
  
"I know that!" Turning again to face her, Tenchi seemed a bit nettled. "I'm grateful it wasn't worse. But that doesn't help with the clean-up."  
  
"Uh-huh. Tenchi, do you really know how close we came to becoming just a few more statistics for the GP?"  
  
"I think so," he replied with heavy irony. "I was there, you know."  
  
Washuu shook her head. "When I scanned Ryoko after the fight, she was down to less than ten percent of her normal energy level. Much lower and she would have been a helpless as a baby...and maybe dead. Ryo-Ohki was nearly a cooked cabbit. She would have fought at the end, even against Ryoko's orders, but her energy level was dangerously low, too. I only had the power of the batteries in my console. Ayeka was dying. Your grandfather was out of the fight. Kiyone and Mihoshi were set for a watery grave once that blob finished with us. Tris was helpless and so was Sasami, seemingly. Tenchi, we've all never been so close to death before. Even against Kagato, only you and Grandpa and Ayeka were that bastard's targets. Of course, I hate to even think about how much mercy Kagato would have shown us if he won the battle he fought with you."  
  
Tenchi nodded. His visible irritation had vanished. "That's right, Washuu. Klove targeted all of us, even Tris. And for a little while there, it did look like curtains for us." He grinned suddenly. "You know, it's still hard to believe that Sasami's make-believe alter ego saved us!"  
  
"Perhaps it wasn't make-believe, Tenchi, not really," Washuu said. "We know now that there is a Dream Dimension. Perhaps we really live separate lives there, in a way, when we dream. Who knows? Maybe this, right now, is a dream and what we experience when we think we're sleeping is the real thing!" Washuu raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Aw, Washuu...that's not true."  
  
"'Course not! But it's a hoot to speculate about. If I was a real meanie, I'd spring that idea on Mihoshi. See what she makes of it."  
  
"Don't you dare, Washuu!" Tenchi warned her.  
  
"I won't. Besides, she and Kiyone are probably not coming back, you know."  
  
"I know. This is the big case Kiyone was looking for and she won't leave that Headquarters again. She'll find a way to get re-assigned there. That's why Mihoshi cried when they left this morning. She knows Kiyone! Ryoko told me she'll probably end up meeting them somewhere in space to give them the stuff they left behind. Ayeka is upset with Kiyone. I think Sasami is, too. Grandfather and Dad haven't said anything, but you can tell they feel badly for Tris. I know I do."  
  
"Everyone knows, then! Um...does Tris?"  
  
"I don't know. He probably suspects, though," Tenchi replied. "He's awfully dense if he doesn't."  
  
"Well, that boy can be awfully dense sometimes. Going to tell him?"  
  
"No. We really don't know for certain, although I think it's pretty definite. Anyway, Kiyone should tell him, don't you think?"  
  
Washuu nodded somberly. "She should...but she might not, Tenchi. She's a great gal and super at her job but her interpersonal skills are still pretty undeveloped in some areas. She's never had a real boyfriend before, I suspect. She probably doesn't know jack about how to break up with one."  
  
"Well, she should take a stab at it, anyway. Even with just a message or something." Tenchi's face betrayed the fact that he was not entirely happy with Kiyone, either.  
  
"She still might. She can call him and talk to him. There's the comm console in my lab. With all that distance between them, she may not feel so...tentative about it."  
  
"I hope she does." Tenchi shrugged and looked away, indicating that was all the breath he wanted to expend on that topic. That was fine with Washuu. She wanted to bring up another topic, anyway.  
  
"Tenchi...about your Dad and me..."  
  
Tenchi turned his head to look at her. He was plainly very much interested in what she had to say about that subject.  
  
"Here I am, the greatest scientist in the galaxy, and even I can't explain that kind of chemistry...the kind between a guy and a gal. I always kind of admired your father's selfless devotion to you and the home. But that's all it was, Tenchi. You know that. But then your Dad got fired and..." Washuu shrugged. "He was pretty brave and strong about it, after he got over the shock. Then he started his own business and showed all those creeps up. It just got to me."  
  
"Washuu...you don't have to explain."  
  
"Yeah, I do. Because I really like your Dad...maybe more than like him. And maybe he feels the same way about me." The redheaded scientist looked positively demur for a second. "If it turns out he does, well, I'm not letting him get away, Tenchi. I don't dig being an old maid anymore. I'm a woman, even if I look so young. You know that I'm really about as young as Methuselah."  
  
That made Tenchi grin. "That old phrase, "You're only as old as you look," really applies to you, Washuu."  
  
"Why, you sweet boy! Thank you! You get that silver tongue from your Dad, I know." Washuu smiled, almost shyly.  
  
"I suppose you don't want to be called Little Washuu anymore, huh?" Tenchi added, still grinning.  
  
"Oh, now Tenchi! That was just a phase I went through. You guys hardly ever called me that, anyway."  
  
"That's true. Washuu...I was wondering. Did what happened with Kiyone and Tris influence you about not wanting to be alone anymore?"  
  
The great scientist's smile widened. "I said you were a brainy boy, Tenchi. Yeah, I guess it did. I didn't expect Kiyone to fall for a guy--I mean, not until she had her career all shipshape again. Still, she went ahead and took a chance with Tris. It surprised me at first. But then I came to understand why."  
  
"Would you tell me, then?" Tenchi asked. "I'm not entirely clear in my mind about all that."  
  
"Sure. Kiyone realized she had denied herself so many things for so long, like having a romance with a guy--and for what? Her career? After all her sacrifices and dedication, her career was in tatters again. So when she started getting sweet on your buddy, she decided to hell with her self-sacrifice and at least give Tris a chance. It didn't last, but what they had was pretty good, for a while. And she got her career back on track anyway." Washuu looked thoughtful. "It kind of got me thinking, Tenchi. Why was I living like a old maid--a "mole," like Ryoko says? For what? I can keep my brilliant record going strong and have a little romance, too. So when your Dad suddenly looked like Sir Galahad to me...well, you know the rest."  
  
Tenchi nodded. He now regarded Washuu fondly.  
  
"Anyway, that's how it all got started," Washuu said. "It's gone even further than I thought it would. So I could be a permanent fixture around here. Your Dad might even insist we do that legal thing, the old-fashioned sweetie. I just want you to know--I really adore your Dad. I hope that doesn't make things awkward for you, Tenchi." Washuu didn't mention Tenchi's late mother--she didn't need to. It was understood that she would in no way presume to replace his mother, or even be a stepmother. But she would be a friend.  
  
"Well, it's a little unexpected, Washuu. But we're good friends, I think, and your being close to Dad won't change that. Besides, if you make Dad happy...that'll make me happy."  
  
Washuu impulsively took Tenchi's hand and squeezed it gently before releasing it. "What a good son you are, Tenchi Masaki...and what a lamb. You know, Grandpa keeps harping about how good things sometimes come from bad things. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that I was sent into exile all those centuries ago. Not if it meant meeting you and Grandpa and Nobie...and everyone else."  
  
Suddenly they both were interrupted a voice. It said:  
  
"Hey, this is the part of the movie where I go out for refreshments. Cut to the chase, will you? Enough hearts and flowers stuff!"  
  
They couldn't see the source of the voice. They both knew what that meant.  
  
"Ryoko!" Tenchi groaned.  
  
The space pirate now lowered herself from the concealing branches of one of the few trees that had survived the intra-dimensional blast. She hovered just above them. "You get it right every time, sweetums!" Ryoko grinned. "See, didn't I tell you you'd be calling the mad scientist here "Mom" someday? Maybe you'll believe what I tell you the next time."  
  
"I suppose," Washuu said, "that the words "private conversation" don't mean anything to you, Ryoko?"  
  
The platinum-haired and golden-eyed space pirate settled to the debris-covered ground. "Now, Washuu," she admonished. "Don't start talking silly like the Princess. When Tenchi and I get married, you'll get all the privacy you want. Until then, I'm looking out for my sweetums' best interests."  
  
"And you're the one who decides what my best interests are, huh?" Tenchi asked her.  
  
"Of course! Who else, lover?"  
  
"Me, for one."  
  
Washuu chuckled. "Gee, that's a thought, huh, Ryoko?"  
  
Ryoko clearly didn't like that thought and told Washuu so with a glare from her golden eyes.  
  
Tenchi turned and shuffled aside some of the debris from the ground with his foot. At least there was green grass underneath that spot. He was still dispirited about all the work to be done to the lawn. Yeah, weekends, holidays...Tris would help, Tenchi knew. Maybe Tris would feel better enough by tomorrow to help him get started. If nothing else, hard work would help keep Tris's mind off Kiyone.  
  
------  
  
At that moment, standing with Mihoshi in the Grand Marshall's awesomely big (but also awesomely austere) office, Kiyone's mind was on one thing--getting the damned medal, already. Then she could talk to Chief Bodai. She had a favor or two to ask him and if this so- called ceremony dragged on much longer, it would be the end of the main duty shift and the Chief would go home. Kiyone wanted an answer from him today.  
  
Oddly enough, the Chief himself caused the delay. It was surprising and irritating to Kiyone. Just when Lord Kuramitsu and the High Commissioner, Draxel Shen-Tai, had finally wearied of pumping her and Mihoshi about Ayeka's involvement not only with them but also with Tenchi and Lord Yosho, Chief Bodai had bugged out. That skinny Captain with the big eyes, Tookal, had informed them that Chief Bodai was unavoidably detained but would join them shortly.  
  
Lord Kuramitsu had harrumphed and looked at his granddaughter as if she were to blame. Mihoshi apparently knew that look well, for she just bowed and said nothing. Amazing! Mihoshi didn't even bow to Ayeka and only rarely to Lord Yosho. Of course, she was minor nobility herself. It was too bad Lord K. couldn't accompany them on some of their missions...he could at least keep Mihoshi on her toes, something Kiyone had to admit she was a complete failure at. The High Commissioner, a plump little pink-skinned bureaucrat who smiled a lot, had used the excuse to quietly talk to Lord K. about the outgoing Chief of Personnel. From the High Commissioner's tone, he wasn't happy about something. The Grand Marshall appeared not to give a diddly damn what the High Commissioner liked or didn't like. Kiyone inwardly grinned. Lord K. certain lived up to his reputation.  
  
Now, as the two august officials conversed, Kiyone, for about the tenth time, walked to the far wall and examined the few pictures posted there. Inevitably, her eyes lingered on the Kuramitsu family portrait. Lord K. had been handsome as a younger man...in fact, he was no slouch now, Kiyone acknowledged. And Mihoshi! Those big blue eyes and that idiotic loving smile. She had been one cute little girl, no doubt about it. Kiyone sensed movement behind her. Mihoshi, as usual, was following her around.  
  
"I remember that picture being taken," Mihoshi said. Her eyes showed no sign of all the waterworks earlier, thank heavens. She had finally stopped bawling when they reached Galaxy Police Headquarters. Kiyone hadn't been able to understand it. Sure, Mihoshi would be sad at being away from Earth a little while, but to sit in her co-pilot's seat during the trip in Yagami and hug that ugly stuffed dog and sob-- that was a bit heavy, even for her. Everyone had acted oddly, though. Tris had all but shooed her away, although she ascribed that to his head injury, the poor darling. Tenchi and Ryoko and Washuu had been polite but reserved at their parting and Ayeka--her particular friend, Ayeka--had seemed miffed with her, as did Sasami. Kiyone couldn't figure it out. Maybe it was just the after-effect of the battle with Klove's mind monster--had it only been two Earth days ago?  
  
"I know," Kiyone replied. "You told me."  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Yes, you did."  
  
"Oh."  
  
They both looked at the picture. There was nothing else to do.  
  
"See how handsome Mezim was, even back then?" Mihoshi asked her.  
  
Kiyone rolled her eyes with exasperation. Mihoshi had invited Kiyone to her home on Kawaiidan once, solely to try to play matchmaker between her partner and her youngest brother, Mezim. Kiyone had passed. Mezim was a handsome guy and nice--they had talked a bit at her and Mihoshi's graduation--but Kiyone had no intention of marrying into Mihoshi's family. Not then, now, or ever! One Kuramitsu hanging around her was enough!  
  
"Yeah, he's a good-looker," Kiyone said. She hoped her partner would drop the subject. Out of boredom, she looked closer at the younger version of Mihoshi in the family portrait. "Hey...what's that smear on your face?" She pointed at the picture.  
  
Mihoshi looked closer. "Ohhhh...I've almost forgotten about that. I was eating something--I think it was an Ignuzi nut bar--just before the picture was taken. I guess I didn't wipe it all off, huh?"  
  
"I guess not!" Kiyone groaned inside. Wonderful! Every visitor to the Grand Marshall's office saw her partner's smeary face in that picture! All those VIPs knew her partner only as a kid who couldn't wipe her face properly. That must have really burnished her and Mihoshi's reputations, boy! Kiyone's fondest wish now was that the Grand Marshall would take down that picture and burn it.  
  
Kiyone was trying to think up a way to suggest to Mihoshi that she ask her grandfather to deep six the family portrait when a buzz sounded from the Grand Marshall's desk console. Lord Kuramitsu broke off the discussion with the High Commissioner--gladly, from his expression-- and strode to his desk module. He punched a few touchpads. "Yes?"  
  
"I'm patching in Chief Bodai, Excellency," Captain Tookal's voice rose from the comm panel.  
  
"I don't wish to talk to him--I wish to see him. In here." The Grand Marshall sounded impatient. Kiyone was glad it wasn't she who was keeping Lord Kuramitsu waiting.  
  
"Excellency, you'll want to hear what he has to say," Captain Tookal said, mildly.  
  
"Will everyone else in here also want to hear it?" The Grand Marshall queried, wondering if he should clear his office. It would be a pleasure to show the High Commissioner out.  
  
"Yes, Excellency."  
  
"Oh, very well. Patch him in."  
  
A moment later, Chief Bodai's voice issued from the comm panel. "Excellency?"  
  
"Yes, yes. Now, what's going on? We need to move on with this ceremony."  
  
"That's just it, Excellency...we will need to slightly alter the ceremony," Chief Bodai told him. Was there just the smidgen of amusement in the Chief of Patrol's voice?  
  
"How so? Explain yourself."  
  
"As soon as I have a certain statement--I should say, confession-- properly witnessed and transcribed," Chief Bodai explained, "we will need to have both an awards ceremony--and a promotion ceremony."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Excellency...wouldn't you like to be the one to pin sergeant rank back on Kiyone Makibi and Mihoshi Kuramitsu?" Chief Bodai's voice asked.  
  
"I..." The Grand Marshall frowned a moment. Then...he smiled. Really smiled. "Yes," he said. "I would. I would, indeed."  
  
"I'll bring you the statement as soon as possible," Chief Bodai promised.  
  
"Do that...and thank you, Bodai. Out." The Grand Marshall terminated the call.  
  
Stunned, Kiyone was dimly aware of the blond hurricane once again hugging her, kissing her, and crying. Both Lord Kuramitsu and Draxel Shen-Tai watched the two young women, indulgently. Even the most hardened policeman and the most cynical politician in the galaxy could not help but be moved at the sight of justice--real justice-- finally being served.  
  
------  
  
Some time later, dinner was served at the Masaki home. The food had a very special seasoning--more good news from Galaxy Police Headquarters.  
  
"You mean--that bitch of a cop Mitsuki confessed?" Ryoko asked Washuu, agog.  
  
"That she did," Washuu grinned. "Are there any more shrimp cakes, Sasami?"  
  
"Sure!" Sasami rose from the table. She was smiling with deep satisfaction at the news. "Just a moment." She scooted to the kitchen.  
  
The meal had begun quietly and without Washuu, at first. Ayeka had been a bit upset at this; she had hoped that even after the crisis had passed Miss Washuu would still regularly attend meals. It was true that Nobuyuki was also absent, but he had an excuse--he was having dinner with his business partners and a potential client who could throw considerable work their way. Ayeka's ruminations on the great scientist's seeming relapse into hermitism had been cut short when Washuu suddenly appeared. Beaming, she told them she had just concluded a comm call with Mihoshi--a comm call packed with news.  
  
"So our Detectives are Sergeants again," Lord Yosho noted. He sat at his accustomed place at the table despite his wound, thanks to Washuu's salve. "That is excellent news, Professor Washuu."  
  
"That's righteous, all right," Tris agreed. He was genuinely glad for both Kiyone and Mihoshi, despite the fact that the news made their permanent absence seem certain.  
  
"I'm glad you think so, Tristram," Lord Yosho said shrewdly.  
  
"We all think so, Grandfather," Tenchi said. "I was certain they would be vindicated, but hearing they finally have been--it's such a rush. I couldn't be happier for them."  
  
"Yes, Lord Tenchi, this is an auspicious event. A great wrong done to those two has been righted. I only wish they were here so we could congratulate them in person..." Ayeka looked at Tris and realized her gaffe. "Of course, we can do that later...when they return," she added hastily.  
  
Ryoko looked up at the ceiling. Her sardonic expression seemed to say: Yeah, when they return--when hell freezes over!  
  
Sasami came in with a platter heaped full of shrimp cakes. She placed the platter on the table and sat down.  
  
"So how did it happen, Washuu?" the little Princess asked eagerly.  
  
Washuu helped herself to a shrimp cake and chewed a bite of it with evident satisfaction. She swallowed. "This is delicious, Sasami. You must give me the recipe."  
  
"Huh?" asked Sasami.  
  
"What?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"Miss Washuu?" Ayeka queried.  
  
Washuu looked at the other females, bemused by their reaction. "Oh, don't pop your corsets, ladies. I just think it's time I learned to cook."  
  
Ryoko looked slyly at her and then looked at Tenchi. "Uh-huh."  
  
Ayeka caught the look. The same thought had crossed her mind. Sasami just looked puzzled.  
  
""Pop your corsets"--that's pretty good, Washuu," Tris told the great scientist appreciatively.  
  
"I must disagree, Tristram," Ayeka told him. "None of us wear corsets! The very notion--"  
  
"It was just a figure of speech, Ayeka," Washuu explained. The Princess was sure touchy tonight.  
  
"Speaking of figures...you do too wear a kind of a corset, Princess," Ryoko charged.  
  
"I never--!"  
  
"Yeah? What about that tight girdle you wear under that robe or gown or whatever it is? Remember, we see you undress every night. We know!"  
  
"That is not a foundation garment!" Ayeka snapped. "It is simply an undergarment. It is an item of royal rainment. Calling it a girdle! That is ridiculous."  
  
"It's form fitting," Sasami elaborated. "It's supposed to be. It's something like what they call a basque here. But it's not really a girdle or corset or anything like that, Ryoko. It makes your figure smooth so that the gown doesn't show, you know, lines and things--"  
  
"Please do not bother to explain, Sasami," Ayeka requested. Then she saw Ryoko grin. Too late. The space pirate had just gotten back at her for the comments she had made about Ryoko's appearance following the battle with Professor Klove's mind monster. Ayeka's face flushed with mortification.  
  
Ryoko let it drop. Paybacks were hell...and sweet. She sighed. She was content. Ayeka seethed, but did so quietly.  
  
"Washuu, please finish telling us what happened with Kiyone and Mihoshi," Tenchi urged her.  
  
"Oh, right! Well, it seems that this Mitsuki was pretty eaten up with guilt over what she did to Kiyone and Mihoshi...especially Kiyone. They were best friends at the Galaxy Police Academy, you see. But they fell into this competitive mode and it got out of hand. They ended up being rivals instead of friends. Anyway, there's a Chief Bodai who ranks pretty high at the GP--you remember, he asked for Kiyone's and Mihoshi's case to be reinvestigated after those brats from Souiis were shipped back home."  
  
"And he was their favorite instructor at that Academy," Tris added. "So he was on Kiyone's side from the start."  
  
"That's right, cutie. It seems he enlisted some guy, a Sergeant Katzaar, to keep an eye on Mitsuki in case she showed signs of weakening or did something compromising."  
  
"Katzaar!" Tris blinked, surprised. "That's the jerk who chewed out Mihoshi for nothing, really, while I was on Yagami. Back then, he was out to get her and Kiyone on any lame excuse he could dig up."  
  
"Yes, I do recall Kiyone talking about him to me," Ayeka said. "She indicated he was part of a clique that, among other things, wanted her and Mihoshi out of the GP. He was allied with a Lieutenant Zay're...now, that Zay're family, I know all about them. A group of opportunists! They are powerful, though."  
  
"Well, Katzaar must have gotten religion somewhere along the way, because he was helping that Chief Bodai," Washuu said. "It seems that while Mitsuki was feeling more and more guilty over what she did to Kiyone and Mihoshi, some hotshot GP officer broke his engagement to her--I think Mihoshi said he was that Lieutenant Zay're you mentioned, Ayeka. So Mitsuki was at the end of her rope. Katzaar cornered her and made her see the light, so to speak. Turns out those two fell in love somehow, too."  
  
"Why...that is lovely!" Ayeka was charmed.  
  
"Uh-huh!" Sasami was charmed, too.  
  
"That's sick." Ryoko was not charmed. "What kind of a cop is this Katzaar guy, anyway? My respect for Kiyone and even Mihoshi just shot up ten points!"  
  
"They will be so pleased to hear that," Ayeka said sarcastically.  
  
"Please continue, Washuu," Tenchi requested.  
  
"If you can keep the bleachers quiet, Tenchi, I may get done before midnight," Washuu said. "Anyway, this Mitsuki was taken by Sergeant Katzaar to Chief Bodai, where she signed a confession."  
  
"So she really did fake that positive ID comparison printout," Tris said.  
  
"That she did. It isn't that hard to do, if your intended victim doesn't look at the fake too closely. That's where Kiyone and Mihoshi made their big boo-boo. They should have really scrutinized that report and tried to bring it up on their own consoles. But they were too pumped up with wanting to nab that Slaakive guy. They were easy targets for Mitsuki."  
  
"It was an understandable lapse, Washuu," Tenchi said.  
  
Washuu looked at him. "That understandable lapse nearly cost them their careers, Tenchi. When you play in the big leagues, you don't throw to first base when you have a runner on third...how's that for a baseball analogy, Tris?"  
  
"Tinker to Evers to Chance," Tris replied with a grin.  
  
"A triple play, huh? Thanks, cutie."  
  
"What's with all this baseball talk?" Sasami asked, confused.  
  
"Yeah, I thought you didn't like baseball talk, Washuu," Ryoko added.  
  
"That was then," Washuu said, smiling. "But a certain hunky guy is a big baseball fan. I've just been brushing up a bit on the lingo, that's all."  
  
Tenchi chuckled. "Yeah, Dad is a real fan of the Okayama team. They have a pretty tight club this year."  
  
"They still need more depth in the infield," Tris told him.  
  
"Naw, I told you, the outfield can just play in deeper," Tenchi disagreed. "What they need is hitting. Last year their RBIs were--"  
  
"Sweetums," Ryoko said.  
  
"Yeah, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked her.  
  
"Can we talk about baseball later? We wouldn't want Washuu to stay up past her bedtime."  
  
"Oh...sorry." Tenchi said.  
  
Lord Yosho smiled slightly. "Professor Washuu, you may continue."  
  
"Thanks, Grandpa," Washuu said, shooting Ryoko a significant look. "It turned out that Mitsuki did her confessing just when Kiyone and Mihoshi were about to get their medals. So, they got their medals-- and their rank back, too. Not only that, but their re-promotions were made retroactive to the first time they were promoted. That means they get their seniority and a big chunk of back pay, to boot." Washuu looked smugly at Ryoko. "Home run!"  
  
Ryoko just yawned pointedly.  
  
"Looks like it's already past someone's bedtime," Washuu observed.  
  
"So it does!" Ayeka laughed.  
  
Sasami had a question. "That's wonderful! But didn't Mihoshi have anything else to say?"  
  
Washuu shrugged. "No. Like what, Sasami?"  
  
"Well...like when they planned to come back," Sasami asked. Then her eyes widened and she placed her hand over her mouth. She glanced worriedly at Tris.  
  
But Tris just sat there, looking down at his bowl.  
  
"I'm very glad for them, of course," Ayeka said. "But that was all? Didn't Mihoshi have...well, a message for perhaps one of us?"  
  
"No, that was it, and..." Washuu noticed that Ayeka was grimacing at her and inclining her head toward Tris. "Oh...yeah, I forgot! She said she and Kiyone really miss all of us--and Kiyone sends her regards, Tris."  
  
"Oh, well. That's nice." Tris's voice was neutral.  
  
Tenchi closed his eyes and inwardly groaned. God, Washuu had bungled it! Tris wouldn't buy that clumsy attempt to mollify him. Ryo-Ohki wouldn't buy it. He opened his eyes and glanced at his grandfather. Lord Yosho very briefly shook his head.  
  
Ryoko now looked at Washuu, one eyebrow raised. The great scientist quietly sat and ate. Sasami sadly fiddled with her teacup. Ayeka displayed great interest in watching Sasami.  
  
It was the first time in weeks that they had acted awkwardly toward Tris. It was a step backward that none of them, even Ryoko, seemed to relish. Tenchi felt the need to say or so something...but he had no idea what.  
  
Tris said, "That was a great dinner as always, Sasami. Guess I'll take a walk. Need the exercise. Been laying in bed too much. If you'll excuse me..." He stood up and walked from the dining room. A few moments later, they heard the front door slide open and then slide shut.  
  
Ryoko spoke first. "Washuu! That was a ham-handed as anything I've ever heard. You'd have been better off just saying no to the Princess's question."  
  
"It is my fault," Ayeka said. "I influenced Miss Washuu to try to say something to spare Tristram's feelings. I only made him feel worse, I fear."  
  
"I made the comment, Ayeka," Washuu said quietly. "You didn't. Don't take the blame for what I did."  
  
"I shouldn't have asked that first question," Sasami said. "I should have known better than that. I saw how Tris looked after Kiyone left. I'm sorry."  
  
"You're not to blame, Sasami," Tenchi said. "You asked that question because when they left, Mihoshi told us they'd be back soon and Kiyone just stood there and didn't contradict her." Tenchi looked at Ayeka and Washuu. "I'm glad you both think enough of Tris now to want to spare his feelings. But I've learned that it's no good to make up something to just so someone will feel better. I did that for Mihoshi, remember, and poor Tris ended up having to buy two more meals at that overpriced place in the village."  
  
"And having to buy her that ugly stuffed mutt," Ryoko added.  
  
"That's right," Tenchi said. "I know that doing that sort of thing is hard to resist, but it always backfires...just like it did now."  
  
Lord Yosho nodded.  
  
Ayeka looked at Washuu and her expression was apologetic. Washuu simply shrugged.  
  
"Yeah, you two need to watch that stuff," Ryoko said to them.  
  
"As if you are one to talk!" Ayeka snapped.  
  
"I am one to talk, Princess," Ryoko said. "You get on your high horse when it comes to me, but let me ask you--did I make up stuff? Did I make that goofball feel even worse? No. I tell things like they are, and I get whupped alongside the head for it. But I'm right. Aren't I?"  
  
She looked at Ayeka and then at Washuu. Both of them were silent.  
  
Then Sasami giggled. "Trissy!"  
  
Tenchi turned his attention to the little Princess. "What's that, Sasami?"  
  
"Oh, Ryoko mentioned that stuffed toy of Mihoshi's and I just thought of her name for it. Trissy! Poor Tris!"  
  
Tenchi chuckled. "Oh, right. Man, that name! And Mihoshi had no notion how it embarrassed Tris!"  
  
"I thought I'd die laughing," Ryoko recalled, looking as if she were about to start laughing again. "Trissy! Oh, boy! The expression on that goofball's face--it was classic!"  
  
"It was indeed, Ryoko," Ayeka agreed with her, good-humoredly. "I think Tristram would have stayed outdoors all night if Lord Tenchi had not gone and brought him in."  
  
"I'm sorry I missed that episode," Washuu said. "You know, she brought that stuffed toy to the lab and told me all about her "date" with Tris. It was hard to keep a straight face while listening to her."  
  
"I didn't! I couldn't help it. Trissy!" Now Ryoko did laugh. The others, including Lord Yosho, shared her laughter.  
  
"Well," Ayeka remarked after their laughter had quelled, "you are absolutely right in what you told us, Lord Tenchi...and you are right in a way, also, Ryoko."  
  
The space pirate looked gratified at Ayeka's words.  
  
"But I cannot help but feel a little...well, disappointed with Kiyone," Ayeka continued. "She should have had Mihoshi relay something to us in that message--and certainly to Tristram. And, really, since she obviously did not intend to return to us, she could have simply admitted it and said a proper farewell when they left. She has had no difficulty with contradicting Mihoshi up to now!"  
  
"Now there's where you and I agree, Princess," Ryoko said.  
  
"I have to agree, too, big sister," Sasami said, softly. "I really like Kiyone, but..." She didn't finish the sentence.  
  
Even Washuu looked as if she might have agreed.  
  
"Maybe we're all not being fair to Kiyone," Tenchi said. "We can't be sure that she planned to remain at GP Headquarters when she left. I know it's consistent with what happened before, but...anyway, she and Mihoshi just got their rank back, and medals, too! They're both so excited, especially Kiyone, that maybe they can't think of anything else right now."  
  
"You make a good point, Tenchi," Lord Yosho said. "We can't know what is in a person's heart. Our Kiyone is very single-minded when striving for her goals. Understandably so. Her goals are high, and only hard work and dedication will enable her to reach them. Once the excitement has settled down somewhat...who knows? Tenchi, perhaps you should go see about Tristram."  
  
"Right, Grandfather," Tenchi said, relieved to exit what was proving to be an awkward discussion. He rose from the table and left.  
  
------  
  
It had been a long day, but a greatly satisfying one, Chief Tor Bodai reflected as he put his desk module on standby and prepared to leave the Headquarters.  
  
His wife had been thrilled to hear about the sudden resurrection of Kiyone Makibi's and Mihoshi Kuramitsu's careers. Back when they all had been at the Academy, his wife had entertained some of the female cadets at their home. She had fond memories of Kiyone and Mihoshi, even though Mihoshi had all but ruined an Alaysuan carpet when she accidentally spilled a beverage on it. They still had the carpet. And now the Galaxy Police still had Kiyone and Mihoshi.  
  
He rose from his seat and began to stretch. He was weary from deskwork and the slight pressure around his middle where his sash closed his tunic told him he was getting out of shape, too. He'd have to start an exercise routine and stick to it. As Director of Personnel, he would only have more deskwork, not less. But the position, the promotion to Field Marshall, and the extra pay--it was considerable--would be worth it. As long as he didn't start lugging around extra weight because of it.  
  
Lowering his arms, he walked to the open doorway of his office. He was suddenly confronted with a slim figure in that doorway. He smiled. It was Detective First Class--no, Sergeant--Makibi.  
  
"Greetings, Sergeant," he said amiably. "I was just leaving. Say, why don't you and Mihoshi have dinner at home with us tomorrow? Yollanta would just love to see you two again. I already told her the news and she's happy for you both."  
  
Kiyone smiled. "I'd love to, Chief, and I know Mihoshi would, too. We accept."  
  
When that young woman really smiled, so that her blue eyes joined in, she was lovely, Bodai reflected. Why hadn't some young GP buck already married her? The stigma that had surrounded her after the demotion? Perhaps. Well, that was no longer a barrier. Chief Bodai knew a few young, eligible male officers he thought Kiyone should meet. Perhaps he would invite one to dinner tomorrow, too. He might as well. As soon as he assumed the post of Director of Personnel, such fraternization with the lower ranks would have to cease.  
  
"Fine," he said. "Come over after work with me tomorrow and bring Mihoshi. Well, I have to run..."  
  
But Kiyone didn't move from the doorway. "Chief, I want to talk to you."  
  
"Certainly. First thing tomorrow. Right after muster, if you wish."  
  
Kiyone smiled, a bit tentatively. "I mean now, Chief. I have a request. Two requests...and maybe you have an idea how they can be granted. I've heard through the grapevine that you'll be the personnel director very soon. By the way, congratulations! Field Marshall rank!"  
  
"Thank you." Chief Bodai was a bit taken aback. "You know I can't make any promises about what I'll do if and when I take over that office, Sergeant. To even ask..."  
  
"I know, Chief. But only one request is for me and it's personal. The other is about Mitsuki. Can we talk about it now? I'd like an answer to both of my requests tonight. It's very important to me, Chief."  
  
Bodai studied Kiyone for a moment. Her blue eyes were pleading. Those two requests had to be tremendously important to that young woman. Ordinarily, she would never plead or ask for favors--and she certainly would not discommode him like this without good reason.  
  
"All right, Sergeant," Bodai said, heading back to his desk module. "Shut the door. Let's talk."  
  
They talked. Chief Bodai was surprised, but not displeased, at both of Kiyone's requests. After some thought, he made suggestions. Kiyone gladly accepted them. When she left, she was quietly ecstatic. Looking after her, Chief Bodai decided he would not bother to ask an eligible male officer to join them at dinner tomorrow night. It would be a waste of time.  
  
------  
  
Tris was, once again, a mess.  
  
When he made his big dramatic exit, right out of a soap opera, he had trudged blindly into the debris-strewn lawn and had almost immediately stepped into a crater. When Tenchi found him, Azaka II and Kamidake II were assisting Tris out of the crater. The American was holding onto their half-open cabinet doors as they gently rose in the air, lifting him. Tenchi reached them just as they settled to Earth.  
  
"You should kick away the debris as you walk, Tristram Coffin, sir," Azaka II advised Tris, who was plastered with leaves and soil. "There are many craters beneath the layer of vegetation that covers the lawn."  
  
"You could do yourself an injury if you are not careful, sir," Kamidake II added.  
  
"Right. Thanks," Tris replied, looking embarrassed.  
  
"You are welcome, sir," Azaka II told him politely. The two Guardians rose in the air and puttered back to their usual stations beside the front gate.  
  
Tris ruefully started to brush himself off. "Maybe I ought to leave it on," he muttered to himself. "All I'll do is end up wearing it again."  
  
Tenchi smiled warmly. Did anyone, anywhere, have such a screw-up as a guest? Much less as a friend?  
  
"Maybe you should," he told Tris.  
  
The American looked up, startled a bit. "Oh...hi, buddy. See, I was thinking one of these craters might be big enough for that fishing lake you mentioned, so I decided I'd try a few of 'em out."  
  
"Uh-huh. You just forgot about cleaning them out first and about adding water."  
  
"Aw, why sweat the details?"  
  
Tenchi walked up to Tris and helped him brush off the contents of the crater.  
  
"It's a good thing Ayeka instructed her Guardians to assist if we ask them to," Tenchi noted. "I saw her doing that just before dinner."  
  
"Yeah...too bad she couldn't have done that before that Klove character attacked," Tris said.  
  
"Well, she didn't see the need before--none of us did," Tenchi pointed out.  
  
"Uh-huh. Well, better late than never, I guess."  
  
The two young men were silent for a moment.  
  
"You left us kind of abruptly, Tris." Tenchi broke the silence.  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that. Guess I stink at making a dramatic exit."  
  
Most of the jetsam was off Tris now. Tenchi looked at his friend. Aside from the bandage on his forehead, he didn't look too much the worse for wear. His Weejuns were just about nuked, though. The craters were pretty muddy at the bottom, apparently.  
  
"You stink at a lot of things, buddy," Tenchi told him. "So do I. The thing we both stink at the most is not being ourselves. Hiding your feelings and being all silent and prickly about it...that's not Tris Coffin. What the girls said in there might have rubbed you wrong, but they were just trying to be nice to you. Now they feel bad because you left in a huff and you feel bad, too. What's the point?"  
  
Tris smiled apologetically. "Not much point at all, I guess."  
  
"I warned you about Kiyone, Tris. I repeated that warning. You said you understood. We're all just assuming she's gone for good, although now that she's back on top at the GP, I admit it looks like we're right. But that's great for her! And Mihoshi! They have to live their lives, Tris. Being here was just an interlude for them. Their real lives are out there with the GP and their own families and friends. I didn't fit in out there and that's why I'm not living on Jurai now. You didn't fit in out there, either. I think Kiyone realized that or she realizes it now. I'm hoping she'll show you the courtesy of telling you one way or another. But that's up to her."  
  
Tris looked away from Tenchi. "Well, that's something, anyway. I've been a few things in my short life, but I've never been an interlude before."  
  
Tenchi shook his head, half smiling. "As you would say, welcome to real life! Dad and Grandfather had romances that didn't work out. Hey, if all this crazy stuff hadn't happened to me, I probably would have already had an "interlude" or two to look back on. That's if I was lucky. You know?"  
  
Now Tris looked at Tenchi. "Yeah, I know. At least I got to know her for a while. She showed me whole new world--a whole galaxy. She risked a lot to do that. Boy, what an ass I'm being! You're right. If I care for her I should be happy about her success. I am, Tenchi. I really am. It's just hard to think that she's...gone. But even having a girlfriend from another planet--like you said, crazy stuff."  
  
Tenchi nodded. Crazy stuff, indeed! Two girls from outer space vying for him, a little Princess cooking for him, a mad scientist in the broom closet, two outer space cops who were like sisters to him-- and now a goofball American for a best friend. The carnival had just added another sideshow. In a way, the carnival would never end, he knew now. Some of the sideshows might pack it in, but the carnival itself was everlasting...and evergreen. Speaking of green...  
  
"Now that we have that settled, what are we going to do about all this crud on the lawn?" he asked Tris.  
  
"Just pretend it's not there?" Tris ventured.  
  
"I don't think so." Tenchi grinned.  
  
"It looks like a few weekends and holidays are already booked for us, then. We'll have to call this place Camp Rakealot. All the yard work you can handle and the cutest camp counselors you'll ever meet. And the food!" Tris laughed.  
  
Tenchi laughed, too. Tris had come back to himself and he would be all right. Broken hearts mended, in time. There were lots of girls at Okayama University, even a few American co-eds. He would have to get Tris to attend more of the social gatherings on campus. Things would work out for the best. They always did.  
  
"Glad you've signed on for the duration, buddy. We'd better start back now. No...I've got a better idea," Tenchi said. "Since your car survived the blast, let's go to the village. I feel like having a beer. Don't you?"  
  
"Man! Do I!"  
  
The two young men walked back toward the house, being careful to step on the makeshift path already cleared. As they did, they argued amiably about the Okayama baseball team. It was an argument that would never be resolved and it didn't matter. Washuu had been right. Tenchi and Tris weren't brothers. They were more...they were comrades. At least, they would be for a little while longer.  
  
------  
  
Back on planet Vestra, Mihoshi Kuramitsu, newly re-pinned-on Detective Sergeant, was discovering that breaking up was not hard to do at all.  
  
"Give up your apartments? Have you girls gone crazy?" Mrs. Uleana cried. Once again, she was not happy to see Mihoshi. Especially during the evening meal and after bearing such an incomprehensible request.  
  
"No ma'am, we haven't gone crazy," Mihoshi replied. She was standing before the comm panel in the Visiting Officer Quarters on Vestra that she shared with Kiyone. Her own tiny apartment in the Compound was occupied by the officer sub-leasing it, as was Kiyone's.  
  
Mihoshi was holding Trissy. She had been hugging the stuffed pooch with joy at what Kiyone had told her when her partner called from Headquarters. Then she had realized she needed to take care of a final bit of business. Even though Mihoshi knew it was Mrs. Uleana's dinner time, she had placed the comm call to the landlady anyway. Staring now at the dumpy Vestran woman's sour face in the comm panel's small viewscreen, Mihoshi wondered once again why the landlady didn't lose some weight.  
  
"But..." The landlady shook her head. "You two have been fully vindicated. You're Sergeants again. You're naturals for a Headquarters assignment now. In fact, you could upgrade to bigger apartments. I have two that may come open soon."  
  
Inwardly, Mihoshi cringed. She could imagine how much more a larger unit would cost. Obviously, the informal intelligence network maintained by the Vestrans was up to snuff. Mrs. Uleana knew about their re-promotions only a little while after they themselves knew about it. That awful gossip again. Gosh, it would be so nice to leave Vestra!  
  
"No, ma'am. We need to cancel our leases. You said yourself that the people sub-leasing our apartments would rather lease them. Now they can." Mihoshi was talking very calmly and very logically to the landlady. She was a sergeant again, and she wasn't going to be browbeaten and intimidated by the likes of Mrs. Uleana any more. "Doesn't that make sense?"  
  
"Well..." From a business perspective, it did make sense. The two officers sub-leasing Mihoshi and Kiyone's apartments would jump at the chance to lease them free and clear. In fact, Mrs. Uleana could and would bump up the rent as a consequence. "I don't know what you girls are thinking of. Everyone knows Headquarters is the place to make your career. If you allow yourselves to be assigned to a Command Post in some backwater..."  
  
There that woman went again! "That is our business, ma'am. We're giving up the apartments as I told you. If you won't cancel our leases, we can wait until they end and then it won't matter. That's up to you, ma'am."  
  
Mrs. Uleana looked at Mihoshi via the viewscreen with surprise...and even a grudging respect. Mihoshi knew the landlady loved to raise her tenant's rents. It was a seller's market for apartments on Vestra, so she could do just that. However, if she let their lease stand, she could not raise the rent for the two officers now living in the apartments until that lease expired. Mihoshi had her boxed in. It was unexpected. And for Mihoshi, it was wonderful.  
  
"All right." The landlady sighed. "I'll send you the paperwork to sign. Will you be at the VOQ tomorrow?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
"I'll have the paperwork sent over by then. Just make sure that partner of yours signs it, too. The waiting list for apartments is more than eighteen months long now, so I hope you know what you are doing."  
  
"We do, ma'am. And ma'am?"  
  
"What is it, girl? Dinner's getting cold."  
  
"You shouldn't gossip about what happens at the Headquarters. It's not nice. We officers don't like it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Good night, ma'am. Out." Mihoshi punched a touchpad and terminated the conversation. The viewscreen went blank.  
  
Mihoshi smiled. Still holding her stuffed pooch, she hummed the tune to "Octopus's Garden" and did a little dance. She accidentally banged a knee on an end table, but she didn't mind. "That's telling her, huh, Trissy?" she said.  
  
In her arms, Trissy seemed to agree.  
  
------  
  
Two hours later, Tenchi found himself in the kitchen getting a glass of water. He and Tris had gone and had their beer at the village's sole excuse for a bar (just one beer, since Tris was driving the Mustang). Now it was time for bed. Tris was already sacked out on Tenchi's bed, at Tenchi's insistence. Tenchi would take the futon just this one night more.  
  
Just as he was bringing the glass up to his lips, he heard someone clear their throat. He turned around. Ayeka stood there. He lowered the glass.  
  
"Hi, Ayeka," he said. He raised the glass again.  
  
"Lord Tenchi, we need to talk to you." Ayeka had not returned his greeting. And she seemed...somber. Something was up. Inwardly, he groaned. Not just before bedtime! He lowered the glass again.  
  
"What about, Ayeka?"  
  
"We would rather discuss it with you upstairs. In our bedroom."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Ryoko and I."  
  
Tenchi frowned. "Ayeka, that sounds kind of..."  
  
"Oh, Lord Tenchi! Do not be silly. Sasami will be there, too."  
  
"I didn't mean that!" Tenchi set the glass down on the kitchen counter. "All right. But I wish you girls would learn to solve your own problems."  
  
"We are going to solve a problem, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka looked resolute. "Please drink your water and come with me."  
  
Tenchi went to the sink and dumped out the glass. Suddenly he did not feel thirsty anymore.  
  
"Okay, let's go."  
  
Tenchi followed the Princess out of the kitchen and up the stairs, wondering what minor crisis had erupted now. He would soon learn that it wasn't minor. And that just as Mihoshi and Kiyone had taken charge of their lives, Ryoko and Ayeka were going to take charge of their lives, too. 


	25. CHAPTER 24: No Need To Say Goodbye

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR  
  
No Need To Say Good-bye  
  
_______________________  
  
A few days later, Tris Coffin sat at his tiny desk in his tiny dorm room at Okayama University. He was plowing through a textbook on Feudal Japanese literature, or at least trying to. In a few days, classes would resume and he would be better off having prepared somewhat for them. But his heart wasn't in it. His heart wasn't in anything.  
  
He was alone in the dorm room. Tenchi wasn't with him. It was likely he would never be again, except in passing.  
  
Tris had popped the tape of "Abbey Road" into his cheap old boom box. The cassette player was set on Constant Play. Tris considered turning off the boom box, even though the volume was set on low, so low he could barely hear it. The album's cuts were dredging up memories. And Tris knew he needed to put aside those memories, so he could read the damned book and maybe get rid of the lump that seemed to fill his stomach.  
  
He frowned. Was he over-reacting to what had happened the last few days? No. Well, maybe. Tris took a moment and reviewed those days in his mind...  
  
* * *  
  
The day after he and Tenchi had gone out for that beer, they had begun to try to clear some of the debris from the lawn. It had been slow and dirty work. They filled two borrowed wheelbarrows in nothing flat and they soon had a mountain of compost. It was clear they needed trucks to haul away the debris and volumes of soil to fill in the craters. Then the new soil in the craters needed re-seeding, perhaps even re-turfing. It was just too big a job for Tenchi and Tris.  
  
Nobuyuki had gone out to watch their progress and had delivered the verdict. The two young men were wasting their time. If he had to bring in professionals with trucks to remove debris and cart in soil, he might as well have those professionals clear that debris and place that soil. The condition of the lawn would be hard to explain to outsiders, but Nobuyuki hadn't appeared worried about that. Even the potential cost hadn't fazed him. He had friends in the landscaping trade who would perform the work cheaply for him, friends Nobuyuki had helped win construction contracts in the past. They would do it for practically nothing, in fact, glad of the opportunity to pay Tenchi's Dad back. Perhaps even a fishing lake might be worked into the overall project, Nobuyuki had hinted.  
  
While this was great news, it also meant Tenchi and Tris were no longer united in a project. They only had a week or so before Spring Break ended, and suddenly were without regular tasks to perform. Both Tenchi and Tris had swept the temple steps and around the temple, but that was accomplished quickly. Then they had both hung around the house until the women shooed them out; the women needed to get their own housework done. Then the two young men had tossed a baseball to each other, aimlessly. Both of them had realized that leisure time was only enjoyable, ironically, if there was something to do. They talked about perhaps another trip to the beach, but without Kiyone and Mihoshi, such an outing would seem anticlimactic.  
  
It was when they brought Tenchi's ball and gloves back to his bedroom that Washuu had stopped them.  
  
"Hey you two, come into the dining room. Mihoshi called in again and we're having tea."  
  
Tenchi and Tris had obligingly put away the baseball and gloves and then joined the women in the dining room. Lord Yosho was there, too. Nobuyuki had already departed for a meeting with his partners.  
  
The conversation in the dining room had been highly consequential-- even momentous. Tris recalled a portion of it:  
  
"Mihoshi told me that their promotions were made official in their records. They also were given their back pay. Mihoshi can't wait to spend it!" Washuu grinned. She took a moment to sip some tea.  
  
"I'll bet," Ryoko commented. "No wonder she's always broke!"  
  
"Well, that back pay could very well be considered found money...and under the circumstance, why not spend it and enjoy it?" Ayeka asked Ryoko. "They both deserve a little reward after all they went through at that Headquarters of theirs."  
  
"Besides, they got a nice fat raise in salary," Washuu added. "They're sitting pretty financially, all right."  
  
"I'm so glad," Sasami said. "For so long, those two had to pinch every yen. I know it got them down."  
  
"They're really up now, Sasami," Washuu told her. "Mihoshi was really pinging with happiness as she talked to me. In fact, she kinda acted mysterious...that is, I think she did. You never can tell with Mihoshi!"  
  
Lord Yosho smiled. "The two Sergeants have every right to be happy, Professor Washuu," he said mildly.  
  
"That's true, Grandpa. Hey, speaking of them feeling good--Kiyone must be high on good feelings, too. Just wait until you hear this! Remember our friend Mitsuki?"  
  
"Sure," Ryoko said. "She's in custody now, right?"  
  
"Uh-uh, Ryoko. Wrong."  
  
"Well, she certainly must have been dismissed from the Galaxy Police," Ayeka said. "I almost feel--well, I do feel sorry for that woman. The stigma will haunt her forever. She will be fortunate to find even a menial job."  
  
"That's pretty rough," Tenchi said sympathetically.  
  
"Oh, sweetums, don't waste any pity on her!" Ryoko retorted. "She got just what she deserved. I hope she ends up working at some greasy spoon out Orion spaceway and gets stiffed on the tips!"  
  
"Well, if she does go down Orion spaceway, she'll do it in a Galaxy Police cruiser," Washuu said.  
  
"What?" Ryoko all but shouted. "You can't mean--she's still a cop?"  
  
"That's exactly what I do mean, Ryoko." Washuu replied.  
  
"No way, Washuu!" Tris insisted.  
  
"Miss Washuu!" Ayeka said, her voice disbelieving.  
  
Tenchi frowned. "How could that happen?"  
  
"Simple," Washuu explained. "The Grand Marshall decided to adjudicate Mitsuki's case personally, rather than have her court-martialed by a panel of senior officers. That meant he decided on her punishment. Chief Bodai asked that the case be handled that way, apparently. By the way, he's slated for a big promotion. Anyway, Mihoshi told me that even the High Commissioner endorsed the Grand Marshall making the call. That doesn't happen very often! As it turned out, thanks to several folks testifying in her behalf--and one in particular--Mitsuki wasn't kicked off the force."  
  
Lord Yosho smiled and quietly nodded with satisfaction. The others stared at the great scientist with varying degrees of bafflement.  
  
"Tell us who testified, Washuu," Tenchi requested.  
  
"Glad to. Chief Bodai, Sergeant Katzaar, and Mihoshi all testified before the Grand Marshall and all three asked for leniency for Mitsuki. Then someone else testified, too, and told the Grand Marshall a few things while she was at it..."  
  
"Kiyone did that!" Sasami said brightly.  
  
"Right!" Washuu smiled at Sasami. "Our Kiyone. She told the Grand Marshall that she felt partially responsible for what happened. She informed him about the competition she and Mitsuki engaged in while at the Academy, and how that soured everything between them. She also said it had been wrong to assign Mitsuki as her assistant and that she was wrong to lord it over Mitsuki. The Grand Marshall was so impressed with what Kiyone said, according to Mihoshi, that he allowed Mitsuki to stay in the GP--but with a few strings attached."  
  
"Strings? They should have strung her up!" Ryoko said heatedly.  
  
"What strings, Washuu?" Tenchi asked, pointedly ignoring Ryoko.  
  
"Mitsuki was busted down to Basic Constable--that's the rank an Academy grad has when they are graduated and join the force. She's on probation for five years. She won't be promoted for two years and she'll have pretty dreary duty...no, not around here, but in another backwater. If she does a good job, she'll have a future in the Galaxy Police. But she'll never catch up to Kiyone. So, the competition is over. Kiyone won. Now they can both get on with their lives."  
  
"Wonderful!" Lord Yosho said, smiling. "I was hoping Kiyone would do something like that. It proves she has grown both as a person and as a professional. That truly is a victory. Kiyone has won, as you say, Professor Washuu. She has defeated the greatest enemy of all...her own self."  
  
"That's so true, Grandfather," Tenchi said, smiling also. "Kiyone always had that short fuse and she really took things personally. Too personally. It always sounded to me like she had something to do with her own downfall. Now that she's realized it and admitted it, she won't make the same mistakes again."  
  
"That's right, Tenchi, and that's important," Washuu agreed. "So many people just repeat the same mistakes, all their lives." Suddenly she looked rueful.  
  
"That's right, Washuu," Ryoko said knowingly.  
  
Tris nodded. "Well, there's our Kiyone, all grown up now. You know, I'm proud of her, too."  
  
Ryoko shrugged. "Well, at least they did something to that Mitsuki, though it seems pretty mild. And I think I get what you're all saying about Kiyone. I knew that she needed to chill out, especially if she was going to have people working for her. I wouldn't have wanted to serve under her! But letting that Mitsuki stay in the GP--I don't know. It sounds like a boner to me."  
  
"It might be, Ryoko," Ayeka said thoughtfully. "It might be an unwise move. But it also may signal that we no longer have a "one- mistake" Galaxy Police, where so many careers are ruined by a single mishap. I have heard our Royal Yeomen discussing that problem. They feel that most GP officers are too intimidated by that "one mistake" trend to take really independent action when the circumstances call for it. Too much hiding behind regulations and too little policing is how they put it, as I recall. So this may lead to improvements in the Galaxy Police. I hope so."  
  
"Not me, Princess! That's just what I don't need--better cops!" Ryoko grimaced.  
  
"So? What do you care?" Washuu asked her.  
  
"Huh? You know why I care, Washuu. Those new and improved cops will still be after me!"  
  
"Think so? Don't you know that Kiyone and Mihoshi have written a report about the defeat of Klove that mentions you very positively?" Washuu grinned at the space pirate.  
  
"They what?" Ryoko looked astonished. "I didn't know!"  
  
"Gee, I guess I should have mentioned that, huh?" Washuu had a twinkle in her eyes.  
  
"Washuu..." Tenchi admonished her.  
  
"Okay, okay. Yes, the report will speak of you in glowing terms, Ryoko...and it will also mention your help in the battle against Kagato. I understand that a certain Juraian Princess will also append a statement to that report--a statement so positive about you that you should blush with embarrassment, Ryoko."  
  
"Princess!" Ryoko stared at Ayeka, clearly flummoxed. "You'll do that...for me?"  
  
"It is already done, Ryoko," Ayeka told her briskly. "The statement and the report will be on the Grand Marshall's desk by the end of business today. I have instructed our Lord High Chamberlain to contact our Galaxy Police liaison at the Headquarters. The liaison will discuss the report with the Grand Marshall and the High Commissioner tomorrow. Our Lord High Chamberlain will then proceed to file a writ with the Galactic Union's High Tribunal, requesting total clemency in the nature of a full pardon for you. That writ has the full support of my father, the King. It will be granted, of course. I estimate you will no longer be a wanted fugitive in...oh, say three days, Ryoko. Sasami, may I have some more tea, please?"  
  
Ryoko stared at the Princess, her mouth sagging open. Sasami quickly rose to make more tea. She was smiling and wiping away tears. Even Washuu covertly piped her eyes a moment with a napkin. The men just looked monstrously pleased.  
  
Now Ryoko slowly stood up. She was actually quivering with emotion. A moment later, she was kneeling beside Ayeka. And hugging her.  
  
"Free! My God...I'll be free! Free!" Ryoko said, awed. "You did it, Ayeka. You did it!"  
  
"No, Ryoko, you did it yourself," Ayeka said softly. "Twice you have faced our mutual enemies in battle and risked your life. I have never met anyone more brave and more willing to fight to protect her friends, even to protect someone she does not consider a friend, perhaps. You should have been pardoned long ago, Ryoko. This merely gives you what you have deserved for so long."  
  
"You see, Ryoko, there is justice after all," Lord Yosho added gently. "It may be slow in coming, but it comes. You entered a life of piracy because you did not know that. But you know it now."  
  
Ryoko sniffled. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Yes, Lord Yosho. I do know that now." She hugged Ayeka tightly. "You are the finest woman I've ever known," Ryoko told the Princess, her voice breaking with emotion. "And my best friend. And...you can all quote me!"  
  
"Thank you, Ryoko." Ayeka smiled at her. She gently disengaged from the space pirate--the soon-to-be former space pirate. "Ah, Sasami. That was very quick." She took the cup of tea that her little sister poured for her and sipped it. "Delicious as always, dear. Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome, big sister." Sasami's gaze was devoted as she smiled at Ayeka.  
  
Ryoko resumed her place at the table. Tenchi leaned over and used his napkin to wipe away the tear. Ryoko smiled lovingly at him. Ayeka appeared not to notice.  
  
"Well!" Lord Yosho said jovially. "It seems that more than one person has won a victory today."  
  
"Yes, Grandfather." Tenchi smiled fondly at Ayeka and Ryoko. He then turned his smile on little Sasami and Washuu. "I think it's a victory for every one of us."  
  
"You're right, grandson. It's at least a victory we can all share."  
  
Tris, although he had kept quiet, had been enormously happy for Ryoko. She had looked truly overjoyed at the news of her certain clemency and pardon. And why not? The galaxy was hers again to live in--not to be hunted in. And she was now, finally, free of the stigma that may have hurt her chances for marrying Tenchi and settling down with him--at least in her own mind. Yes, Ayeka had done a wonderful, unselfish thing. And Washuu had helped, as well as Kiyone and Mihoshi. Tenchi and Sasami and Lord Yosho had supported a pardon for Ryoko for a long time, he knew. Tris had witnessed real friendship and love between a group of dissimilar people who probably would have never even met in the normal pattern of life, much less become close. It was a sort of miracle...the kind of miracle that transcended special powers or technologies. This was a miracle of the heart--a victory, as Lord Yosho had expressed it.  
  
Yet--and Tris had felt rotten at perceiving things this way--it was a victory that didn't include him. He had nothing to do with this. He could not have helped Ryoko even if he had tried. That pointed up the fact that he really didn't register in the long run with these folks. They had a long history together, and he was just a temporary addition, useful in a small way, and that was it. The battle with Professor Klove was over and his contributions to that had been minimal, really--just happenstance that he had a small skill that had proven handy. If that small skill hadn't been outlawed in the Galactic Union, his contribution would have been nil. He knew they accepted him--most of them, anyway--and were willing to continue accepting him as long as Tenchi wanted him around...but that was it. And that was the way it would always be. It was significant that no one spared him a glance as they had looked with happiness at each other and congratulated Ryoko. Tris, of course, had congratulated Ryoko himself and she had accepted his kudos with unusual grace. But his congratulations meant very little to her, he felt certain.  
  
The incident was a sort of revelation for him. He had just assumed he was part of their group now--and that assumption had been premature. He had also assumed that he and Kiyone would have at least some sort of relationship after he returned to the University--and that had been premature, too. What a chump he had been, worrying that Kiyone might have been getting too serious too fast! What an egotist he had been! Washuu hadn't even bothered to tell him during that discussion that there were no messages for him from Mihoshi. Well, that was it. He'd just have to live with it.  
  
It had been after dinner that evening when Tenchi let the other shoe drop.  
  
They were in their shared bedroom and Tris had been speculating about when they should return to the University. Of course, they didn't want to go back too early, but they needed a couple of days to get their books and take care of other administrative matters. Their dorm room probably needed a bit of attention, despite the contract cleaning staff's minimum-wage efforts. Tenchi had listened to him, and he had been unusually quiet. Then he had said:  
  
"Tris...I'm not going back with you."  
  
"What--huh? You're not going back to college?"  
  
"Oh, sure. I'm going to get my degree. I really need it and I really want it, Tris. That hasn't changed. But...I not going to live in the dorm any more. I'm going to commute, like Dad does."  
  
Tris had been thunderstruck. He had never expected this. Tenchi had been so adamant about showing his independence. Now he was abandoning all that. And he was sort of abandoning Tris too, in a way.  
  
"I meant to tell you earlier, Tris, but that discussion with Dad about the lawn and then what we found out during the tea break...it's no excuse, I should have told you sooner, anyway."  
  
"Well, you're telling me now." Tris said. Tenchi was sitting on his bed. Tris now squatted on his futon. "It's none of my business, but..."  
  
"Oh, it's your business. You should at least know why you'll be alone in that dorm room next term." Tenchi had looked uncomfortable, but also resolute. "You see, last night Ryoko and Ayeka kind of cornered me. It was after you went in bed, Tris. We had a long discussion in their bedroom, and Sasami was there, too. Anyway, they both told me they wanted me to live at home from now on."  
  
As stunned as Tris had felt, he had nodded with understanding. It had all become clear now.  
  
"Don't look at me like that, Tris. I know what I said about living my own life and all. And I did, for a whole term. But Ayeka and Ryoko want to see me a lot more often than they have. That's kind of selfish, in a way, but it's understandable. You know, that fight with Klove reminded me just how uncertain things are. To Ryoko and Ayeka, things really are uncertain. They don't know whom I'll choose or when I will choose. They put up with that for a long time. Then they watched me go off to college, away from them. Now they want to be with me as much as they can until I make my choice. Tris, I really can't say no this time. They both have been so great lately. And they're right."  
  
Tris had not replied. Tenchi had looked at him a moment and then pressed on.  
  
"I talked to Dad and Grandfather after I talked to the girls. They both agreed it was time for me to live at home again. Both of them even kind of laid down the law to me. I have to make my choice...and I have to make it soon. Dad's got his business now, you know, and he must be able to invite clients over, occasionally. You know our culture, Tris. It's just impolite as heck not to open your home to people you do business with. He could get away with it while he was a salaryman, but not as a businessman. You understand that."  
  
Tris had indeed understood that. Hospitality was required in Japan, whether or not it involved a business associate or a social acquaintance.  
  
"And Grandfather really would like to retire in the near future. He's even talking about going back to Jurai for a while and maybe mending some fences there. So I really need to start training as a Shinto Priest, maybe as soon as next year. That all means I have to choose Ryoko or Ayeka as my fiancée and the others will then need to leave for good this time. Maybe not Washuu, but that's all. Mihoshi and Kiyone are likely gone for good, so the exodus has already begun, in a way. It's not what I want, Tris. You know that. It's just what has to be."  
  
Tenchi's logic had been inescapable, even if it had seemed a bit cold and calculating. "I know. It's your duty and your obligation to your family and to the shrine."  
  
Tenchi had smiled. "You really do understand us, Tris. It's rare that foreigners do." It had been the first time that Tenchi had called him a foreigner--gajin--and Tris found that very significant. "So I'll commute--if Dad can do it, I can."  
  
Tris had felt their closeness eroding even as they spoke. Maybe it hadn't been deliberate, but it had happened, nonetheless. "Sure you can. But aren't you giving up your half of the dorm room?"  
  
"No. It's too late for a refund, and, besides, there might be a few evenings, before finals, when I'll want to stay overnight there." Tenchi had smiled again. "So, hey, you may still see me occupying that other bunk a few times. Anyway, you'll have the whole place to yourself, Tris. And we'll still see each other on the campus--we have some classes together."  
  
Tris had realized that Tenchi was only softening the blow with that statement. The fact was that Tenchi, who would someday be an important figure in the community, needed to start meeting and hanging out with other Japanese, needed to start networking and becoming a part of that community. Lord Yosho and Nobuyuki had likely told him that, too. He would have no more time for an American transfer student who would likely be gone after the next term. And if Tenchi was going to commute from rural Okayama every day, he would need to leave for home as soon as his last class was over. Tris knew he would see Tenchi seldom outside of class. Eventually, he probably would not see him at all.  
  
Inside, Tris had felt hollow as the reality of Tenchi's words slowly sunk in. He was being cut off again, cast adrift. He had lost his own family, and now he was losing a close friend and a group of people who had come to seem like a second family. But Tris could see that Tenchi was adamant. And Tenchi, from his perspective, was right. So Tris had just shrugged and kept any angry or hurt comments to himself.  
  
"Right-o. I do understand, Tenchi."  
  
"I glad you do, Tris." Tenchi had even stopped called him "buddy." "It's best this way, and it has to be this way. Again, it may not be what I want--"  
  
"But it's what has to happen. I know. You don't need to tell me twice."  
  
Tenchi had again looked uncomfortable. "We have a few days before you really need to leave, Tris. I guess we can come up something to do..."  
  
Tris had stood up then. He hadn't needed a two-by-four across the head to read that signal. "Well, I think I'd better just get packed up and leave tomorrow morning. You're right, there's not much to do around here. Not even a walkway to trim! Let Ryoko and Ayeka have you to themselves for at least a few days before you have to start commuting. They deserve that much. That much I can contribute around here."  
  
Although Tris had spoken the words, he had really hoped Tenchi would say no, would insist he stay for the last few remaining days. But Tenchi had actually looked relieved.  
  
"Well, we'll hate to see you go, Tris. But maybe it is better this way. I know Ryoko and Ayeka will appreciate it."  
  
And that was that! Tris had steeled himself. He wasn't going to say anything more about it.  
  
He had left the bedroom and went outside and fiddled with the Mustang a while. He needed to get all the leaves and twigs out of the engine compartment--their presence was due to the explosive end of Professor Klove's mind monster. Azaka II and Kamidake II had spoken amiably to him as he did. They both had seemed well disposed toward him. Oddly enough, it had affected him greatly.  
  
No one had bothered to come out as see how he was doing. Sasami had finally poked her head out of the front door and asked him if he wanted some tea. He had told her no. She had looked at him for a moment and then slid the front door shut. He had worked on the car until it had gotten too dark even with a flashlight. Then he had slammed down the hood and walked in. The girls and Tenchi had been watching TV in the living room. Tris had just waved at them and went to the bedroom. He had read a little while--he couldn't recall what he had read--and then had put on his pajamas and slipped into his futon. When Tenchi had come in, Tris pretended to be asleep. He had just wanted to break contact so leaving the next day would be easier. He had been glad when Tenchi just undressed, put on his pajamas, climbed into bed, and turned out the light. Even so, it had taken Tris a long time to fall asleep.  
  
The next morning had been even less fun.  
  
Evidently, Tenchi had told the family Tris was leaving right after breakfast while Tris had been in the bathroom performing his morning ablutions. When he arrived at the breakfast table, everyone had seemed especially cheerful. He had not known quite how to take that, but decided to join in with the cheerfulness. Washuu had even been present, so Ayeka's wishes in that regard seemed to be panning out. Tris had not had much appetite, even though Sasami had cooked a knockout breakfast.  
  
Nobuyuki, who had an appointment, had left just as everyone else had finished breakfast. He had asked Tris to walk to the door with him. Tris had complied. As they had walked, Nobuyuki thanked Tris for his help against Professor Klove, expressed polite misgivings at Tris's early departure, and requested he return soon. Tris had promised to do so, politely. Then Nobuyuki and he had reached the front door. Tris had noticed Nobuyuki was carrying a smart new leather portfolio (a vast improvement over that overstuffed briefcase). They had stopped a moment.  
  
"Tristram...one bit of advice. Never burn your bridges. And let me say again: You'll always be welcome here."  
  
Then Tenchi's father had held out his hand. Tris had taken it and they shook hands. With a smile, Nobuyuki had slid open the front door and left. Just as Tris slid the door shut, and Nobuyuki was already out of sight, he had remembered the rain check--rain checks-- he had given Tenchi's father for a ride in the Mustang. He had felt badly that he never made good on those. Tenchi's father was a great guy.  
  
Rather than return to the dining room--he'd had enough of acting cheerful--Tris had gone to Tenchi's bedroom and packed. He had two bags to pack, but it hadn't taken long. At first, he had searched frantically for Dad's A-2 jacket, then remembered he had given it to Kiyone. He still didn't regret the impulse. He had been serious about not wanting to cocoon himself so much with memories of his parents. Besides, maybe Kiyone might wear it sometimes--and the ID bracelet as well--and think of him. It had been a nice thought, anyway.  
  
Packed, Tris had grabbed both bags and walked into the living room. He had planned to be completely cowardly about it and say goodbye to Tenchi and the others while they were still in the dining room. Instead, he had found them all in the living room...evidently waiting for him.  
  
Oh, well. He should take proper leave of them, anyway.  
  
Tris had bowed low to Lord Yosho and thanked him for his hospitality. Lord Yosho had returned the bow amiably and had said, "Thank you, Tristram. Hospitality is for guests. You are family now, and you are welcome to return any time." It had been a nice thing to say, even though Tris had heard at least one person mutter under their breath. Ryoko? It hadn't mattered. He wasn't family and he wasn't returning.  
  
After Lord Yosho had departed the room, Ryoko had walked up to Tris, smiled sweetly--and then jabbed him, sharply. Tris took the blow in his shoulder--God, it had felt familiar! Tenchi had remonstrated with Ryoko, but she only said, "Hey, I thought he might be missing Kiyone. Just wanted to give him something to remember her by." She had then trained her golden eyes on Tris and added, "You and that cop have one thing in common--you both know to get out while the getting's good!" Then she had floated up to the rafters.  
  
"Ryoko! How disgraceful!" Ayeka had called up to the rafters. She had received a yawn in reply. The Princess had shaken her head and smiled affectionately at Tris. "Never mind her, Tristram. It is just her way. I do not know why you must leave so early but I am certain you must have good reason to. Thank you for being a gentleman. And thank you for being with Sasami when...well, you know. I shall miss you, Tristram. Do come back and see us soon." She had held out her hand and Tris had taken it, briefly. He had repeated his promise to return. Politeness dictated he do so.  
  
After Ayeka had turned away, it had been Washuu's turn to walk up to Tris. "Really got to go, cutie?" she had asked, raising her eyebrows at him. He had told her yes. "You sure? Hmmmm." She had looked pensive. Then her expression had brightened. "Well, okey-dokey. You take care and watch where you step. Let's hear from you." She had shaken hands with him and then walked away. After only a few steps, though, she had stopped. "Hey, Tris."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You know the fat lady?"  
  
"What fat lady?"  
  
"The one who hasn't sung yet."  
  
"Oh...yeah, that old saying. What about it?"  
  
"I told you...she hasn't sung yet. See ya."  
  
Tris had shrugged, unable to decipher Washuu's cryptic comment. He had then looked down. Sasami was there. The little Princess had been sad-faced. Her eyes had glistened. She had held out her arms to him. Tris had knelt down and embraced her.  
  
"I don't see why you have to leave now, Tris," she had whispered to him. "No one wants you to go. We all love you."  
  
Tris had gotten a bit misty-eyed himself. The little sweetheart! She really did like him. She thought everyone else felt as she did. Too bad she would have to grow up someday. Tris had released her and she walked away, very quickly, toward the kitchen.  
  
Now only Tenchi had stood before him. He had picked up one of Tris's bags. "Ready?" he had asked, smiling.  
  
"Ready," Tris had answered. "Now, how does it go? Oh, yeah. There's no place like home...there's no place like home..."  
  
"Wise guy."  
  
Tenchi had slid the front door open. They had slipped on their street shoes in the genkan--Tris for the final time--and then walked outdoors. It had been another beautiful and very warm spring day. The lovely weather had failed to raise Tris's spirits, but that was hardly the weather's fault.  
  
With a "meow-er!" Ryo-Ohki had bounded toward them as they walked to Tris's car. She had rubbed against Tris affectionately. He'd known what she wanted. He had taken a moment to apply a little rub-a-tummy therapy. As he did, he had noticed that the cabbit's fur was almost shed of the burnt hair. Amazing recuperative powers. Amazing animal.  
  
Then, straightening and taking his bag again, he and Tenchi had walked up to the Mustang. After saying his good-byes to Azaka II and Kamidake II, Tris had popped open the trunk. He and Tenchi had slung in his bags. Tris had slammed the old trunk lid shut. Then he and Tenchi had stood facing each other a moment. Tenchi had stuck out his hand. They shook hands.  
  
"Tris...like I said. Things aren't ending up exactly like I wanted them to."  
  
"I know. Well, see you in the funny papers." Tris had then walked to the driver's side door and opened it. He had slid into the car. He had considered putting down the top, but it wasn't that kind of occasion.  
  
"Tris!" Tenchi had called to him just before he fired up the old V-8.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We'll get together when I go back to the University. Let's do lunch. And...well, if I ever hear anything from..."  
  
"Gotcha. See you later. It was great being here, Tenchi. Unbelievable, a little painful, but great. I mean that."  
  
"I'm glad. See you around campus, Tris."  
  
Tris had nodded and started the engine. He had let it warm up a minute and then shifted into first and let out the clutch. He had pulled away from the gate. Just as he had turned the last corner in the gravel drive to enter the roadway, he had glanced in the rearview mirror. Tenchi had been still standing there...  
  
* * *  
  
No, he had not been exaggerating recent events. What happened was what happened. In the past few days, no one had called...then again, Tris hadn't called, either. What for? A few polite words of conversation? Learning neither Mihoshi nor Kiyone had contacted anyone? He'd pass.  
  
Yet he was overreacting, he decided. He was feeling sorry for himself and he had no right to. He had lived an incredible experience, one that seemed even more incredible every day that passed. Stop wah- wahing, already!  
  
He needed to get some perspective on what had happened the last few weeks. He had a lot to be thankful for--just for being with Tenchi and the rest, and seeing things and knowing things and experiencing things that exceeded his wildest fantasies. If it had come to an end, well, just about everything good did. Life 101.  
  
Then Tris had an idea. His eighth grade teacher had made him read "Robinson Crusoe" for a book report, even though it was kind of Politically Incorrect. Old R.C.--now there was one of literature's biggest whiners! And the way he beat up on that poor old guy, Friday! Kind of like Kiyone with Mihoshi, only Mihoshi at least packed some heat with her. Anyway, in the book, old R.C. had made a list of credits and debits so he could objectively evaluate his situation. Why not try that? Tris opened a notebook, found a pen, and began compiling his own ledger:  
  
__________________________________________________________________  
GOOD THING------BAD THING  
  
Sasami's Cooking------Gained at least five pounds  
  
Ran Up All The Temple Steps------Shin splints for life  
  
Met Kiyone------I'll never play the violin again (ouch!)  
  
Helped defeat an alien monster------Nearly got killed by an  
alien monster  
  
Traveled in outer space------Just to go to some crummy planet  
and breathe green air?  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
Hmmmm. This was taking a decidedly pessimistic turn. Try to be positive. Yeah, that was it...  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
GOOD THING------BAD THING  
  
Now I know there's life on other planets------Yes, and they don't  
act any better than we do  
  
Ryo-Ohki was cute------As long as you fed her carrots  
  
Sasami's cooking------You already listed that  
  
Finally spilled my guts about the past------Spilled my guts to  
someone who won't even call  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
Tris put down his pen. Now he had a inkling why R.C. had taken it out on Friday.  
  
He sat back in the chair. It creaked...or was it him? Probably both. He had been sitting for hours, trying to plow into that textbook. All it had really said so far was that folks back in the Middle (Nippon) Ages couldn't write, mostly, so they drew pictures. Sort of like manga. If they had managed to draw the pictures on sheets of whatever they used for paper back then and flipped the edges, they could have had the first anime. Well, no, the book hadn't said that--that was Tris's spin on the subject. Tris debated pointing that out to Professor Nehito the first day of class. Naw, better not. If he did, it might end up being his last day of class.  
  
But who cared? What good were all these insular Japanese studies going to do him, anyway? Maybe he could work in a discussion about haiku style while he was telling the fry cook to hold the mayo--doing about the only job he would be qualified for after he was graduated. That greasy spoon down Orion spaceway might have an opening...yeah. He could just picture it now--lousy tips and no dental insurance. One day, Kiyone would walk in. She'd be sorry then, boy--after she stopped laughing her head off. Something to look forward to.  
  
Tris yawned hugely. Tired. Of course he was tired. He had sat on his butt all morning! But, no...he really was tired. Maybe he was just tired of reading about picto-graphs, tired of Okayama, tired of everything. Well, not everything. There were still swimsuit models.  
  
That made Tris chuckle. His eyes moved over to the wall opposite him, where, as partial consolation for being on his own, he had plastered a giant poster of that Number One Pin-Up Girl, Fumie Hosokawa. He had bought it at an a poster shop on the very same street in Okayama where he had bought the mangas (and the hentai) during the shopping trip with the women.  
  
He had chosen a pin-up of Fumie modeling a leopard-print thong bikini--it was about as brief as Ryoko's had been. Tris smiled wistfully, recalling the ex-space pirate (the pardon must have gone through by now) in that barest of bikinis. Ryoko was a stunner, all right. Still, Tris's thoughts kept drifting back to a teal-haired beauty who had worn a bikini that somehow had engaged his interest more...much more. Aw, he had to stop thinking about that. He took enough cold showers these days as it was.  
  
He yawned again. He couldn't shake his sleepiness. Even Fumie couldn't. Well, it wouldn't hurt to rest his eyes for just a moment. Then he'd go visit the excellent gymnasium the University campus boasted, and after that maybe catch that new show on Fuji TV. There was lots of interest in that show already, since it featured gajin (ones who could speak Japanese) sharing their impressions of Japan with Japanese audience members. Supposedly, some of the discussions got pretty wild--wild that is, for a talk show in Japan. The land of the Rising Sun was not yet the land of Jenny Jones--thank all the gods! Tris chuckled again, tiredly. He ought to go on that show. He could tell those folks a few things they didn't know, boy.  
  
He closed his eyes. He laid his head on his arms that rested on his desktop. Yep...just rest the eyes a few minutes...  
  
A few minutes later, he was fast asleep.  
  
------  
  
Meanwhile, back at the Masaki homestead, Ryoko was feeling both ecstatic and bored.  
  
Ecstatic because formal notification of her full pardon had finally been received by Princess Ayeka in a message sent to her from Jurai via her two Guardians. The Princess had brought Ryoko and everyone else the news at lunch. Everyone had congratulated the now-former space pirate warmly...so warmly that Ryoko finally had to leave rather abruptly just to keep from losing her composure in front of them. She hoped they understood.  
  
But now, having kicked her way through the debris that covered just about everything outdoors, Ryoko was feeling bored. She couldn't fly because that landscaping crew was on the Masaki property, attending to the clean up and re-sodding of the grounds. Ryoko waved at the guys in the trucks and they waved back to her amiably. She grinned. Those Earthlings had seen her as a normal Earth woman, she was certain. That was great! The locals would, too, eventually. Then Tenchi would realize that she would be no liability as his wife and helpmate. It meant a lot that she wouldn't have to worry anymore about some Galaxy Police dragnet or a bounty hunter like Nagi swooping down someday to try to take her into custody.  
  
She really was free! Free to travel the spaceways...and free to marry Tenchi, finally. All he had to do was pop the question. Ryoko just knew he would, someday soon. It was all a matter of time now. Ironically, all this was now possible because of Ayeka. In the end, she had proven to be a real friend--the best friend Ryoko could ever have imagined having. Ryoko sighed and kicked at a largish clump of leaves and branches. She hoped Ayeka would prove to be as good a loser as she had proven a friend...  
  
Ryoko had just reached the edge of the grounds where things became more woods-like than lawn-like. Jeeze, but just walking around the debris-choked grounds was a drag. She couldn't see the trucks now. Those guys must have left. It would be safe to take to the air now. How did folks get by not being able to fly? It must be awful. She was very fortunate to have been born with all those special powers. She didn't know how she had acquired them or even who her parents were. But she was grateful to them. She had forgiven them ages ago for leaving her at that lame orphanage on planet Urekia.  
  
As was her habit when alone, Ryoko paused in her perambulations to say a quiet prayer for her parents, whoever and wherever they were. She bowed her head and clapped her hands several times, just as she had seen Tenchi and Lord Yosho do when they honored the dead. She couldn't be certain her parents were dead, of course, but--  
  
"Giving yourself a hand, Ryoko?"  
  
The voice was female, low-pitched, and filled with contempt. Ryoko had heard that voice before, several times. She looked up, startled.  
  
Nagi Katsumoro, the bounty hunter, stood before her.  
  
"Yeah, you think you've won. Ryoko. A full pardon, huh? But maybe you're applauding your little scam too soon. This show isn't over yet, Ryoko! There's still one last act to play!"  
  
For a second, Ryoko goggled at the sight of her arch-nemesis, the most deadly and successful bounty hunter in the galaxy. Nagi was the last person she expected to see on Earth--and the last person she wanted to see, to boot.  
  
Nagi stood there, so tall and imposing, yet so gorgeous, a true Amazon in height and proportions and looks. Winner of that bikini contest, long ago. She was dressed all in shiny black--black tunic, black leggings, black boots, even a black hooded cape. Her short but spiky silver gray hair fluttered in the slight breeze. Her pretty, classically featured face was still marred with those combat stripes. Nagi looked as purposeful and deadly as before...and her blood-red eyes glittered with a cold fire.  
  
"Cabbit got your tongue, Ryoko?"  
  
"Nagi! What--what are you doing here?" Ryoko sputtered.  
  
"I didn't save your ass way back when from the Juraian military just so you could live happily ever after, Ryoko," Nagi replied. "I bided my time, certain you'd leave Earth eventually. But I've come to think you might just stay on this hick planet...maybe even marry that half- breed Juraian Prince." Nagi still maintained her disdain for Tenchi, Ryoko noted, despite Tenchi's magnificent victory over Kagato. Nagi seemed to respect no one but herself. "Now that you've gotten Princess Ayeka to have you pardoned--I'm sure of it."  
  
"But..." Ryoko was confused. She did not understand Nagi's still smoldering animosity toward her. Truth to tell, Ryoko had not thought of the bounty hunter in some time. She had assumed that Nagi had just written her off. "Back then we were fighting that creep, Kagato--you joined us, Nagi. You spent time with us, remember? You were rewarded damned well by the Jurai royal family. The Princess has told me that you're more successful than ever--richer than hell, too. So why can't you drop this? Go your way and I'll go mine."  
  
Nagi laughed that nasty little laugh of hers. Ryoko remembered it all too well. "Don't be so stupid! I got what I have by my own efforts. Unlike you, I don't owe anything to those Jurai royals. As long as they pay cash, I'll work for them. And I've told you before, what we got between us is personal. Some put-up pardon isn't going to get you off the hook with me."  
  
"That pardon wasn't put up, Nagi!" Ryoko snapped. "I earned it! I nearly got killed defeating that Professor Klove and his mind monster."  
  
"Really? That's your story, Ryoko. Personally, I think that tale is just a batch of moonshine, cooked up to justify Princess Ayeka's over-long stay in this backwater, and she bribed you with a pardon to keep you quiet--"  
  
"What? That's just plain crazy, Nagi!"  
  
"Well, it's all over the galaxy now, Ryoko. Real important folks, like the Poctisumme clan, believe it. The minority leader of the Galactic Parliament has already filed a protest over your pardon, Ryoko, although the High Tribunal won't back down, probably--everyone knows they're in King Azusa's back pocket. Most folks in the real galaxy--I mean, off this godforsaken rock--don't give two Jurais for your stupid pardon, Ryoko. You're still about as welcome out there as the Okuda Plague!"  
  
Ryoko felt herself boil with anger inside. She clenched her fists. Nagi stood there, sneering at her.  
  
"What's the real story, Ryoko? You and the Princess both have your pleasure with that Lord Tenchi? Maybe someone wasn't taking care of business? Everyone knows that the Princess will have to submit to a full medical scan when she returns to Jurai to guard against her bringing back some Earth bug. That scan will pick up any sign of-- well, let's call it a mishap. But if she can claim she got injured by fighting some so-called monster and that renegade scientist, Washuu, can do a little creative surgery...any physical evidence of a scandal can be covered up. Of course, there's still you to take care of. Have to make sure you don't blab. So your price was a pardon."  
  
Ryoko's face flushed with anger. "That's a filthy, goddamned lie, Nagi! The Princess is a straight arrow. She'd never--and neither would I--everyone knows that. You know that!"  
  
Nagi shook her head. "What I know is--that story's a whole lot easier to swallow than that fairy tale about a brain-dead old coot in a mental institution somehow threatening you all. Threatening you, Ryoko, and the Princess, and those two Jurai princes, and that Washuu--all of you with all that power you possess. What a crock! And how convenient--it all happens just when the Juraian people are clamoring to have Princess Ayeka return to get that father of hers off the throne and back into retirement. This little fable of yours is sure to generate sympathy for the Princess and justify her being here--you think! But you're wrong. You and Princess Ayeka have been living with these knuckle-draggers too long, Ryoko! We're a little smarter out in the real galaxy."  
  
"You're all as stupid as hell if you believe that Ayeka would--or even I would--" Ryoko fumed. "And what about the Galaxy Police? Kiyone and Mihoshi? They proved--"  
  
"They proved they were bribed too!" Nagi shrugged. "That Grand Marshall's been angling to get his granddaughter out of the soup-- there's been lots of pressure on him to have her dismissed from the service along with Kiyone for trying to cover up their misdeeds. So naturally he falls in with this scheme. It allows him to rehabilitate his ditzy granddaughter's reputation, finally close the books on those serial murders the GP can't solve, and the Juraian royals end up owing him big-time. It also saves his own bacon, too, because the GP High Commissioner had targeted him for early retirement. That Kiyone is one lucky cop. Being teamed with Mihoshi has finally paid off--and I mean paid off!"  
  
Ryoko's mind buzzed with hurt and indignation. It was all a pack of rotten lies! But she had to admit--Nagi's perversion of the truth sounded damned plausible! Yeah, lots of folks with no love for the Juraian royals--and no love for her--would believe it. It meant that everything was spoiled. Her pardon was just a piece of paper, less than that, maybe. Many hands were still raised against her. She'd be seen and treated as some sort of Juraian royal embarrassment, a space pirate rehabilitated just to satisfy some royal scheme. Oh, hell! That damned Nagi!  
  
"But it just isn't true!" Ryoko tried to reason with the bounty hunter. "I've never lied to you, Nagi. I'm not lying now. Just look at this place! We fought a hell of a battle here. I thought you'd pick up on that, Nagi, being a warrior--"  
  
"I'm a mercenary, Ryoko--not a warrior," Nago interrupted flatly. "That warrior stuff is for those poseurs on Jurai. You never lied to me? What about during that beauty contest? You promised to meet me for combat after it was done--instead, you ran off and stole my prize money!" The bounty hunter's face reddened at the memory. "And how hard is it to kick up a little dirt and leaves--especially when the Princess's reputation is on the line? You and your conspirators will have to do a lot better than that, Ryoko!" Nagi laughed contemptuously.  
  
"Who's been telling you all this guff? They probably have an axe to grind, and--"  
  
"You think so?" Nagi said. "Better think again. I got most of this from my own investigation--just like the media has! That's right, Ryoko--that upsets you, I see. It's all over the Union news networks! A certain Lieutenant Zay're, who resigned his commission with the GP because of his disgust over the corruption he saw at the Headquarters, is telling it like it is. What happened--did you all forgot to bribe him, too? Too bad. He's gotten a lot of good coverage from the media. He's going to run for office and the word is he's a shoo-in for the Galaxy Police Civilian Advisory Board--the High Commissioner knows which side of his bread is buttered. How long do you think that Mihoshi and Kiyone will hold onto their Sergeant's stripes when that happens? They'd better watch their backs--that's all!"  
  
With a supreme effort, Ryoko calmed herself down. She realized that she had overreacted to Nagi's bad news. The situation wasn't all that disastrous. It was just the same old story. Politics. Of course the Poctisumme clan and the Zay're clan and all the other envious powerful cliques wanted to put a negative spin on what had happened. It served their interests to keep the Juraian royals and their allies on the defensive. Ryoko knew she should have anticipated this. None of it affected her pardon, not really. She was still free from arrest--and Tenchi would still be hers. Nagi was just mad as hell about finally, unequivocally, losing her battle with Ryoko. Well, to hell with her and to hell with politics!  
  
"Okay, Nagi. You said what you came to say. I think it's a bunch of sour grapes and I know it's all based on lies. I'm still officially pardoned, regardless. Now, scram. Or you can explain to the GP what you're doing in a restricted area! You didn't illegally hack a few nav buoys to get here--did you?"  
  
"My, my! The law-and-order space pirate!" Nagi's red eyes glittered dangerously. "I go where I want, Ryoko, and the GP can go hang! Three powerful families are financing this little excursion...some of the folks you robbed and all but ruined with your crimes! They don't give a damn about your pardon. They want you dead! And I'm going to get paid for doing something I'd do for free!"  
  
Suddenly, before Ryoko could react, Nagi whipped up a hand weapon from a concealed holster in her right sleeve. Ryoko stared at it. It was a hand-held proton mini-cannon. It was not powerful enough to kill her, of course, but it would knock her for a loop--that was for sure! Ryoko's heart sank.  
  
Nagi pointed the mini-cannon at Ryoko. "This will neutralize you, bitch, until I can get a neuron-plasma lasso around you. Then you'll die, slowly. I'm instructed to bring back your head. Your lover, Tenchi, can have the rest of your body. Maybe he'll find it before it gets cold!"  
  
The bounty hunter's mocking laugh galvanized Ryoko. She wanted to kill Nagi then and there, and to hell with her vow to the others--the vow that she had made just an hour ago that she would avoid violence and live up to her pardon. Then she remembered that one of the persons she had made that vow to was Tenchi.  
  
Tenchi! His image filled her mind. How proud he had looked, how affectionate, when she had pledged to be worthy of the freedom she had been given. A kind of strange, warm calmness suffused Ryoko. The thought of her true love gave her the strength to resist the urge to kill...and gave her inner peace as well. The look she gave Nagi now was almost pitying.  
  
"I won't fight you, Nagi," Ryoko told the bounty hunter.  
  
"You bet you won't! You'll just die!"  
  
"Maybe. But I'll die knowing that someone loves me--and will mourn for me. That's a hell of a lot more than I had even after I robbed the Galactic Depository. It's more than you have, Nagi--and more than you'll ever have."  
  
"What? Are you crazy, Ryoko? Who gives a damn about that stuff once you're dead?" Nagi's classical features mirrored her incredulity.  
  
"We all die, Nagi. But I won't die unloved. That's for losers like you." Ryoko wouldn't fight, but she would try like hell to escape. If she could throw Nagi off guard...she braced herself to teleport.  
  
"I'll show you who the loser is! You! You lost, bitch! You're the only one who ever escaped me, and now I'll have a perfect record! Get ready for it, Ryoko--"  
  
Just as the bounty hunter cocked her weapon, a thrumming sound seemed to vibrate the air above her and Ryoko. Nagi looked up. Ryoko did too.  
  
Hovering above the two women were Ayeka's two Guardians.  
  
"Please lower that hand weapon, Miss Nagi," Azaka II instructed the bounty hunter.  
  
"And please be quick about it," Kamidake II added.  
  
"What? Huh?" Nagi responded, taken utterly by surprise.  
  
Ryoko stared up at the two Guardians. Her mouth sagged open. She was just as startled by their sudden appearance as the bounty hunter.  
  
"Miss Ryoko is under our protection," Azaka II informed Nagi. "Her person is not to be threatened. We are authorized to use deadly force to protect her."  
  
"Lower the weapon or you will perish, Miss Nagi," Kamidake II amplified.  
  
Nagi slowly let the hand holding the mini-cannon drop to her side.  
  
"But...you are the Guardians of Princess Ayeka," she said wonderingly. "What the hell!"  
  
"Please watch your language, Miss Nagi," Kamidake II requested. "It is not seemly."  
  
Despite her astonishment, Ryoko grinned. There could be no doubt who had instructed those Guardians!  
  
"But...but..."  
  
"We have been instructed by Princess Ayeka to protect the person of Miss Ryoko," Azaka II explained. "For the record, we are pleased by this."  
  
"We would be pleased as well if you would put that weapon away, Miss Nagi...thank you," Kamidake II added.  
  
Nagi complied. Fighting the two Juraian Royal Guardians was tantamount to suicide.  
  
"That Princess of yours must have gone crazy!" Nagi growled. "If she were here, I'd tell her--"  
  
"You would tell me...what, pray?" asked Princess Ayeka Jurai. She walked up to them. Taken aback by the intervention of the two Royal Guardians, neither Nagi nor Ryoko had heard her approach.  
  
Both the bounty hunter and the ex-space pirate now stared at the Princess silently.  
  
"Cabbit got your tongue, Miss Nagi?" Ayeka asked politely.  
  
"Ayeka!" Ryoko cried in wonderment.  
  
"Hello, Ryoko." Ayeka smiled at her. "You seemed a bit distressed when you left us at luncheon. I thought I had better check up on you."  
  
Ryoko just grinned at her friend, the Princess.  
  
"Keeping an eye on your little stooge--huh, Princess?" Nagi had finally found her voice.  
  
Ayeka looked at the bounty hunter with disdain. "Stooge, Miss Nagi? That seems strange, coming from a person who stalks people for money. Ryoko has never performed any act for hire. Perhaps you should rephrase that last statement."  
  
"I'd call covering up for you to get a pardon--" Nagi began.  
  
Ayeka held up a hand. "Please, Miss Nagi...do not further incriminate yourself. I intend to sue everyone who has spread all those lies. I shall be relentless about it, I warn you. If you persist in repeating these slanders, I shall be obliged to take you to court as well."  
  
"You wouldn't dare! Expose yourself in open court? Don't make me laugh, Princess!"  
  
Ayeka sighed slowly, sorrowfully. She looked up at her hovering Guardians. "Please inform my solicitors to serve Miss Nagi with a subpoena," she instructed them.  
  
"At once, Princess," Azaka II said. His pilot light blinked as he relayed the transmission.  
  
"Wait--wait!" Nagi cried.  
  
Ryoko smiled grimly. She understood the bounty hunter's sudden change of heart. It was damned obvious that the Princess was not bluffing. Nagi was learning, just as Ryoko had learned, that Ayeka Jurai meant what she said--always.  
  
"Please postpone that transmission," Ayeka told her Guardians. She turned to Nagi. "Well?"  
  
"I...I might have made a mistake," Nagi muttered. Ryoko looked at her. The bounty hunter appeared to have sagged six inches lower. Ryoko almost felt sorry for her.  
  
"You made several mistakes, Miss Nagi," Ayeka informed her. "You aligned yourself with envious people whose machinations against my family and the Galactic Union are both infamous and ill-advised. They have failed in the past and they will fail now. Perhaps taking some of their wealth in court fines will cool their hopeless aspirations. You also flaunted an official pardon to threaten a woman who is as free of legal jeopardy as you are. You took on a murder contract, Miss Nagi, and I do not like that one little bit. Furthermore, you are here on this planet illegally. Very well, then. Henceforth, if I ever see you anywhere near Ryoko again--or anywhere near this planet--I shall personally swear out a warrant for your arrest. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
Nagi glared at Ayeka. But Nagi had not survived as a bounty hunter by being inflexible. This was one situation that only retreat would alleviate.  
  
Watching her, Ryoko now did feel sorry for Nagi. All she had were her contracts and her reputation. Now she would have to go back to those families who hired her and admit failure. That would blast her reputation and she would be just another bounty hunter, scrambling for work among her seedy peers. It was poetic justice for Nagi, but it didn't make Ryoko feel very good about it. In a way, Nagi reminded Ryoko of how she herself had been, long ago. The difference was that Ryoko had opened her heart and become a whole person. Nagi probably never would.  
  
"Yes, Princess." Nagi all but spat out the words.  
  
"Fine. Now, please leave. You are not wanted here. I doubt if you are wanted anywhere, Miss Nagi."  
  
"Ayeka..." Ryoko began.  
  
"Meow-er!"  
  
Ryo-Ohki appeared on the scene. Spotting Nagi, the cabbit began hopping ecstatically. Ryoko understood why. Nagi's presence mean Ryo-Ohki's boyfriend was nearby. Ryoko groaned.  
  
"God--no!" Nagi groaned, too.  
  
Then a swooshing sound filled the air. Now two cabbits were on the ground.  
  
"No, Ken-Ohki!" Nagi shouted.  
  
"Wait, Ryo-Ohki!" Ryoko likewise shouted.  
  
Too late. The two cabbits bounded away together. They disappeared into the woods.  
  
"Damn it!" Nagi swore.  
  
"That Ryo-Ohki...she always gets her man." Ryoko had to grin. "Just like her mistress!"  
  
"Your cabbit seduced my cabbit!" Nagi charged. "She's nothing but a brazen strumpet! Like her owner!"  
  
"What?" Ryoko's sympathy for Nagi evaporated. "You take that back!"  
  
"I won't!"  
  
Ryoko and Nagi glared at each other. The hovering Guardians blinked with puzzlement.  
  
Ayeka just laughed. "Well, Miss Nagi! It seems that you do not have the means to depart, and you will not have the means for some little while, I would guess. Very well. Please come with us. We will have some tea...and discuss a few matters."  
  
"Discuss? Discuss what?" Nagi demanded.  
  
"Why, discuss how I may be persuaded to relent and offer you a permanent retainer," Ayeka said mildly. "I have long felt the need for a--what is the term? Oh, yes--a troubleshooter. With so many clans so willing to scheme against myself and my interests, such a troubleshooter would be...convenient."  
  
"Me--work for you?"  
  
"Yeah, work for her!" Ryoko told Nagi. "Listen, you don't want to go back those cruds who hired you, do you? Forget them! Ayeka pays real money--and she doesn't let people down. How many clients like that have you had? Huh?"  
  
"Well..." Nagi actually looked a bit uncertain.  
  
"We can discuss it over tea, at any rate," Ayeka said. "You do recall Sasami's tea, do you not? It is ambrosial! Just the thing to cool down one's nerves and allow one to see things clearly. This way, Miss Nagi, if you please. You too, Ryoko."  
  
And with that, Ayeka turned and walked with regal grace back toward the house. Ryoko grinned and followed the Princess. With a moment's hesitation, Nagi followed them. The two Guardians brought up the rear.  
  
Nagi didn't know it then, but she had just joined the Masaki clan. It would prove to be a strange interlude for the bounty hunter, but not an unprofitable one. And she would eventually learn what Ryoko had learned...that truly, no man or women is an island. They only think so until a crisis hits. Then, support and affection--and even love--come from the most unexpected places. And the island is no more.  
  
------  
  
Things remained quiet at the dorm as the afternoon waned. Tris slept like a dead man.  
  
Suddenly--it seemed like only minutes had passed since he closed his eyes--he was startled awake. The floor was shaking--shaking? Shaking! Earthquake!  
  
This was Japan--land of tea ceremonies and deadly earthquakes. Tris groggily sprang from his chair--and his head hit the overhanging bookshelf. The bookshelf's fragile nature was finally revealed to him. Books tumbled on him like a meteor shower. He ignored that, though. He was trying to think as the floor and he shook in tandem-- in case of earthquake, where was he supposed to go again? Outdoors? The gym? Damn it, they had told him at orientation--but he'd forgotten. Great! He was going to die right here and--  
  
The floor stopped shaking.  
  
A moment later, Tris stopped shaking.  
  
He had no time to wonder what had happened. For a blinding light now spilled out from behind the closed and latched doors of one of the closets--Tenchi's closet. The light seemed almost material, it was so intense. Material? Plasma? Plasma! Professor Klove--! Wait, he was dead. Well, was he really dead? They thought he was brain dead the last time and just look what happened--  
  
The light winked out.  
  
All was still. All was calm.  
  
Rubbing his head where a heavy volume on the post-war reforms achieved by the Japanese Diet had bonked him, Tris wondered if anything had really happened at all. All he had for evidence was a broken bookshelf and a pile of books on the bed and floor. His hard head had done that. Earthquake--hah! The place would be jumping with people if that were the case. A bad dream was the most likely answer. Yeah, that was likely it. No big deal...although bad dreams had a way of becoming deadly reality, he had learned.  
  
Then someone knocked on the door.  
  
No, not the front door leading to the hallway. The knock sounded from the door to Tenchi's closet.  
  
At that point, Tris knew he had lost it. He sat down on his bed and waited for the pink elephants and purple snakes to appear. All those bangs on the head must be catching up to him. That damned bookcase hadn't helped.  
  
No funny animals appeared, though. Instead, the knocking on Tenchi's closet door--from the inside of that door, no less--grew louder, more insistent.  
  
"Go away," Tris called out helplessly. "I ain't afraid of no ghosts. Go haunt someone else."  
  
He heard a female voice ask someone else behind the closet door: "Has he spent every waking moment watching movies?"  
  
"Just about," a male voice answered.  
  
Wait a doggone minute! Those voices sounded familiar. No...no...it couldn't be. That's what he got for moping around the dorm for days--dumb old hallucinations about a certain incredible family and its focal point, his college roommate, former college roommate--  
  
"Tenchi! It's Tenchi!" the male voice yelled. "Tris! Open up!"  
  
Tris stood up. A suspicion was taking form in his mind. He hurried to Tenchi's closet door and unlatched it. He flung the double doors wide open--  
  
Tenchi stood there.  
  
Tris recoiled. He backpedaled, jerkily, nearly falling. Tenchi sprang forward, grabbed Tris, and steadied him.  
  
Tenchi grinned. "Hi, Tris. Hope I didn't interrupt anything."  
  
"Just about ten years of growth!" Tris was astounded. It was true! Tenchi was here! Inside his closet! But how? How?  
  
Suddenly, inevitably, he knew--  
  
"Washuu!"  
  
"You rang?" The diminutive redheaded super scientist appeared in the closet behind Tenchi.  
  
"You did this, Washuu!" Tris said. "You--!"  
  
"Of course I did! Aren't I the number one genius scientist of the whole galaxy?" Washuu grinned, stepping out of the closet. "I've created teleport tunnels before, but I gotta admit, I really outdid myself this time."  
  
"You really did, Washuu," Tenchi agreed.  
  
"Tunnel? Tunnel from where?" Tris asked.  
  
"Why, a teleport tunnel from the upstairs utility closet at the house to this closet...that's all! Aren't I a wonder though?"  
  
"You mean...at the other end of this closet is...the house?" Tris asked, staggered.  
  
"That's right, cutie. Just boggles your mind, doesn't it?"  
  
"More like it blows my mind, Washuu," Tris admitted, his voice charged with wonderment. "But if anyone could do that--you could."  
  
"Well, thank you, cutie! Kinda caught you by surprise, huh?" Washuu surveyed the dorm room with the bookshelf and a pile of books littering Tris's bed and the floor. "Yow! And people call me a lousy housekeeper!"  
  
Tenchi surveyed the dorm room, too. "That's just great!" he groaned. "You've only been here a few days, bonehead, and you've already trashed our room!"  
  
"You trashed it--surprising me like that!"  
  
"How can you get scared at a little tremor and a tiny flash of light after what we went through with that mind monster and everything?" Tenchi shook his head.  
  
"I didn't get scared!" Tris retorted.  
  
"You did, too!"  
  
"Did not!"  
  
"Did, too!"  
  
"Boys..." Washuu intervened.  
  
Tenchi and Tris turned to face her.  
  
"Tenchi, I think you have something to say to Tris. And Tris, you need to listen up for once--with both your ears open this time." The redheaded scientist's voice brooked no backtalk. "There's been too much assuming and second-guessing and too little listening around here. Got me?"  
  
The two young men nodded.  
  
"Good! You carry on from here, Tenchi." Washuu turned to depart.  
  
Tris stared after her. Evidently, Washuu meant to keep her softer, more feminine look. Today she had her red hair brushed into that less spiky bang style, and she wore a chartreuse tunic, belted at the waist, with her legs encased in Spandex-like black leggings. It was an attractive outfit and made Washuu look quite mature and womanly. It appeared that Washuu had decided that her romance with Nobuyuki was no flash in the pan. Tris was happy for her. After being alone for so long, Washuu now had companionship and affection from someone she cared for deeply. If anyone deserved that kind of happiness, it was the plucky genius scientist.  
  
"By the way, cutie," Washuu added. "The fat lady finally has sung. See ya."  
  
She disappeared into the closet.  
  
Tenchi and Tris looked at each other a moment. Then they both burst into speech at the same time. They laughed, and Tris said, "Okay, you first."  
  
"All right. I guess we've both kind of misread things, buddy. I--"  
  
Tenchi was interrupted by a voice that demanded:  
  
"Don't be such a slow-poke, Princess! Move it!"  
  
"I shall move at my own pace, Ryoko! No faster!"  
  
"Yeah, you and the other elephants!"  
  
Tenchi groaned. "I told them to wait--!"  
  
Low muttering issued from the open closet. Suddenly Ayeka appeared in the closet doorway. She smiled at Tenchi and then looked at Tris.  
  
"Hello, Tristram," she said, stepping into the room. "I suppose you are a bit surprised to see us." Her ruby eyes twinkled.  
  
"That's a fact, Ayeka."  
  
Ryoko also walked into the dorm room from the closet, nearly bumping into the Princess. She too smiled at Tenchi before acknowledging Tris. She was dressed to kill in a tight purple sheath dress with a low-cut neckline, cinched in the middle with a wide yellow plastic belt. Ayeka looked demure and lovely as always in what she termed her "royal raiment"--the exquisitely detailed robed gown.  
  
"It just goes to show you, goofball," Ryoko said to Tris with an impudent grin, "you can run from us but you can't hide!"  
  
"My...what a lovely way to put it, Ryoko," Ayeka said, her voice saturated with sarcasm. She smiled with sincere warmth at Tris. "Perhaps there was a...misunderstanding, Tristram, between us. But you are part of our family now, as Lord Yosho told you. Let us have no more silliness about it."  
  
"Can't pick your family around here, boy," Ryoko added. "It picks you!"  
  
"That is so true," Ayeka agreed primly. "This family has at least one member no one would have picked!" She looked pointedly at Ryoko. Clearly, despite her efforts to get Ryoko pardoned, Ayeka intended never to cut her rival even an inch of slack. Which probably suited Ryoko. Tris sensed that the comfort level between the two willful women included a healthy portion of sniping and one-upmanship. After all, there was still Tenchi to be won.  
  
"Yeah, but we got Sasami along with you, so we broke even on that deal," Ryoko riposted. While Ayeka gritted her teeth at the bon mot, Ryoko surveyed the dorm room.  
  
"You mean to tell me you lived in this shoe box, sweetums?" Ryoko demanded, affecting deep shock. "You wanted to live in this dump instead of our home? I don't believe it!"  
  
"It is not a dump!" Tenchi replied, annoyed. "It's what college students get, and--"  
  
"But it is dreadful, Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka added. Both women had moved deeper into the room, surveying its cramped and less than pleasing layout. "It is so small! And look! Even the fixtures are faulty!" She pointed to the downed bookshelf and the pile of books.  
  
"That's not the room's fault," Tenchi muttered, glancing at Tris.  
  
"Indeed, Lord Tenchi? I would venture to say that there is little about this abode that is not at fault." Ayeka shuddered delicately. "I would not board Ryo-Ohki here! To think that the two of you actually shared these cramped quarters...dreadful!"  
  
"Yeah, sweetums, this place is a hole. Ryo-Ohki? I don't even like the idea of Tris living here!" Ryoko asserted.  
  
"Now listen, you two--" Tenchi began.  
  
"Hey--what's that?" Ryoko interrupted him sharply.  
  
"What--What is this?" Ayeka seemed in high dudgeon.  
  
Tris groaned. Ryoko and Ayeka were now staring at the poster of Fumie Hosokawa. Neither of their expressions was amiable as they surveyed the shapely woman wearing the tiny bikini and the big smile.  
  
"Just who is this hussy?" Ayeka demanded.  
  
"Yeah! Who's the tramp?" Ryoko also demanded.  
  
"I don't know!" Tenchi insisted. "I never saw her before!"  
  
"Oh?" Ayeka asked archly.  
  
"Hah!" Ryoko said.  
  
Tris knew he needed to intervene and fast. "I put that poster up a few days ago," he explained. "Tenchi's never seen it before."  
  
Tenchi spared Tris a grateful look.  
  
"Oh..." Ayeka said, all fire gone from her expression.  
  
"We should have known better, sweetums," Ryoko said contritely.  
  
"Yes, you should have," Tenchi agreed.  
  
The two women contemplated the poster silently for a moment.  
  
"Tris," Ryoko said. "You better take that poster down, and right now. Trust me!"  
  
"Yes, Tristram," Ayeka agreed. "It would be best if that poster were not displayed."  
  
Tris looked at Tenchi. Tenchi just nodded. "They're right. For your own good, Tris--take it down, now."  
  
"But..." Tris began.  
  
"I'll take care of that for you, Tris," Ryoko told him. She floated into the air. She glided to the wall where Fumie held everyone's attention.  
  
"Now be careful taking it down," Ayeka instructed Ryoko. "We know that Tristram spent money on it...although, really, you should not have, Tristram. It is not healthy for young men to ogle such displays...and besides, it is demeaning to women."  
  
There was a tearing sound. Ryoko had grasped the top of the poster and pulled, seemingly ignorant of the double-sided tape that affixed it to the wall. Now Fumie had a split personality--or, at least, a spilt image.  
  
"Hey!" said Tris.  
  
"Ryoko!" yelled Tenchi.  
  
"Sorry, guys. Sometimes I don't know my own strength, and that's a fact," Ryoko said over her shoulder. She pulled at the poster and more tears appeared. Tris groaned. Tenchi gritted his teeth. But the damage was done.  
  
"Well, this is no good anymore...might as well trash it," Ryoko commented. She finished tearing the poster from the wall, then balled up the shards in her hand. She floated back to Tris and smilingly handed him the remains of his poster. Then she floated over to stand beside the Princess.  
  
"Thanks a whole heap, Ryoko," Tris told her. He tossed Fumie's remains into the wastebasket. He shrugged. He could always buy another one...but he knew he wouldn't.  
  
"That seems unusually clumsy--even for you, Ryoko," Ayeka observed sardonically.  
  
"Well, I am the Love Monitor, Princess...remember?" Ryoko said, looking quite judicial.  
  
"The what?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Never mind, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka replied. "Someone has a silly notion that they can sit in judgment of others, that is all."  
  
"For that, Princess," Ryoko said in a stern voice, "I sentence you to laundry duty all month!"  
  
"Considering the lack of help I get from certain persons," Ayeka retorted, "I might just as well have it all year."  
  
"Done!" Ryoko grinned.  
  
"Now you listen to me, Ryoko--"  
  
"Girls!" Tenchi said. "We aren't home now...right?"  
  
"Aren't we?" Ryoko shrugged. "There's only this dopey closet separating this room and the house now. Hey, maybe I'll take some classes here. I'll become a co-ed!"  
  
"Do not be silly, Ryoko." Ayeka sniffed. "This University has standards."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryoko glared at Ayeka.  
  
"It means you're both leaving now," Tenchi told them. "I need to talk to Tris. You know."  
  
"Indeed we do know, Lord Tenchi. We will see you later, Tristram." With a smile at Tenchi and Tris, and a supercilious look at Ryoko, Ayeka walked into the closet and disappeared.  
  
"Wait, Princess!" Ryoko called into the closet. "Weren't we supposed to check out something? Remember?"  
  
"Oh, yes!" They heard Ayeka's voice. Now the Princess re-appeared in the closet's open doorway. She studied Tris closely. "What he is wearing will suit, I believe. We shall tell her to go ahead."  
  
"Huh?" Tris asked.  
  
Neither Ryoko nor Ayeka appeared to have heard him.  
  
"Right. At least he's not wearing those old khakis and that beat-up alligator shirt again," Ryoko agreed, staring at Tris critically. "Nice to know you don't always dress like a bum, Tris."  
  
"What?" He was wearing a white long-sleeved button-down collared shirt and gray pleated slacks, but only because he had intended to visit his counselor that day and then had wussed out.  
  
"He doesn't dress like a bum, Ryoko," Tenchi said, irritated.  
  
"Yes, sweetums." Ryoko clearly didn't agree.  
  
"Of course he does not. Come, Ryoko! We have bothered Lord Tenchi and Tristram enough. Besides, I must finish settling terms with Miss Nagi." Ayeka disappeared into the closet again.  
  
"We haven't bothered you nearly enough, goofball, but we'll get around to it later." Ryoko grinned impudently at Tris. "I promise I'll knock before I come in the next time...if I remember to."  
  
"Ryoko..." Tenchi said warningly.  
  
"Yes, sweetums." Ryoko gave Tris a sassy look. Then she stepped into the closet and was gone.  
  
Tris shook his head. Those two! All of this was still pretty hard to accept all at once.  
  
"Sorry about the poster, Tris," Tenchi said.  
  
"Me, too. Oh, well." Then something occurred to him. "Nagi? That bounty hunter? She's here?"  
  
"Uh-huh. Believe it or not." Tenchi looked as if he still didn't believe it.  
  
"But, you said she was after Ryoko."  
  
"She was! She came here to kill Ryoko! Some families hired her to. But Ayeka has put Ryoko under royal protection, just like she did for the rest of us. You too, by the way. So when Nagi tried to blast Ryoko, she found herself with Ayeka's two Guardians ready to blast her."  
  
"I'll bet that ruined her day." Tris chuckled.  
  
Tenchi chuckled, too. "Just about! But somehow, Ayeka got through to Nagi. Sasami's tea helped, I think. Now Nagi's in the dining room with Sasami and she's going to accept a contract with Ayeka. She'll be sort of Ayeka's roving troubleshooter in the galaxy. The only stipulation is that she promise to leave Ryoko alone. Nagi agreed to that."  
  
"Wow! That's a pretty good deal all around."  
  
"You bet. And it's smart of Ayeka. This way, Ryoko won't have Nagi hounding her anymore. And when the word gets out that Nagi is looking after Ayeka's interests, some of those folks who are always conspiring against the royal family are going to keep a lower profile."  
  
Tris nodded, inwardly marveling at Ayeka. "That's our Princess! You know, it's true...you don't pull on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind...and you don't mess with Ayeka!"  
  
"That's a fact," Tenchi agreed.  
  
Now the two young men fell silent.  
  
Tris broke the silence. "Seems a lot happened since I left."  
  
"Oh, man." Tenchi shook his head. "A whole heck of a lot! Wait until you hear..." His voice trailed off. He looked at Tris, his expression pensive.  
  
"Tris, like I said, I think we both misread each other," Tenchi began again. "That's what Washuu meant about listening with both ears--that applies to me, too."  
  
"But...I don't think I misread you," Tris insisted, feeling more than a bit confused. "I mean, it was obvious you'd have your hands full taking classes and commuting and doing your chores at home. Besides, you have to start preparing to officiate at the shrine. That makes me a fifth wheel in your life, and--"  
  
Tenchi held up a hand. "Whoa! Tris, old pal, I hate to admit it, but you did read me right there. Kind of. I meant what I said about not liking it, though. But you didn't seem to believe me."  
  
"Well..." Tris shrugged.  
  
"Oh, I don't blame you for that! I know I agreed real quick that you should leave early. But I thought I was doing what the girls and Dad and Grandfather wanted me to do. Boy, was I wrong!"  
  
"Really?" Tris was taken aback. "Didn't Ryoko and Ayeka want you all to themselves? Didn't your Dad and Grandfather want you to start getting better acquainted with the local folks and stop wasting time with me? And--"  
  
"Wait a second, Tris," Tenchi requested. "I think I'd better just tell you what happened after you left. I think it'll explain everything."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"After you drove off, I started feeling like a rat. I did, Tris. Sending you packing after all we'd been through together. "Let's do lunch"--I should have been shot for that alone!"  
  
Tris didn't say anything, but he smiled slightly.  
  
"I see you agree! Anyway, I went back into the house and I found Sasami and Ryoko and Ayeka in the kitchen. Sasami was crying about your leaving. Ayeka and Ryoko were comforting her. They both told me they wanted to know the real reason why you left early."  
  
"And you told them...?" Tris asked, intrigued.  
  
"Yeah. Like I said, I thought they'd be pleased. But once I told them, they really lit into me, Tris! They told me that their wanting me to live at home and commute didn't mean they wanted me to distance myself from you. They didn't like what had happened at all--and they let me know it, in no uncertain terms!" Tenchi grimaced.  
  
"Yeah? Even Ryoko?"  
  
"Even Ryoko. She's kind of funny about making friends. She just decides she likes you, but she never really tells you. She also won't cut you any slack when she decides to like you, so it's hard to know if she does. But she kind of told you, Tris. Remember when she popped you on the shoulder?"  
  
"I sure do. A proxy punch from Kiyone, right?"  
  
"Wrong, although that's what she said. She was ticked off because she thought you were bailing out on us. She's had that happen to her before, and it tears her up inside. So she hit you."  
  
"Huh." Tris considered that. "I'd hate to think of what she does when she doesn't like someone."  
  
"Wise guy! Anyway, I read both her and Ayeka completely wrong. I have to admit, that threw me. So I went to talk to Grandfather at the temple and then he kind of lectured me. He pointed out that I had made the same mistake that Dad almost made when he got fired. Remember? You don't abandon people you're close to just because a problem arises. You work out the problem. When Dad came home at dinnertime, he told me the same thing."  
  
"Man..." Tris was both gratified at finding out the women--even Ryoko--cared so much about him, and sorry for Tenchi for having to take so much guff. Tenchi had been just trying to handle things as he saw best. "You weren't abandoning me--not really. You just have a lot of folks to answer to and a lot of responsibilities."  
  
Tenchi smiled gratefully. "Thanks, buddy. Maybe Grandfather's old saying about good things coming from bad things holds true again. You're the best pal I've ever had, Tris, and now I know we can stay pals."  
  
Tris smiled back. "Well, that does double for me, buddy. And it's true--a lot did happen after I left."  
  
"Oh, I'm not done yet."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No. You see, just as we finished dinner the day after you left, Kiyone and Mihoshi came back!"  
  
"What?" Tris was stunned.  
  
"They came back. To stay. For good." Tenchi spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. He apparently enjoyed the consternation on Tris's face.  
  
"But..." Tris hadn't expected this. He had written Kiyone out of his life. At least, he thought he had. But the sudden flood of emotion that filled him at the news belied that notion. "Their promotions! How can they work at their Headquarters and still live here? They can't intend to commute."  
  
"They won't be commuting. They're based here in our solar system again, Tris. They have a lot bigger job than they had before, but they get to live here. Kiyone arranged it."  
  
"She...she did?" Tris asked, flabbergasted.  
  
"She sure did," Tenchi told him. "And guess how she reacted when she did all that and traveled all the way back here and then found you'd left?"  
  
Tris groaned eloquently.  
  
"Yup. You guessed it," Tenchi said.  
  
"I'll bet she raised holy hell..."  
  
"Holy hell," Tenchi told him, "is an understatement!"  
  
"Man...!"  
  
"It took all of us--and Mihoshi running interference--to keep Kiyone from turning around and leaving. She was madder than hell at us for assuming she'd gone for good when she hadn't told us that--and for convincing you to think the same way."  
  
"But you were just judging her based on what she did before," Tris objected. "That was her track record--get promoted, leave, don't stay in touch--right?"  
  
"Right," Tenchi nodded. "And that's what finally cooled her off. We were all at fault, her included. Bless that Mihoshi! She figured out immediately what had happened and didn't stop talking to Kiyone until Kiyone gave in and agreed to let bygones be bygones. After all, Mihoshi had also assumed Kiyone planned to stay at their Headquarters and never come back. Kiyone all but strangled Mihoshi when she told her that--but fortunately, everything we were saying to her must have sunk in. It ended up that we apologized to her and she apologized to us."  
  
"Sounds like a fun evening," Tris muttered.  
  
"Well, it was a long evening, anyway," Tenchi admitted. "But it did clear the air...we finally set a few things straight."  
  
"That's good, anyway."  
  
"Uh-huh. But I said we set a few things straight. Kiyone still plans to deal with you."  
  
Tris groaned again. His shoulders and shins were aching in anticipation.  
  
"Sorry, buddy," Tenchi said.  
  
"That's okay. They've got that emergency clinic here, you know."  
  
"Aw...it won't be that bad," Tenchi said.  
  
"You wanna bet?"  
  
"Not me! I'm still trying to save up for those new speakers."  
  
Tris had to chuckle as he recalled those two alien brats blowing Tenchi's stereo speakers. It seemed a lifetime ago. Then he thought of something. "Say, how come you didn't call me and tell me about all this?"  
  
Tenchi grinned. "I meant to, the next day. But Washuu told us at breakfast that she had a better way to get in touch with you."  
  
"She meant this teleport tunnel, right?"  
  
"Right! I was warned not to alert you. The girls wanted it to be a surprise. So I didn't."  
  
"Thanks a load!"  
  
Tenchi just grinned again. "By the way, this teleport tunnel isn't just for you, you know. Don't get too swollen a head, pal. The girls were worried about me having to commute back and forth. So this tunnel lets me live at home and just walk upstairs and through the utility closet to get to school. Now that's handy!"  
  
"I'll tell someone it is!" Tris agreed. "And I can eat all my meals at Café Sasami! My stomach likes this teleport tunnel already."  
  
"Yeah, you just go though my closet and you're in the house. It's like having your own room at the house, Tris. And to the folks here, it'll seem like I'm still living in the dorm. I walk out of our room in the morning and go back in the afternoon. Nobody will know the difference."  
  
"That's slick all right! Washuu really came through."  
  
"Yeah, she sure did. Dad gave her a big kiss when she showed us the portal. Right in front of all of us." Tenchi looked a little bemused. "Those two are getting serious. I guess I'll have to--"  
  
Again, they were interrupted by a voice:  
  
"It's so dark in here!"  
  
Both Tenchi and Tris turned toward the still open doors of the former's closet as they heard the voice from within. It sounded like Mihoshi.  
  
"It's okay, Mihoshi." That was definitely Sasami's voice. "Just hold my hand...I can see the other end now..."  
  
Tenchi gave a hopeless shrug. "I was almost through, anyway..." he muttered.  
  
Tris grinned in sympathy.  
  
Two figures, holding hands, emerged from the closet. The first was tall, tanned, and blonde Mihoshi, dressed in her favorite combo--pink mock-turtleneck top and stone-colored denims. The second was little Sasami, dressed as always in her very formal but very cute robed gown with the wide sash.  
  
"Tris!" Sasami and Mihoshi both cried.  
  
A blonde whirlwind made a beeline to Tris--but this time she met her match in a smaller, pig-tailed whirlwind. In an instant, Tris was bent over hugging Sasami, who laughed happily. When she released him, Mihoshi then hugged him tightly. Behind the three huggers, Tenchi just shook his head and smiled.  
  
"We're back together Tris!" Sasami cried. "This is so cool! Now your dorm room is attached to the house...sort of. You'll have all your meals with us and watch TV with us, and--"  
  
"Sasami, Tris and I have to go back to attending classes, remember?" Tenchi told her. "So we'll miss some meals and we'll need to study during the weeknights."  
  
"Oh, that's right..." Sasami looked a little let down. Then she brightened. "But we're still together again. All of us! I prayed this would happen."  
  
"Did you, kitten?" Tris asked her fondly.  
  
"Uh-huh! Mihoshi prayed, too, all the time she was gone...didn't you, Mihoshi?"  
  
"I sure did!" Mihoshi beamed her brilliant smile at Tris. "I thought we were gone from Earth for good! But Kiyone really surprised me. After we got our medals and our rank back and everything, Kiyone talked to Chief Bodai. Now we're in charge of a group of sectors, including this one, and we get to live here. Isn't that great?"  
  
"That's great all right, Mihoshi," Tris agreed. Just seeing the sweet, effervescent blonde again had raised his spirits. And, of course, little Sasami was a real spirit-booster all by herself.  
  
"It really is," Sasami said. "We were all so glad to see Mihoshi and Kiyone come back."  
  
"Yes, we were," Tenchi agreed. He smiled at Mihoshi, who smiled affectionately back at him.  
  
"I'll bet you're glad to be back, aren't you, Mihoshi?" Tris asked her.  
  
"Oh, yes! Everyone's been so nice! Well...mostly. Ryoko and Ayeka made Kiyone and me give up our short-shorts, though." Mihoshi looked wistful. "They said since we have plenty of money now for clothes, we didn't have to wear cut-up jeans anymore. Kiyone said okay, because she didn't want to argue. She's sure changed since we got our rank back. She doesn't argue half as much as she used to, Tris!"  
  
"Really?" He wondered if Kiyone only hit half as much as she used to, as well.  
  
"Uh-huh. She still yells at me a lot, but that's okay. You know?"  
  
"I know," Tris said. To Mihoshi, being yelled at a lot by Kiyone was part of the price of being her friend. It was a small price to pay.  
  
"Golly...this sure isn't a very big room," Sasami commented, looking around. "Both you boys lived here?"  
  
"Yes, Sasami," Tenchi answered. "It wasn't so bad."  
  
Sasami looked dubious.  
  
"This is even smaller than our old apartments back on Vestra," Mihoshi said, glancing around the room. "A lot smaller. I'm so glad we gave them up. You really should live somewhere nicer, Tris."  
  
"I'll be all right here, Mihoshi," Tris said. "But thanks."  
  
"You sure?" Mihoshi surveyed the room appraisingly. "Maybe if you'll let me decorate it for you. I could make it nicer, I think. Do you like pink, Tris?"  
  
"Uhhhh..."  
  
"Mihoshi, we'd better go now," Sasami told her.  
  
"But I want to talk to Tris some more. I haven't seen him in ages, and--"  
  
"You know we told her we'd only stay a minute," Sasami said firmly to her friend. "She's getting pretty impatient. It's time to go."  
  
Tris concealed a smile. Sasami was clearly taking charge. He had always marveled at how responsible and mature the little Princess acted, and how wonderfully she cooked and cared for them all. Now he noted that Sasami seemed even more grown up. Perhaps it was due to the fight with Professor Klove. Sasami had finally proven that she could do more than just cook and otherwise stand on the sidelines. She had proven she could battle her enemies and do so as well as anyone. It was rather special, seeing the little girl kind of grow up before his eyes.  
  
"Okay." Mihoshi gave Tris a knowing look. Sasami smiled at Tris, somewhat mysteriously.  
  
"You all mean Kiyone, right?" Tris guessed, finally catching on.  
  
"Right!" Mihoshi said. "Wait until you see her, Tris! You'll flip!"  
  
"You sure will!" Sasami confirmed.  
  
"I will?" Tris queried.  
  
"Uh-huh. It's so cool! You'll see!" Sasami now grabbed Mihoshi's hand. "Let's go, Mihoshi." She pulled the blonde young woman toward the closet. "Goodbye, Tris. We'll see you real soon."  
  
"Yeah, 'bye, Tris." Mihoshi allowed herself to be pulled by Sasami to the closet. "Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka said you'd better come on back, too."  
  
"Right behind you," Tenchi said.  
  
"Okay." With a wave, both she and Sasami entered the closet and were lost from view.  
  
"I guess I'd better not keep Kiyone waiting any longer, either. We'll talk later, buddy. You're pretty much up to speed now." Tenchi walked to the closet.  
  
"Okay. But if you see something big and yellow running out of the upstairs utility closet, don't shoot--it'll be me."  
  
Tenchi chuckled. "It'll work out, Tris. Kiyone's had a couple of days to think things over and she still wants to see you. That's a good sign."  
  
"Yeah--like a sudden drop in barometric pressure," Tris said glumly.  
  
Tenchi turned to look at him. "You know the saying--no guts, no glory, Tris. And no guts...no girl. If I've learned anything in these past few years, I've learned that. Tris, I'll say it again-- you're one of the family now, for better or worse. It's not always fun or comfortable to be around us. But it's never dull. And whatever happens between you and Kiyone...well, it won't change your status with us."  
  
"Roger that. And thanks, buddy. For everything."  
  
Tenchi nodded, smiling. Then he turned and walked to his closet. He stepped into it. A second later, Tenchi was gone.  
  
But this time he wasn't gone for good. Tris knew that now. He still had his friend and a new family and a new life, as well. And maybe he still had...well, he'd have to wait and see what Kiyone had to say about that.  
  
Tris didn't have to wait long.  
  
He heard footsteps--clicking footsteps?--issue from the open door of Tenchi's closet. A figured appeared from the darkness within.  
  
It was Kiyone.  
  
Kiyone walked into the dorm room. She shut the closet firmly and locked it. Then she turned to face him.  
  
"Well, hello, you idiot," she told him.  
  
Tris didn't answer. He couldn't. Kiyone had always been a beautiful woman--but now she was a knockout!  
  
She was wearing a simple, elegant, but very sexy black dress. That dress seemed familiar...it was! It was the dress they had looked at back when he and Kiyone had lunch in the village. Kiyone had completed the ensemble with misty black-tinted nylons and black pumps--no, not the stiletto-heeled ones they had seen in that shop window, but moderately heeled pumps Regardless, her long, shapely legs were dynamite in the nylons and pumps--and her slim, well-curved figure was just made for that black dress.  
  
Kiyone smiled at him, seemingly in spite of herself. "Okay, idiot, you can pick your eyeballs up from the floor now!"  
  
"Yes, Officer." Tris shook his head, still floored by the sight of Kiyone in the dress. "There's one word for how you look, Blue Eyes. Scrumptious."  
  
"Well, thanks, clown. It seems I didn't waste my money buying this dress--it's the first dress I've ever owned, by the way." Then she stopped smiling. "On the other hand, maybe I did waste my money."  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean that I arrange everything to get a great assignment and still live on Earth--and what do I find when I get back? No boyfriend, that's what."  
  
"Kiyone..."  
  
"Well, you still remember my name--that's something!"  
  
"Look," Tris tried to explain, "I thought you weren't coming back-- that's one reason I left early. A big reason!"  
  
"Did I tell you I wasn't coming back?" Kiyone demanded.  
  
"Well...no."  
  
"That's right--no!"  
  
"I just assumed...I was wrong, Kiyone. I should have realized you wouldn't just stay away without telling me. You're right. When it comes to you, I'm an idiot, a goofball, and a big stiff. I guess I always will be."  
  
Kiyone regarded him a moment. "You forgot "clown.""  
  
"Okay, that too!"  
  
"Well...as long as you admit it." She looked at him with considerably less hostility now. "I know why you thought I was gone for good. Tenchi and all of them thought so, too. Even Mihoshi, that ding-dong! I guess I did kind of set a precedent the last time I was here." Kiyone frowned. "You didn't mention that, Tris."  
  
"That's because that was their opinion. I'm supposed to be able to think for myself. If I don't, it's my fault, not anyone else's."  
  
Kiyone's eyes softened. "That's one thing I learned from you, Tris Coffin. You should always take full responsibility for what you do. I finally did, you know, about what happened between me and Mitsuki."  
  
"I heard about it. I was very proud of you. You won and you also made sure Mitsuki wasn't ground into the dirt. That's pretty wonderful, Kiyone. Maybe you and she can become friends again someday."  
  
"I doubt it!" Kiyone shrugged. "Besides, I'll always out-rank her. That'll be a barrier, I think. By the way, Youri Katzaar mentioned to me that Mitsuki told him the reason she came to my place while you were there. She actually did want to talk to me. Maybe we would have worked out something, had I been willing to talk to her then. Who knows?"  
  
Tris nodded. So Mitsuki had come calling to Kiyone's apartment on Vestra holding out an olive branch...well, that was irrelevant now. At least Kiyone appeared to have learned something from it.  
  
"That's just it--you can't know," Tris said. "You had plenty of reasons to be wary around her."  
  
"Yeah, that's right. At least I know I won't have to worry about her trying to get even with me. That's a relief. Hey, get this--she and Katzaar are getting married!"  
  
"Really?" Tris smiled, amused.  
  
"Really. You know, Youri's not a bad guy, not really, when you get to know him. Now that he's through toadying up to that drip, Zay're, he's a lot easier to take. He's going to be transferred to a Command Post, which is what he wants. The Command Post skipper will be that Lieutenant Ketquaraz...you know, the records officer who tried to help me. That's what he's wanted for a long time, a real assignment. He might just make Captain before he retires." Kiyone seemed much more relaxed now, talking shop to Tris.  
  
"That's great! Sounds like the good guys won all around."  
  
"Oh, it's even better than that, Tris!" Now Kiyone's face was radiant with excitement. "You remember my mentioning Chief Bodai? He's going to be the new personnel director. Well, I talked to him privately and I learned that the Grand Marshall will give him a free hand to clear out the deadwood--the little empire-builders and the staff pukes--from Headquarters. When I asked him about my remaining on Earth even as a Sergeant, he said he had a reform in mind that would send the Sergeants who administer an area out into the area they administer...and give them a sector to patrol, too, so they can keep their police skills sharp and not forget what their subordinates have to deal with."  
  
"That sounds like a hell of a good idea," Tris said.  
  
"It is! Instead of a Sergeant Katzaar issuing orders to his patrol teams from on high--from Headquarters--and spending his spare time "networking" with other paper-pushers, he'll have to deal with his detectives directly and do a little police work, too. Tris, it's fabulous! Chief Bodai has made Mihoshi and me his test platform. We're in charge of our old area--that's ten sectors and the assigned patrol teams under our command. We'll still personally patrol our old sector--your solar system--as well as supervise and inspect the other sector patrol teams. Chief Bodai assured me that a Sergeant doing a bang-up job in a field assignment will be promoted faster than a Sergeant doing staff work at Headquarters. That's a switch! So that means I could be a Lieutenant in no time! Think of it, Tris!"  
  
"I think that's outstanding," Tris told her warmly, pleased that things had gone so well for Kiyone. Yet that old, cold feeling welled up in him. Old man Reality had come calling--the old fart! But Tris couldn't ignore him. Her words about her future had brought him back to the real situation between him and Kiyone. They were two entirely different people going in two entirely different directions. Kiyone's manuvering didn't change that...nor did his selfish wish to hold onto a girlfriend whom he'd be only be a drag on. "I guess you really will end up as Grand Marshall someday."  
  
"Who knows?" Kiyone smiled. "I know that Ayeka wouldn't mind seeing that...in time. She'd support me, I know. Of course, I have a hell of a ladder to climb first."  
  
"You'll climb it. Nothing will stop you now, Kiyone. You're the Comeback Kid, all right. I'll follow your career with great interest. Tenchi will keep me informed about it. We're buddies again, you know."  
  
"I know." Kiyone gave Tris a knowing look. "You two never stopped being friends, you goof. You're both just typical men! Always on the prod!"  
  
"Aw..." Tris thought that better described women. But he had gotten by so far without a jab and he wanted to keep it that way. Suddenly he noticed that Kiyone wasn't wearing her red headband. It seemed she wore it while on duty or engaged in everyday pursuits--but not for dressing up. Yet, in a way, she always wore that red headband--at least, what it signified was always with her. Which was that here was a young woman who was very serious, very determined, and very self reliant. That headband symbolized what Kiyone Makibi was--and what she wasn't. At that moment, Tris knew, with a sinking certainty, what he had to do.  
  
"That's a brilliant reply! And what do you mean, Tenchi will keep you informed? You'll see it first hand, idiot."  
  
"No, I won't," Tris said, sadly but firmly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look, Kiyone, all we do is fight. You don't respect this planet-- this "backwater"--and you don't really respect me. That's why you're always yelling at me or poking me. If I ever tried to live in your galaxy, you'd just be embarrassed constantly. I'd just be a drag on you and your career and I don't want that. The fact is, we're just not compatible. Millions and millions of miles seperate us, and in more ways than one. Let's still be friends and all, or at least pretend to be, so there's no friction when we see each other around Tenchi's place. But let's stop trying to be a couple. That's a dead end."  
  
With that, Tris held out his hand. "You know I'm right. You're on your way now and you don't need anyone holding you back. Let's do that Earth caveman thing and shake on it."  
  
Outwardly, he was cool and collected. Inwardly, he felt horrible and empty. He was deliberately killing their relationship. This was the point of no return for them. Kiyone would not beg or plead even if she wanted them to stay together that badly, and Tris would not want her to. Kiyone really would head up the GP one day. That was an immensely high position, he knew. She would work hand-in-hand with Ayeka, who would someday be Queen of Jurai--the single most powerful being in the galaxy. How could he fit in with that? He couldn't. Period. As he and Tenchi had discussed, Tris did not mesh with Kiyone's world--her galaxy. Moreover, Kiyone deserved better than another ride on that off-kilter merry-go-round they had called a relationship. She really was the best, and she deserved the best.  
  
Slowly...Kiyone took his hand. Her expression had ranged from shock and anger, to disbelief, then to resignation, all in a flash. Now her expression was neutral. She shook his hand limply, then released it.  
  
"You do know that this is it?" she asked softly. "I won't come again, Tris."  
  
"I know. I don't want you to. Sorry you wasted the money on the dress and all. But there's some lucky guy who will see you in it again, I know. That guy is just not me. Never could be. Never will be."  
  
Kiyone retained her neutral expression. She shrugged. "I know...I know now. In some ways, you're smarted than I am, Tris. Good-bye."  
  
"Good-bye." In a way, Tris felt relieved. Kiyone hadn't pitched a fuss. And now they could go on with their lives. Not that he had much of a life. Without Kiyone, it would be even less of one. But at least Kiyone would have the life she was entitled to.  
  
Kiyone turned and walked to the closet. She began to unlatch it. She seemed to struggle with it.  
  
"Hey, this stupid thing is stuck. Help me...Tris."  
  
Somehow, her not calling him a name really hurt. Their relationship really was over. Tris felt a sharp pang. But he had asked for it. He walked over to the closet.  
  
Suddenly Kiyone whirled around and grabbed his arms. Tris stared at her, startled.  
  
"Listen you--I just want to know one thing," Kiyone rapped.  
  
"What?"  
  
"How do you feel about me? The truth, now!"  
  
"Huh?" Tris tried to pull away, but Kiyone's grip was too strong.  
  
"Answer me!"  
  
"Well...I guess I like you a little."  
  
Kiyone shook him, hard. "Damn it! Tell me or I'll clobber you!"  
  
"The hell you will!"  
  
"The hell I won't!"  
  
"Okay, okay. Damn it, you know--you ought to know--"  
  
"I want you to tell me!"  
  
"Okay!" Tris all but shouted. "I love you! Satisfied? Now let go!"  
  
Kiyone let him go. Her expression was suddenly gentle, her eyes regarding him, glowingly,  
  
"Oh, Tris...telling me that you love me. I think that's..." Kiyone said softly.  
  
Then Kiyone's glowing eyes grew hard. Her lovely face seemed to radiate skepticism.  
  
"...just a bunch of hooey!" she snapped. "You love me? Sure you do! That's why you walked out on me--twice! I don't think I believe you. What do you say about that?"  
  
"Hooey?"  
  
"Yeah, hooey--rhymes with phooey!"  
  
At first, Tris just stared at Kiyone, flummoxed. Then he saw red. Not the particular hue of russet that preceded his pummeling of Munt, of course. But he saw red, nonetheless. Anger and frustration just poured out of him as he addressed Kiyone.  
  
"All right, that's really it!" he fumed. "I spent days feeling rotten because I thought I lost you forever, and I spill my guts out to you. And when I do, you just give me grief. Fine! You can just go jump in that cop ship and chase jaywalkers and get promoted to Drum Major for all I care! Enjoy! And besides--"  
  
Tris never did finish that sentence. No matter. Yelling at Kiyone proved singularly unsatisfying, anyway--her expression softened and her eyes glowed again as he verbally paid her back, with interest. He couldn't understand it--Kiyone seemed happy for some reason.  
  
Then, without warning, she launched herself at him. Her arms gripped his neck and she wrapped herself around him.  
  
"Darling!"  
  
"Oops!"  
  
Unfortunately, Kiyone had ignored the extremely cramped conditions in the dorm room. Her springing momentum forced Tris backward, so that the back of his legs hit the side of his bed. His knees buckled, and he fell onto his bed, with Kiyone on top of him. The elderly bed frame groaned with their combined mass. They weren't the only occupants on the bed. A few of the fallen books were there and Tris's head collided with that immense volume detailing the activities of the Japanese Diet in the postwar years--the same book that had bonked him before. Although that tome had failed to pique his interest before academically, it was certainly making an impression on him now-- actually, a second impression--  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"Oh, Tris! Your poor head!" Kiyone shook with laughter. "Oh, you poor clown!"  
  
"Thanks, loads!" he groaned.  
  
Lying on top of him, Kiyone gently felt the back of his head. "Are you badly hurt, goofy? Oohhhh, what a lump...!"  
  
"Ow! Ow!"  
  
"Sorry, darling." Kiyone chuckled. "I'll just kiss you and make it better."  
  
Then she lowered her head and pressed her lips against his. This was no casual kiss. It was a lover's kiss, a deep, probing, and sweetly passionate kiss, and it lasted a long time. When she lifted her lips from his, Tris's head was spinning--and not just from making contact with that book again.  
  
"Kiyone," he muttered weakly. "What the heck...?"  
  
"You love me! You really love me! You angel!" Kiyone said to him, her face alight with love and ardor.  
  
"But I thought you said you didn't believe me."  
  
"Don't be stupid! No one talks like you just did to me without meaning it. You even tried to break us up because you thought it was best for me. You do love me! Don't deny it!"  
  
"I'm not denying it."  
  
"Good. It's 'way past time you told me," Kiyone added with tender exasperation. "I just had to make sure you meant it, that's all. Now I'm going to tell you something, darling. I love you, too. I think I have for a long time. I knew it for sure when you drove Mihoshi and me to go get that ice cream, just before Klove attacked us."  
  
"Ice cream?" Tris blinked, confused.  
  
"That's not important! What's important is: I love you, clown! And you love me! All words of one syllable. You got it now?"  
  
Tris slowly grinned. "Got it, Blue Eyes. But what about what I said? About us not being compatible and all?"  
  
"That was just an idiot talking! Do you think Ryoko and Tenchi are compatible? Or Ayeka and Tenchi? Lord Yosho, a powerful Juraian prince, married a rural Earth woman! They were happy, Tris! I love you and you love me. I can have my guy and my career and I'm gonna have both! We're going to be happy. Damned happy! Case closed!"  
  
"Well..."  
  
"And I do so respect this planet! I love Earth! I already told you that once. And I respect you, too. I wouldn't love you if I didn't. You have a lot of integrity, Tris Coffin, and you're brave to the point of stupidity. Trying to catch me when Klove's monster dropped me! Idiot! And the way you pitched in and worked around the house with the rest of us. You could have just taken your ease--you were a guest--but you didn't. I watched you out there, working in the yard with Tenchi, no fussing, just working. And you care about people. I've seen you tell a joke--a stupid joke--or try to do something fun when people around you were in the dumps. That all counts a lot with me, buster. I don't care if you have a big learning curve when it comes to the galaxy--you'll learn! I'll see to it. And if you don't like being poked or yelled at--too bad! You're stuck!"  
  
"I guess I am," Tris said sheepishly.  
  
"You bet you are! Remember the sake party we had after we shipped off those brats from Souiis? I told you then that you were stuck. I may have been a little tipsy, but I wasn't that tipsy. I guess I kind of knew it even back then. And now you know it."  
  
"Yeah...now I know it."  
  
The crazy thing was that they were both right...but Kiyone was more right. Ultimately, if they loved each other and were willing to work hard--real hard--they could stay together. After all, all sorts of "impossible" couples celebrated their silver and golden anniversaries while "perfect" matches ended up in divorce court. Tris's mother had hated fighter pilots--she'd thought they were a bunch of swaggering asses. She was engaged to a calm and competent civil engineer. Then she met Tris's Dad at the Officer's Club one day--and that was it! All of her friends and family were shocked as hell, but no matter. Mom and Dad became an item, then a couple, and then...Tris resulted. How could he argue with that? Mis-matches--happy mis-matches--ran in his family.  
  
Besides, it was true. He loved Kiyone.  
  
"Okay, then," Kiyone said, her voice considerably softer. "Now give me another kiss, you old piker--and make it a good one!"  
  
They kissed. It was a good one.  
  
Kiyone slipped off him and rose. She grabbed Tris's arms and pulled him into a seated position. Then she sat on the bed beside him, very close beside him. She crossed her stockinged legs. The static whisper of her nylons rubbing together drew Tris's eyes to her legs as surely as a cabbit to a carrot patch.  
  
"Nice nylons," he told her. "Nice heels."  
  
"Never mind that!" But Kiyone smiled at him. "You're so dense, Tris! I see that I have my work cut out for me. But at least you told me you love me, you goofball. Now everything can begin."  
  
"What can begin?" Tris asked, still distracted by Kiyone's glossily stockinged legs.  
  
"Our life together! We're going to have a wonderful time now--just wonderful. Don't you know that?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"You guess? Boy, I really do have my work cut out for me!" Kiyone now seemed to finally take notice of the dormitory room. "Yow! What a hole! Worse than the dorms back at the Academy, even. You and Tenchi actually lived here?"  
  
"Sure. I told you it wasn't much."  
  
"You were right!" Kiyone regarded the fallen books and the dislocated shelf that littered Tris's bed and the floor. "Can't you even keep this cracker box tidied up? Hoo boy! If we have to hire a maid, you're paying for it, buster!" Kiyone picked up one of the books lying on the bed. She glanced at its title. "Feudal Japan? What kind of degree are you getting, anyway? What kind of job are you going to be able to get with it? That's what I want to know."  
  
"Job?"  
  
"Yeah. You know. Work! If you think we're going to live off just my salary, you got another think coming!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Answer me, you!"  
  
"I don't know the damned question!"  
  
"Figures!"  
  
Kiyone took a deep breath. She appeared to be counting to herself.  
  
Then she seemed to relax, a bit. "Never mind, clueless. We'll talk about it over dinner. We've got a lot to talk about."  
  
"Ummmm...yeah..." Tris was uncomfortably aware that Kiyone was taking a rather proprietary stance toward him. He had a sinking feeling about what Kiyone wanted to discuss. Well, he had put his foot in it by telling her he loved her. Just like his Dad had with Mom, and Tenchi's Dad with Tenchi's Mom, and millions--billions--of other hapless males. Dinner, though--Sasami's cooking--that at least sounded good. He stood up from the bed.  
  
"Know what Sasami's preparing for dinner?" he asked.  
  
"Who cares?" Kiyone replied. "We're not eating with the family tonight."  
  
"We aren't? How come?"  
  
Now Kiyone stood up. "Do you think I did my hair and put on this dress and nylons and heels just to eat at home? Are you completely dense?"  
  
"Um...we're going out to eat, huh?"  
  
"Brilliant!"  
  
"And that's why you had Ayeka and Ryoko scope out what I was wearing, huh?"  
  
"Well, you do catch on eventually," Kiyone admitted. "I told you before, you piker--I want to be dated! Lots of dates! You got away with that cheap Charlie stuff before, but not anymore. You're going to wine and dine me. Got it?"  
  
Tris groaned inwardly. But he answered, "Got it."  
  
"And we're going to start tonight. You told me you'd take me to the most expensive place in the city--and you're going to do it, right now!"  
  
"Kamachi's?" Tris asked, puzzled. "That place? But you need reservations and it's too late--"  
  
"Tenchi's father made the reservations for us. It's all set. The reservations are for two hours from now. You know how to get there?"  
  
"Yeah." Tris had passed the immensely overpriced eatery once or twice while tooling around Okayama City with Tenchi. That place was one attraction that Tris had, up to now, felt no desire to visit. Well, now he was going to--him and his big mouth--and his credit card was going to get a workout. Big time! Hey...wait a minute! If Kiyone already had reservations made, then she planned all along to-- damn it! He'd been set up! Hooked and reeled in!  
  
But...he looked at Kiyone, beautiful Kiyone, standing there, so devastating in that little black dress. It would be worth it, he knew. Anything would be worth it to be with her. Even...well, even commitment.  
  
"I like the way you're looking at me now, Tris," Kiyone told him softly. "No doubt about it...my idiot boy loves me." Now her eyes scanned him. "Ayeka and Ryoko were right. You're dressed well enough. But you've got to put on a jacket and tie, you know."  
  
Tris nodded. "Got just the thing." He walked to his own closet and opened it. He withdrew a dark blue garment.  
  
"A navy blazer." Kiyone smiled her approval. "With brass buttons. The kind that don't tarnish."  
  
"That's right." Kiyone had recalled their conversation outside that dress shop in the village. Neither of them had known then how significant that conversation would become. It was a funny old world--a funny old galaxy--and no mistake.  
  
Tris also withdrew a tie from his closet. Kiyone examined it critically. It was red with small paisley designs. "Well, at least it doesn't ask me to kiss you in the dark--baby--so it'll do." She rendered her verdict with another smile.  
  
"Glad you approve." Tris slipped the tie into his collar and began to tie it. Suddenly a pair of soft hands took the ends of the tie from him and began to knot it expertly. Tris looked at Kiyone, surprised.  
  
"Let me. I tie a tie just about every day. My uniform, remember?" Kiyone told him.  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
Boy, when a woman starts dressing you...! Oh, well.  
  
Kiyone finished tying his tie. It was perfect, of course. She gently straightened his collar, buttoned it down, and then kissed him on the nose.  
  
Tris slipped the navy blazer on. He was ready.  
  
"You don't dress up half badly, Tris," Kiyone approved. "I guess you won't embarrass me. Now you can take me on a quick tour of the campus and then we'll go eat. Right?"  
  
"Right." Tris walked to the door--the door to the hallway--and opened it. Smiling, Kiyone walked past him out the door. "Where are you going to take me first around here?" she asked him.  
  
"The Student Union annex. I want the other guys to see my hot date and--ow!"  
  
The door closed behind them.  
  
Unnoticed, barely audible, and almost at the end of the cassette tape, the old boom box on Tris's desk issued the Long Medley's final stanza from the "Abbey Road" album. The Beatles couldn't have known it, but in that tiny studio located at that famous address decades ago, they created music and lyrics that spanned not only generations, but planets as well:  
  
And in the end  
The love you take  
Is equal to the lo-o-o-o-ove  
You make 


	26. EPILOGUE: No Need For A Final Word

TTENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
No Need For A Final Word  
  
_______________________  
  
"I love to watch you swim, Husband," Queen Misaki said fondly. She demurely stretched out in the soft and plush throne-like lounge chair beside the softly steaming pools. The Juraian day was waning but the artificial sunlight created a bright and sunny climate in the largish spa. The looming Juraian trees that lined it threw off the loveliest clean-air scent. It was Paradise...at least as close to it as she was likely to get.  
  
"You love to watch me float, you mean," King Azusa said ruefully from the lounge chair beside her. "With this belly on me...my own floatation device! Gad, nothing's worse than growing old!"  
  
"Yes, there is, dear. The alternative to growing old."  
  
King Azusa looked at his Queen, a bit nonplussed. Then he roared with laughter. "That's a good one, Wife! I'll have to spring it on the Lord High Chamberlain, that fossil!" The Queen was amused to see his slightly rounded belly shake as much as the rest of him in his mirth. His swimming costume made it clear that her husband had indeed gained girth. But she loved him, chubby or not.  
  
Queen Misaki smiled with relief at her beloved husband. She had hoped that ending court early and getting the King to the heavenly hot springs spa and freshwater pool grotto situated beside the tournament grounds would help ease his thunderous mood. Thank the heavens it had worked!  
  
Her husband had good reason to feel out of sorts. Ever since they had been obliged to end their retirement and return to official duties, the time required daily to discharge official court adjudications had simply mushroomed. There seemed an endless supply of retainers, citizens, ambassadors, and other people with their hands held out, all wanting some sort of royal favor. Even worse were the solicitors and counselors, who constantly demanded the King do something about something, or face legal sanctions. It would be enough to rile even a sweet-tempered man. And Azusa Jurai, despite his many sterling qualities, was not a sweet-tempered man.  
  
Just a little while ago, the Lord Judge Advocate had invaded the teeming court chambers and dropped a rather nasty surprise on the King's lap. Queen Misaki had seen her husband's face go purple. She recognized that danger signal all too well. The Queen had quickly feigned a fainting spell to break the dangerous mood. When the King had embraced her and asked about her condition, she asked to be carried to the spa and grotto so she could recover in the refreshing waters. The King had ended court for that day and carried her there himself, as she had known he would.  
  
"I fear our worthy Lord High Chamberlain does not have a well developed sense of humor," the Queen remarked. "And our esteemed Lord Judge Advocate is even more humorless." The two retainers were stuffy bores, really, but highly competent in their positions.  
  
The King grimaced. "Well, I don't suppose you can blame the Lord Judge Advocate--he's the first one to get these blasted lawsuits! And this latest one is enough to ruin any man's good humor! We're being sued, Wife!"  
  
"Yes, dear. I heard him."  
  
The King regarded her narrowly. "Yes, and did you hear why we are being sued? Because of one of Ayeka's little stratagems. She dispenses and I pay the bloody piper!"  
  
"Husband...your language," Queen Misaki gently chided him.  
  
"Ohhhh, I apologize." The King lapsed into a sullen silence.  
  
"Besides, it is not a piper we will be paying. We shall be compensating many of the best families on Jurai--"  
  
"That's just an expression, Wife. I know very well who will be helping themselves to our coffers. And why? Because our elder daughter decides she wants to have a space pirate pardoned--the most notorious space pirate in the galaxy, if you please! And because I supported this pardon, we're legally liable for making good for all the damage that hellion did. Blast it!"  
  
Queen Misaki eyed the King with concern. But his face was only slightly flushed with ire. He was calm enough to discuss things with...and some things required discussion.  
  
"Yes, that is certainly unfortunate, Husband. It seems one cannot even do a good deed without being held liable for something--"  
  
"Good deed?" The King challenged her. "How is letting some marauding demon of a space pirate off Scott-free a good deed? Tell me that!"  
  
"Certainly, Husband," the Queen said calmly. "As Ayeka explained to us, that space pirate as you call her helped in the defeat of that pretender, Prince Kagato--"  
  
"Which just meant we had to end our wonderful retirement and come back into harness!" The King snorted.  
  
"Which meant our galaxy was not ruled by an evil and depraved man," Queen Misaki gently corrected him. "A pretender who deceived us all. This Ryoko's assistance in removing the pretender was an act worthy of a pardon in itself, had we but known then..."  
  
"But of course we didn't know! Why should our daughter--our daughters--tell us anything? Who are we? Just their parents!"  
  
The Queen nodded. "Yes, I think Ayeka could have broached the subject of Ryoko to us a bit sooner than she did. She was waiting for an opportune moment. Unfortunately, this Ryoko resumed her outlawry briefly, and--"  
  
"Right! Just the kind of behavior that fits in with a pardon!" The King was rapidly losing his compusure. He had already lost his good mood.  
  
"But dear, she also recently rendered invaluable assistance in defeating that Professor Klove person. Our Ayeka was in deadly danger from that person. Indeed--"and here the Queen shuddered delicately-- "he would have murdered our little Sasami, as well."  
  
"None of which would have happened if our daughters had remained here at home!" the King snapped.  
  
"I do not believe that is entirely correct, Husband. As Ayeka explained it to us, by being on Earth she was with people uniquely equipped to assist her."  
  
The King shook his still wet mane of hair irritably. "Yes, that was wonderful to hear! We have our own protective powers, we maintain an expensive Royal Yeoman corps, we support an immense military force, not to mention the Galaxy Police, and we're all helpless! We have to entrust our daughters' lives to a runaway Prince, his grandson, a fugitive space pirate, an exiled mad scientist...the very thought gives me a pain in my--well, never mind that."  
  
The Queen smiled. "You are perhaps too harsh, dear. Speaking of the Galaxy Police, there were two officers on the scene, and they did help."  
  
"Oh, indeed! The Grand Marshall's embarrassment of a granddaughter and her disgraced partner--both demoted and assigned to the very hinterlands of the galaxy! Nothing but the cream of the crop where our daughters' lives are concerned!"  
  
"True. But now they have had their former ranks restored and were awarded medals as well. Perhaps "cream of the crop" does rather describe them after all, Husband."  
  
"Well...maybe." The King had a tendency to fire off his mouth and even act precipitously. But he was also a fair man. The Queen loved him for that. "According to Kamidake and Azaka, at least that other officer--that Makibi woman--seems to be fairly competent. But that Mihoshi! Thank the stars that even the worst of our relatives don't approach her ineptitude. That Lord Kuramitsu has had quite a cross to bear." The King sounded sympathetic.  
  
King Asuza had assigned his two foremost Royal Yeomen, Azaka and Kamidake, to investigate the Professor Klove affray. The Queen silently blessed him for doing that. Azaka and Kamidake were both eminently fair-minded knights, whose word the King trusted implicitly. The two knights also had considerable affection for the Masakis and the rather odd household they maintained.  
  
"Perhaps," the Queen replied. "But she acquitted herelf bravely, from what Azaka and Kamidake reported to us. By the way, Husband..." Now the Queen braced herself for an explosion. "You mentioned Professor Washuu. You know she assisted in the defeat of Professor Klove as well. As a reward, I believe you might consider sponsoring her return to the Royal Science Academy--"  
  
"What?" King Asuza stared at his wife, his face mirroring his abject disbelief. "Give that mad scientist another crack at inventing some doomsday device? No, thank you! We're showing her enough sufferance by allowing her to remain unmolested on that primitive planet Earth. Heaven help those Earthlings!"  
  
"Dear, I think you are speaking of Professor Washuu as she once was. But both Ayeka and Sasami inform me that the Professor is no longer interested in weaponry and has lost any desire for conquest."  
  
"Indeed? And how can they be so certain of that, pray?"  
  
"Because Professor Washuu is now settling down on Earth with a man. She intends to live on Earth permanently. Any re-appointment to the Royal Science Academy would be as a visiting Professor."  
  
"Hmmmm..." The King considered this. "If that's true, that is encouraging, I'll admit. Keeping her on Earth suits me right down to the ground. But who is the lunatic who would keep house with that walking disaster?"  
  
"You know him, Husband." Queen Misaki smiled. "You even met him, once. He is Nobuyuki Masaki, the father of Lord Tenchi."  
  
"Him?" The King was clearly stunned. "That Earthling? Well, fancy that...I didn't think he had it in him."  
  
"He is the father of Lord Tenchi," his wife reminded him.  
  
"I'll say he is! When it comes to women, those Masaki men are murder!" King Asuza shrugged. "Oh, very well. Get her married to that poor Earthling--I want that much insurance, at least!--and I'll talk to the Board of Royal Curators at the Academy. Although I'm certain that doing this will just bring in a spate of more lawsuits!"  
  
Queen Misaki smiled lovingly at her husband. She had been fairly certain she could cajole him into going along with another one of Ayeka's--what had he called them?--oh, yes, stratagems. Now Professor Washuu would be compensated for having helped save their two daughters and perhaps a happy life for two people had been arranged. The Queen enjoyed that prospect. Being able to make such arrangements was one of the best things about being Queen.  
  
Suddenly the King frowned. "Since you brought up the subject of attachments...Wife, I recall Azaka and Kamidake telling us about some Earthling--and not that Nobuyuki--being involved, somehow, in that Professor Klove mess. I hope that was a misunderstanding on my part."  
  
The Queen steeled herself. She knew her husband would not like what she had to tell him. "No, Husband, that was no misunderstanding. An Earthling, as it turned out, seems to have rendered some slight assistance against that Professor Klove--"  
  
"Then it is true!" The King thumped a bolster with a royal fist. "That's the absolute, bloody limit! Bad enough that I must sit back and allow a band of pirates and mad scientists and disgraced police officers--not to mention royal runaways, and the progeny of runaways-- to defend my daughters. But a blasted, slope-headed Earthling, too! For two Jurais, I'd move to Earth myself! Obviously, that is the place to go for security and protection!"  
  
"Husband. Your language."  
  
"Bah! I mean...I apologize, Wife. But, gad! An Earthling! Another one!"  
  
"I understand that Sergeant Kiyone Makibi is rather in love with him."  
  
"Of course! Why not?" the King said helplessly. "Naturally, none of our men are good enough for our women! Our women want Earth men. Even my elder daughter! Bah!"  
  
"But Lord Tenchi is a Prince of the blood, dear--"  
  
"Yes, a Prince who won't live here where he belongs. We offered him the throne, by gad! He refused! No, he tells us, thanks for everything, but Earth is the place for me. As a younger man, I slew for lesser insults like that! Then both our daughters go skipping back to Earth to moon at that grandson of Yosho's a second time. Now they stay there while Mr. Perfect makes up his mind about whom he wants--a tart of a space pirate or the future Queen of Jurai! He may be a Prince of the blood, Wife, but he's cuckoo! Just like his grandfather!"  
  
Queen Misaki reached over and laid a comforting hand on her husband's bare forearm. "Dear, do not work yourself into a rage. You know what the physicians have told you."  
  
"Those quacks!"  
  
"They are right about your blood pressure, Husband. Besides, there is nothing to get upset about. Rather, you should be happy." The Queen removed her hand.  
  
"Happy?" King Asuza stared at his wife as if he suspected she had gone cuckoo, too. "Happy, you say? Do I see my daughters around me? Is my eldest daughter married to a suitable Consort so that she may take this harness from around me and allow us to retire--again? What in the name of the cosmos is there to be happy about, pray?"  
  
"Dear, you want to retire permanently this time. That means a stable marriage for Ayeka. Forcing her into one of your political alliances masqueraded as a marriage will not make her happy. We know that now. She must marry for love or she will not remain married--and our people will not accept a divorced Queen."  
  
"Well..." King Azusa's voice had lowered, at least. "There is truth in what you say, Wife. But love! What's love go to do with it?"  
  
"Everything, dear, to Ayeka. She is rather like her mother in that respect," the Queen told him, tenderly.  
  
The King looked at her for a long moment. His expression softened. "I can't very well argue with that, Wife. As you well know! But the men you women fall in love with! It's not logical. Our elder daughter, who has everything, fell in love with that Tenchi even before she knew he had royal blood in him. But that's all right, the man can be a hopeless Neanderthal, because the woman falls in love with him!"  
  
"That's right, Husband." The Queen's voice was sweet...and, perhaps, a bit ironic.  
  
"Love..." the King muttered darkly into his beard.  
  
"Think of it this way, Husband. With Lord Tenchi, Ayeka can marry the man she loves--and she will stay married. When she becomes Queen, she will not only have a life-mate, but he will be of royal blood. Our royal blood."  
  
"Well, that sounds good. But what if our elder daughter follows the trend and wants to remain on Earth?"  
  
"She will not," the Queen said, confidently. "You see, dear, you shall have attended to all of her friends' needs and wishes. So there will be no need for her to remain on that planet. Lord Tenchi's father will soon have a wife and he will no longer be alone. Lord Yosho can certainly be persuaded to return to Jurai, once Ayeka and Lord Tenchi are married."  
  
The King was quiet for a long moment. Then he nodded. "You are quite the maker of stratagems yourself, Wife," he said appreciatively. "But there is the small matter of the space pirate--that Ryoko. Evidently, she has a hold on that Tenchi, still."  
  
"Now, dear!" The Queen laughed softly. "Why do you think I urged you to support Ayeka on the question of that pardon? Thanks to it, that Ryoko woman is free again--free to roam the spaceways. Do you think such a rebellious spirit will remain content to be tied down to such a backwater as Earth when she can go where she pleases?"  
  
The King pursed his lips. "No, I have to agree with you there," he admitted.  
  
"Remember, dear...Ayeka is your daughter! Certainly she has the acumen and cunning to win Lord Tenchi from anyone--particularly from a tawdry woman like this Ryoko. Can you doubt who will win that contest?"  
  
Now the King slowly smiled. He nodded again. "You are right, Wife! Ayeka has a lot of me in her. That Ryoko had better start packing now! Perhaps we can offer her a position with the Yeomen. Both Azaka and Kamidake seem to think highly of her."  
  
"Why, that is a wonderful notion, dear. Having such a formidable person in the Yeomen cannot help but...well, pacify things even more around here."  
  
"You mean help warn off the blasted clans who want to turn this throne into a puppet theater!" King Asuza translated. "That is a good idea. I like it. Ayeka hired that bounty hunter, Nagi, to put out fires for her--so why shouldn't we hire this Ryoko? At least we can get some service from her in compensation for paying her damages!"  
  
The Queen laughed with delight. "Husband, you are truly the King. I adore it when you take charge of the situation."  
  
"You mean, when I allow you to take charge of the situation!"  
  
But he laughed. He and his Queen shared that laugh. The scheming behind that laughter would mean trouble ahead for the Masakis and their extended family. In fact, it would lead to, among other things, the Earth facing certain annihilation.  
  
But that is a story for another time.  
  
THE END 


	27. POSTSCRIPT: The Outtakes

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"  
  
By Joe Meadows (gpabn@yahoo.com)  
  
NOTA BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.  
  
AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at gpabn@yahoo.com and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.  
  
------------------------------------------------------  
  
Postscript  
  
No Need For Outtakes  
  
____________________  
  
(Although "Tenchi Wakusie" is an admittedly long novel, one of over 400,000 words, not all of the original novel made it into the final cut. What follows are two rejected passages that I felt needed to be excised. The first is an alternate passage to the "carpet beating" incident in Chapter Five. I rejected it because, although it is funny, it comes too close to being "songfic," which many, many fanfic readers object to. The second is a depiction of Kiyone's romantic attitude toward Tris once she realizes she is in love with the goof. Again, it is funny, but it shows Kiyone as being too demonstrative with Tris while in the company of Tenchi and the rest of the gang. Overt displays of affection are reserved for private venues in Japan and Kiyone would respect that custom. I am providing both these passages because the reader might find them amusing and also to prove that I did not throw everything including the proverbial kitchen sink into "Tenchi Wakusie.")  
  
The girls looked good. In fact, they looked fine.  
  
"She looked good...she looked fine..." A familiar old tune ran through his head. As it was, it would have been far better if that familiar old tune had also run out of his ears and plopped on the ground unheeded.  
  
For Tris was a covert singer, a natural for kareoke, although his singing would hardly be describe as accomplished. In fact, it stunk. He knew it and rarely inflicted his warbling on anyone but himself. But now any potential critics were too far away to hear him. Tris felt inspired. Why the heck not?  
  
Tris put down the garden shears. Using the trowel in lieu of a microphone, he, true to his love of the classic rock hits (fueled by his late parent's equal love of them), and selecting a song most appropriate to the sight of Kiyone and Mihoshi in their short-shorts, launched into his unplugged rendition of Manfred Mann's "Do Wah Diddy Diddy."  
  
He sang:  
  
There she was, just a-walking down the street  
Singin' do wah diddy diddy dum, diddy do.  
  
Alas for Tris, he was not well versed in the science of acoustics. He had his back to a small hill rise, standing on a level plain, and the slight breeze was wafting toward the house. Washuu could, no doubt, have explained the phenomina much better. At any rate, sound carried far under those conditions. In addition, the alien women had exceptionally fine hearing.  
  
Thus, not only could Kiyone and Mihoshi standing in the yard hear Tris, so could Ayeka and Ryoko, who were standing by an partially open window, discussing Ryoko's agenda for the afternoon (Ayeka suggested Ryoko escort a bag organic garbage to the compost heap; Ryoko's counter-proposal was a nap in the rafters.) They stopped, as did Mihoshi and Kiyone, at the sound of Tris singing.  
  
"What's the awful sound?" Mihoshi queried.  
  
"It's that idiot--he's singing!" Kiyone winced.  
  
"What does it mean."do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do"?" Mihoshi asked, now paying attention to the (unlyrically sung) lyrics.  
  
"Sounds like baby talk...what the hell is he doing out there?" Kiyone replied, her dander already up.  
  
"Singing at that garden tool?" Mihoshi guessed.  
  
Meanwhile, Ryoko was watching Tris through the window. She shook her head. "What a racket! Say, which woman is he talking about--walking down the street and talking gibberish?"  
  
Ayeka shook her head. "I could not imagine," she admitted. "She sounds rather addled."  
  
Tris kept the music coming:  
  
Snapping her fingers and shuffling her feet  
Singing do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do.  
  
"Shuffling her feet? What is she--eighty?" Ryoko demanded.  
  
"Senile, perhaps." Ayeka hazarded a guess.  
  
In the yard, thimgs were becoming clearer to two members of Tris's unwitting audience.  
  
"Oh, I get it now!" Mihoshi was enchanted. "Kareoke...he's singing kareoke to us, Kiyone! Isn't that sweet?"  
  
"The big stiff." Kiyone shook her head, smiling. "I hope nobody ever told him he could sing!"  
  
But Tris could sing--well, sort of--and did:  
  
She looked good-she looked good  
She looked fine-she looked fine  
She looked good, she looked fine, and I nearly lost my mind  
  
"Nearly lost his mind?" Ryoko, still standing by the opened window, snorted. "I've got a news flash for him!"  
  
"Hush!" said Ayeka. "I want to hear this."  
  
But, outside in the yard, Kiyone wasn't so sure she wanted to. She was finding the lyrics not only brainless but embarrasing if the other women assumed that idiot was singing about her.  
  
"If he hasn't lost his mind yet," she promised, "just wait until I get my hands on him!"  
  
"But he's being so cute!" Mihoshi chirped.  
  
"Being so acute, you mean."  
  
Shucking and jiving by the tiny hill, Tris was so sure he was in rare form that he considered it was a bit of a shame no one could hear him. Oh, well. On with the unplugged session. He sung into his unplugged trowel:  
  
Before I knew it, she was walking next to me  
Singin' do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do  
Holding my hand just as natural as can be  
Singin do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do-  
  
"Brazen!" Ayeka pronounced. "Who is this hussy?"  
  
"Yow! I hope he doesn't mean, Kiyone," Ryoko said.  
  
Ayeka shook her head. "I just hope Kiyone doesn't think he means Kiyone!"  
  
In the yard, Mihoshi asked, "Was it really that quick, Kiyone? You just walked next to Tris and--"  
  
"No, it wasn't, Mihoshi! You know that!"  
  
"Oh." Mihoshi contemplated the tiny figure of Tris in the distance. "Tris doesn't seem to know it."  
  
Actually, all Tris knew at that moment was that he was jamming:  
  
We walked on-walked on  
To my door-to my door  
We walked on to my door  
Then we kissed a little more-  
  
"Hey!" Ryoko exclaimed. "This story is getting hot! Belt it out, Tris!"  
  
"I thought Tris and Kiyone only kissed that one time," Ayeka mused.  
  
"Hah! You believed that, Princess?"  
  
Now standing by the clothesline in the yard, Mihoshi asked worriedly, "Kiyone, you shouldn't hit that carpet so hard. You might put a hole in it!"  
  
"Quiet, Mihoshi," Kiyone rapped, swinging a mean carpet beater on the defenseless rug. "I need the practice!"  
  
Tris sang on:  
  
Whoa-oa, I knew we were falling in lo-o-o-o-ve  
  
(Tris performed a little dance here)  
  
Yes, I did, and so I told her all the things  
I'd been dreamin' of-  
  
"Tell us, Tris!" Ryoko laughed.. "I"ll bet it's juicy!"  
  
"Ryoko!" Ayeka remonstrated. "Don't encourage him." Then she thought of something. She turned around. "Sasami!" she called out in the direction of the kitchen. "You are not listening to this, are you?"  
  
"Ummmm," came little Sasami's voice from behind a nearby couch. "Ummmm...no?"  
  
"Sasami!" Ayeka cried.  
  
Between coughs at all the dust Kiyone's carpet-beating was raising, Mihoshi asked, "Do you think-cough-cough-that Tris really dreams about you, Kiyone?"  
  
"He will," Kiyone promised, grimly. "In the emergency room!"  
  
Now Tris was coming to his favorite part--the song's climax. He swung it, he moved it, he grooved that thing:  
  
Now we're together nearly every single day  
Singin' do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do  
Oh, we're so happy and that's how we're going to stay  
Singin' do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do--  
  
"Someone," Kiyone gritted, still swinging at the well-flayed carpet, "is one hell of an optimist!"  
  
Inside the house, Ayeka was saying to Sasami, whom she had just pulled out from behind the couch:  
  
"How could you? You should not listen to things like that at your age, and you know it!"  
  
"But big sister," Sasami contended, "how am I ever going to learn?"  
  
"She has a point there, Princess," Ryoko offered.  
  
Meanhile, Tris was winding up. He unleashed the next few verses, fortissiomo:  
  
Well I'm hers--I'm hers  
She's mine--she's mine  
I'm hers, she's mine  
Wedding bells are gonna chime!  
  
"Wedding bells? Golly!" Mihoshi exclaimed.  
  
"That does it!" Kiyone threw down the carpet beater. She began to run toward the fool near the hill.  
  
"There goes, Kiyone!" Ryoko laughed, watching her dash by the window. The space pirate floated in the air. "Wonder if she'll catch him again this time?"  
  
Ayeka pretended majestic disinterest. She held her hands over Sasami's ears. Sasami looked very young and very resigned. But she smiled a little, too.  
  
Tenchi, mowing industriously, stopped a moment. He had watched Tris perform his "air concert" with amusement, remembering how he had endured hearing his buddy's exclusive solo performances in the shower. He knew one thing--Tris had better never quit his day job!  
  
Now he beheld the figure of Kiyone, bare legs flashing, as she pounded up from the yard next to the house.covering ground very quickly--in the direction of the other little hill. Toward Tris.  
  
Tenchi looked at Kiyone. Then he looked at Tris, who was oblivious to the approaching chump-seeking missile of a Galaxy Police Detective First Class. After finishing the song with a few last do-wah-diddy- diddy-dum-diddy-do's, Tris was bent over, making bows before his imaginary fans.  
  
Among other feats, Tenchi had defeated the Juraian dark warrior prince, Kagato, in single combat. He had learned to read a situation swiftly.  
  
"Tris!" he yelled, "Run!"  
  
Tris straightened up. He looked with curiosity at Tenchi.  
  
"Run! Run now!"  
  
Tris frowned. He surveyed the area. He stopped--  
  
He spotted Kiyone at twelve o'clock. She was running. At him. And she wasn't smiling. Oh, no, did she hear? How could she have heard? But she must have heard--because look at her come-!  
  
Tris took Tenchi's advice. He tossed down his microphone--that is, his trowel--and ran. This time he ran to the edge of the lawn and encountered the woodland beyond. He plunged into it. He'd try a little camouflage, as well as speed, this time.  
  
Kiyone stopped as soon as she saw Tris disappear into the wooded area. She turned and smiled at Tenchi, who was standing a little distance away with the lawn mower.  
  
Tenchi appeared disconcerted. "Kiyone, if you're upset about Tris's singing...well, I've put up with it for months, you know. You really shouldn't get upset--"  
  
"I'm not upset...now." Kiyone smiled again. "It was just a stupid song. That big stiff probably thought we couldn't hear him." She turned and stared walking back toward the house.  
  
"Uh...Kiyone?"  
  
Kiyone stopped and faced Tenchi again. "Yes, Tenchi?"  
  
"What about...you know, Tris?"  
  
"Oh, him. He'll come back. He won't miss dinner, the greedy boy. Just tell him to come see me when he comes out of there." She flashed another smile at him and left.  
  
Tenchi watched Kiyone go. She seemed rather pleased for some reason. After a moment, he shrugged and stared mowing again.  
  
By dinner time, as Kiyone predicted, Tris was back, with only a few scratches from branches and a chigger bite or two to record his sojourn in the Masaki timberlands. Kiyone applied iodine to his scratches and smiled with satisfaction as he yelped at the sting of the medicine. But she kissed him for every yelp, so he figured he broke even on that deal. Mihoshi asked him to sing the song again, a request instantly squelched by Kiyone.  
  
Ryoko repeatedly patted Tris on the back and laughing. Tris reflected that, if nothing else, he had brightened the existence of the premier space pirate of the galaxy. Princess Ayeka at first give him the fish eye, but eventually moderated her stance. Sasami just smiled and smiled at him.  
  
* * *  
  
As he walked down the stone steps, Tris wasn't thinking about his abused legs or lungs. He was thinking about Kiyone. Her behavior the last day or so had been puzzling, to say the least.  
  
Last evening, as they had watched that cooking show with the galloping chef, Kiyone had cuddled up against him, very soft and warm...which had been wonderful, as always. But she had just sat there, looking at him, rather than at the program. At least he had that impression.  
  
At length, she had taken a few strands of her silken teal hair and playfully tickled his ear. She had chuckled softly when he had tried to brush her hair away. Then she had gently kissed his ear and whispered, "You know, I can cook too, Tris." He had nodded, although he had seen no evidence of that at her apartment back on planet Vestra. Then Kiyone had kissed his neck, little whisper kisses, as he had tried to watch the tube. When he had turned his head toward her, she had chuckled again and whispered, "Would you like me to cook you something, Tris?" Which had surprised the heck out of him. Kiyone, cook a meal...for him?  
  
All he had been able to do then was mutter, "Uh, sure...that'd be nice." Kiyone had then appeared to think a moment, her hand stroking his neck. "What would you like me to cook?" she had whispered. "Remember, I'm a career woman, Tris. Nothing too elaborate." Tris, of course, had had no idea of what to suggest. The notion of Kiyone cooking for anyone but herself seemed fairly novel in itself. He had tried to come up with something he thought she could cook without too much hassle, and Kiyone had gotten impatient. "Well, what would you want?" Tris kept thinking, hard. Fish cakes? Rice and vegetable pilaf? He had looked at the TV screen. Lasagna? "You just don't think I can cook, do you?" Kiyone had asked and her voice was less tender and a bit louder. Mihoshi, sitting next to her on the couch, had turned to look at them. "Um, no, I'm just thinking," he had temporized. "Well, think faster, you," Kiyone had replied, nettled. Tris had thought furiously. "Right. Ummm..." He still had no idea why he had made the silly suggestion, but, under pressure, he had replied, "Well...how about a pizza?" That had earned him a fairly stiff jab in the side. He had yelped, and Tenchi, Sasami, Ryoko, and Ayeka, seated on the other couch, had turned their heads toward him.  
  
"Uh, I'm really allergic to oregano," Tris had quickly explained, motioning toward the TV where the hard-charging chef was tossing in the seasonings for the lasagna. "It gives me a pain."  
  
"You give us a pain, Tris," Ryoko had grumbled. "Be quiet, will you?"  
  
"Will do," Tris had said contritely.  
  
Then everything--and everybody--had settled down. Kiyone had gotten over her ire rather quickly. She had kissed his cheek and whispered, "I'm sorry darling. You just think about something you'd like me to cook for you and then tell me. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," he had murmured, relieved.  
  
She had then cuddled against him again. She had also resumed the practice of alternately studying him and kissing and caressing him. When the program had ended, and Tenchi suggested they all go to bed--an excellent suggestion, of course, they were all beat--Kiyone had held him back while everyone else drifted off to their respective beds. Then she had stood up from the couch, pulling him up with her, and said, "It'd be nice if we didn't have to part like this every night...wouldn't it?" He had been flummoxed by the question. She had smiled then and kissed him tenderly. "You just think about that, darling." After another gentle and sweet kiss, she had left him standing there. It had been a little while before he felt like going to his and Tenchi's bedroom, where he had found Tenchi already sacked out in bed, reading.  
  
The whole incident was perplexing. It wasn't how Kiyone usually acted around him. Perhaps the topsy-turvy events of the past few days-- learning the horrible truth about that Klove character, and that her fellow cops were conducting a cover-up of the case, along with facing likely dismissal over the hacking incident--yeah, likely that was it. If anyone's plate was full, it was Kiyone's. Full to overflowing. She was terribly upset, her nerves were on edge, and she just trying to be sweet to him and not let all the bad things drag her down. Actually, to tell the truth, he had almost welcomed the jab. It was just so--so Kiyone--and assurance that she was still her two-fisted self. She would need all that combativeness, Tris was convinced, in the days ahead.  
  
He had explained his conclusions to Tenchi last night after he had turned the lights off and slipped into his pallet. Tenchi had seemed relieved when Tris explained that he had been off the beam completely about suspecting Kiyone of matrimonial motives. Tenchi had then repeated his original Kiyone Advisory-she was completely dedicated to her career and if and when she got her rank back and was reassigned elsewhere, she'd be gone for good.  
  
Tris had listened in silence. There had been nothing to say. Tenchi was right. It was just a summer romance-actually, a spring romance-and it would fade once he and Kiyone went their separate ways. Although Tris knew it would take a long time for it to fade for him. 


	28. POSTSCRIPT THE SECOND: A Few Notes About...

TENCHI WAKUSEI, BOOK ONE: "NO DREAMS FOR TENCHI"

By Joe Meadows BENE: This novel (comprising 24 chapters, a Prologue, and an Epilogue) is a sequel to the "Tenchi Muyo Television Series" ("Tenchi Universe"), with some "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki!" original OAV series characters and elements included where--in the author's opinion--they don't conflict with "Tenchi Universe." For example, in order to flesh out a family background for Ayeka and Sasami, rather than create new characters, I used the existing parental figures of King Asuza and Queen Misaki from the OAVs. In order to bring the Galaxy Police more into the story, I re-instated the Grand Marshall as Mihoshi's grandfather and used an existing character from the Tenchi Muyo mangas, Chief Tor Bodai. And so on.

AIC and Pioneer LDC, whose kind indulgence I am counting on, own the copyrights on the original Tenchi Muyo characters. The character of Chief Tor Bodai was created by Hitoshi Okuda for the Tenchi Muyo manga series and is also copyrighted by AIC and Pioneer LDC. All truly new characters are my creation. Those characters and the actual story are copyright 2002 by yours truly. The lyrics for both versions of the theme song for "Speed Racer," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album, the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA," the theme to "The Brady Bunch," and "That's Amore" are copyrighted by their various owners. The events that comprise the "Tenchi Universe" series are discussed in this novel; consequently, spoilers lurk within. Be warned. Please check out the "Chapter Notes" at the end of some of the chapters. Feedback is very welcome! I can be reached at and thanks for taking the time to read this novel.

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POSTSCRIPT THE SECOND

A Few Notes On The Novel

It is unusual to include such a postscript to a "fanfic." However, the many, many comments and questions I have received (over 100 emails) about this novel since I published it on the Net deserve response and new readers may well have the same comments and questions. This is a handy way to respond to them. Besides, some explanations really are in order, I will admit.

One quick appeal--please do not read this until you have read the novel. Spoilers, as always, lurk within.

"Tenchi Wakusei" is meant to be a fun read for Tenchi Muyo fans, especially the fans who enjoyed the "Tenchi Universe" television series and the first Tenchi movie ("Tenchi Muyo In Love"). I have aged the characters a couple of years and allowed them to grow and mature somewhat. Thus, in the novel, they display feelings and inner conflicts they only fleetingly revealed in the television series. That is because even the most masterly rendered anime cannot get into a character's psyche and soul the way the written word can. (Which is why there are fanfics.)

So, vis-à-vis the novel, readers should bear in mind that the original "Tenchi Universe" gang have "grown up" a bit, and have been obliged to live together for quite a spell. That means that all of them would have joined into a natural living rhythm and found ways to get along with each other-or at least to quell tempests before they got out of hand. This is why the gang seems more of a family in the novel than they were in the television series.

I'll continue by answering some of the specific questions and comments I've received about "Tenchi Wakusei, Book One."

QUESTION/COMMENT: How come Ryoko's so nice? Why isn't she ripping the place up and blasting Ayeka and stuff?

ANSWER: I know my somewhat "kinder, gentler" Ryoko may not please some of her fans-but recall that she had moderated her behavior quite a bit by the end of the television series. She is very soft in approaching Tenchi is the series' final moments and she makes a "fair fight" pledge regarding Ayeka. That moderation would logically continue once she was again ensconced in a houseful of other women and made aware that Tenchi would not chose a mate who could not cut it as the respectable wife of a Shinto priest.

Although in the novel Ryoko is "a real softie inside if she likes you," she still cuts no one (except Tenchi and Lord Yosho) any slack. She is sassy, smart-mouthed, loves to bedevil the others, not above a bit of snooping and skullduggery, and hell on wheels against her enemies. Ryoko fans, I trust, will enjoy that aspect of her in the novel.

The memorable firefights between Ryoko and Ayeka in "Tenchi Universe" logically could not continue due to the property damage involved (which I used to re-introduce the Masaki house's ceiling beams from the OAV series) and the effect they had in alienating Tenchi. Ryoko and Ayeka still fight, but do so in much less thunderous ways. In regards to our favorite royal personage.

Q/C: What's Ayeka doing, being so kind and helpful and smart? She's a snooty stuck-up royal bitch in the anime and (ad infinitum, ad nauseum).

A: Amongst Tenchi fandom, a vocal group exists that not only favors Ryoko for Tenchi, but also tends to demonize Ayeka. This is unfair and is not borne out in "Tenchi Universe" or in the OAV series, for that matter.

Ayeka can be snobbish, overbearing, condescending, willful, prudish, and lose her temper rather alarmingly. But most of that negative behavior is a consequence of her battle with Ryoko for Tenchi's love. Aside from her tête-à-têtes with Ryoko, Ayeka constantly proves to be kind, thoughtful, gentle, industrious, and nurturing. For example, this "snooty" woman almost immediately began sweeping the temple upon landing (crashing) on Earth in "Tenchi Universe," then took over management of the household just as her little sister, Sasami, assumed the cooking chores. In the OAV series, Ayeka often shows her gentle side and even goes so far as attempt to save Ryoko. Like Ryoko, Ayeka is a real softie inside if she likes you, and, unlike Ryoko, at least will treat you civilly even if she doesn't.

Furthermore, she is the First/Crowned Princess of planet Jurai and about to assume the throne of that uber-powerful dynasty. Thus, simply to have survived, she must have acquired political and diplomatic skills and knows very well how to handle people (aside from Ryoko). She simply puts those skills to use in the novel to help her friends.

Q/C: Tenchi is acting pretty grown-up all of a sudden. I thought he never drank alcohol.

A: Tenchi is now a college student, and after the "exam hells" and the general pressure cooker that is the Japanese middle school and high school system, students generally kick back in college. Tenchi does likewise. He is looser, more cosmopolitan, drinks beer, and does some silly things, like any college student. But he is also more mature, more take-charge, and he is acquiring his grandfather's wisdom and gravitas. My portrait of Tenchi is meant to point to the man that he, I believe, would and should become.a somewhat worldly young man with strong traditional morals and beliefs, who is having his last bit of freedom and fun before he trains for the Shinto priesthood in earnest.

Part of that aspect of letting his hair down (so to speak) is his singular friendship with the American transfer student, Tristram Xavier Coffin. Only during his wild-oats college days would Tenchi Masaki befriend such an uncouth and unrefined person. Even if Tris does have much of Japanese manners and etiquette down pat, even if he can speak Japanese well and even read it, he is still an American and his loud, bumptious nature would grate on Japanese sensibilities. Thus, Tris's friendship with Tenchi is a singular event, that could happen at no other time in Tenchi's life. I hope that is understood, for I have as much disdain for the usual "an American crashes the Masaki household" fanfics as anyone else. Speaking of which.

Q/C: Where did you get that name, "Tris Coffin," anyway?

A: It was chosen deliberately. In the 1930's, 40's, and '50's, Tris Coffin was a very minor leading man (usually a "heavy") in B-movies. His one claim to fame was that he starred in the terrific Republic Studios serial "King Of The Rocket Men." That serial inspired the Dave Stevens graphic novel and later Disney film, "The Rocketeer." I felt it apropos for Tenchi's American pal.

Q/C: Okay, okay, so Tris isn't the usual super stud Author Created Character (ACC) I've run across in fanfics. But his background isn't realistic. I'll bet he's also a Self Insertion (SI). 

A: Actually Tris's background is realistic. I based it on the real-life teens, children of American service members whom I met while in Japan. The US Air Force maintains two large airbases in Japan. One, called Yokota, is located near Tokyo. Many American Air Force members there opt to serve several tours in Japan and their children consequently do likewise. Some of those families live off the base "in the economy," shoulder to shoulder with their Japanese neighbors. Over time, some of those service members' children learn to speak and even read and write Japanese and acquire close Japanese friends. There is any number of "Tris (and "Trish") Coffins" living in Japan even now.

Tris is an ACC, but he is not an SI. Not to come off like Leonard ("I am not Spock/Well, maybe I am, a little bit") Nimoy, but I am not Tris.

In fanfic, there is a universally despised type of SI called a "Mary Sue" or a "Marty Stu." A "Mary Sue" is that perfect reflection of the author who is just a super person, all of the characters like her immediately, a few fall in love with her, and she always saves the day, elbowing out the main characters in their own story. Is Tris a "Marty Stu"? No more than what any author would put of himself or herself in a character they created. Tris and I have some traits in common, but of all the Tenchi gang, I resemble Nobuyuki far more than I resemble Tris. Which means that Kiyone would, alas, never fall in love with me. Which, in turn, brings up another subject.

Q/C: Kiyone, our teal-haired goddess, fall in love with some lame Earth guy? No way! She's not interested in guys and, anyway, she deserves a Juraian nobleman or someone like that.

A: I think most "Tenchi Universe" fans see Kiyone as a highly competent galactic police officer whose career takes precedence over personal affairs. However, they also acknowledge that Kiyone is a warm, caring woman deep inside as well. However, there is a hard-core group of Kiyone fans who insist either she isn't prey to womanly feelings or that she wouldn't even consider dating anyone less worthy than the galactic equivalent of James Bond or the late Prince Rainier.

These fans are wrong. Both "Tenchi Universe" and the first two Tenchi films ("Tenchi In Love" and "Daughter Of Darkness") abound with evidence that Kiyone is a normal, warm-hearted, romantic-minded woman, even if she does keep it buried deep.

A small example: When Kiyone first meets Tenchi upon arriving on Earth to look for Mihoshi in "Universe," she laughs coyly and even partially covers her face with her hand. This is a typical Japanese young woman's reaction to meeting a man she finds handsome. In the first film, while the gang is spying on the young Nobuyuki and his future bride, Kiyone finds their courting romantic-she says so quite openly (as if she forgot herself for a moment). Indeed, her caring treatment of the "daughter" of Tenchi in the second film reveals a warm and affectionate inner self. And then there is "her" segment in the "Time And Space Adventures" in "Universe," where Kiyone clearly wants to live an emotionally secure life surrounded by caring and supportive friends. Finally, although I do not consider the "Pretty Sammy" OAV and television series anything like authoritative, the characters in it are meant to reflect the personalities of their counterparts in the Tenchi series. In the "Pretty Sammy" episodes, Kiyone is firmly interested in men.

Some Tenchi fans have opined that since neither Mihoshi nor Kiyone show any interest in Tenchi (or in guys, period) in "Universe," it's off base to give them romantic feelings. The answer to that is--when did poor Miho-Kiyo have time to meet and date men in the television series? Mihoshi hangs around the Masaki home (nowhere else to go) until Kiyone finds her, then they both work part-time jobs and their "real" job just to survive (they don't even have time to clean their dingy apartment). Then Kiyone gets promoted, leaves with Mihoshi, and both find themselves on the run from the Galaxy Police, the Juraian military, and just about everyone else. Those two barely have time to catch their breaths, much less date. And the reason neither of them overtly shows any romantic feeling toward Tenchi is that he's spoken for--and how! Of course, during the "Time and Space Adventures," Mihoshi fantasizes that she's married to Tenchi.

Yes, Kiyone is very career-minded and would sacrifice a lot to rise as fast as possible in her chosen profession. But, in the novel, she learns she can have a successful career and not live a barren existence--that's a part of truly growing up. Besides, when the right guy rolls around, "career-first" Kiyone would be as vulnerable as any woman. And if that guy happens to be normal rather than godlike, that's fully in the spirit of the Tenchi milieu. And while we're on the subject of that guy.

Q/C: Yeah, but Tris Coffin?

A: Well, opposites do attract. And when a person is down in the dumps and believes their life is in the toilet, someone who can shake them from their lethargy, make them laugh, make them feel attractive.that's a potent thing. It can lead to affection and eventually love. Timing is important for romance, too. Tris arrives in Kiyone's life when she could indulge in a flirtation--he's Tenchi's roommate, he's "in the know" about the alien women, and he'll go back to college in a few weeks. So, Kiyone, having nothing better to do than mope around, indulges in a light romance, or so she thinks. Had Kiyone encountered Tris under any other circumstances, it's likely she wouldn't have spared him a second (well, maybe a third) glance. Serendipity and timing have brought more couples together than dating services.

Q/C: I never thought of Kiyone coming from a lower-class background and having to really struggle against family and finances to make it through the Galaxy Police Academy. But it makes sense, given her personality.

A: I think it does, too. Recall Mitsuki's snide comment about money when she's cornered our heroine at GP Headquarters in "Universe"? In the novel, Kiyone had to borrow money and skimp to get through the Academy and also had to do without support from her parents and elder brother. That would help account for the explosive anger and frustration deep in Kiyone's psyche. Yes, Mihoshi frustrates her, but Kiyone's hair-trigger temper springs from more than that. Yet, as mentioned above, Kiyone has her soft and tender side as well. I felt such a person must have some old issues gnawing at her. That's why I saddled Kiyone with cold and disapproving parents and an elder brother who let those parents influence him, but eventually came to respect his younger sister.

Q/C: But Kiyone's real brother is named Seion, and-

A: No, that's a character created by another fanfic author.

Q/C: Kiyone and Tris are pretty physical. All that kissing! You know, don't you, that in Japanese anime and manga, that stuff is usually played down or not even shown.

A: Yes, I know that. But neither Tris nor Kiyone are Japanese and they usually smooch only when they're alone. Both of them would be regardful of their host's cultural sensibilities when around Tenchi and the rest of the gang. But when, to paraphrase Kiyone in the novel, there's a moon, just those two, and the place all to themselves.they're going to act like two normal young people. Kiyone is rather physical, anyway. She certainly is physical in taking out her frustrations (usually on Mihoshi) and I think she'd be just as physical in expressing affection and love. And while we're on the topic of Mihoshi.

Q/C: What's the deal with Mihoshi? She saves the day? Hah! She's of the nobility? Double hah! Four brothers? Make that three hahs! Where did you get that? And her grandfather was the GP Grand Marshall only in the OAV series, not the first TV series.

A: Again, I did mix OAV and television series elements deliberately, but only where they did not conflict with information we were given in "Tenchi Universe." We know zilch about Mihoshi's background in "Universe," so I had to develop one from scratch. I used the "grandfather is the Grand Marshall" element from the OAVs as a starting point. It made sense that a direct relative of such a lofty personage as the Grand Marshall would likely have some noble blood in her. Remember, in the novel, Lady Mihoshi is only a scion of her own planet's landed aristocracy, blue bloods who have nowhere near the eminence of the Jurai royal family. Mihoshi deliberately avoids the title of "Lady" because she thinks it cools people to her. She didn't mention that her grandfather is the Grand Marshall to Tenchi and the others in "Universe," granted. She also didn't mention that salient fact to Tenchi and the others in the OAV series, either.

Mihoshi Kuramitsu is sweet, warm-hearted, terminally immature, and scatter-brained. But she also made it into the elite Galaxy Police and has kept her position. She must have some competence if we are to regard the Tenchi series with any shade of reality. Remember, in the opening episode of "Universe," Mihoshi tracked down Ryoko, the most- wanted space pirate. No one else in the GP had. Alone, she took on the fearsome and awesomely powerful Ryoko, not only once, but twice. When she sees Tenchi take Ryoko in, Mihoshi has the patience and the smarts to wait until she can figure out what to do before she acts. She fails to capture Ryoko.but so does Kiyone a few episodes later (albeit with a little bumbling non-help from Mihoshi). So, Mihoshi does have some inner resources and she calls upon those inner resources in the novel.

In order to account for Mihoshi's innate sweetness and immaturity, I felt that she must have grown up overly protected by a family that doted over her, but without a mother's firm guiding hand. That equates to being raised by a father and brothers. Under those circumstances, our Mihoshi would have ended up either as a mega-brat or sweetness personified. Fortunately, it was the latter. Such a person would easily fall in love with a man who was nice to her (such as Tenchi and Tris) and she would adore any gift a man gave to her, especially a woebegone stuffed dog. And she would try to avoid conflict always. That makes her timid, even cowardly, to some folks. But, in some cases, she is perfectly right to do so. After all, if she captures a fugitive by letting the latter run out of ammo while firing at her rather than engaging in a battle, the outcome is still the same.and the fugitive comes out of it a live prisoner.

Q/A: You have a different take on Nobuyuki. He's not the letch he is in the TV series.

A: Actually, he does have his private reactions to the beautiful and sexy alien women living in his midst in the novel. In "Universe," the series had a few yuks over Nobuyuki's "dirty middle-aged man" antics, but most of the time, Nobuyuki was a quite sober presence (he even beat Yosho at Go!). Every culture has its comic conventions (such as men dressing up like women in British comedy) and one of those conventions for the Japanese is the dirty old/middle-aged man. Nobuyuki represents that guaranteed-laugh element in the Tenchi series. But he's more than that.

Nobuyuki is Tenchi's father and some of Tenchi's good qualities must have come from him. Also, a Japanese father wants the respect of his son perhaps even more so than a Western father does. So, he would make an effort to repress his baser reactions once he sees that they repel his son. Aside from that, Nobuyuki is a typical hardworking, loyal, and steadfast "salaryman" and the breadwinner for the extended Masaki family.

Q/A: But a romance with Washuu? Isn't that kind of like child molestation?

A: No, because (1) Washuu Hakubi is a grown woman who's been around (not always conscious, though) for hundreds of years and (2) Nobuyuki knows that. In the "Tench Universe" series, the notion of "Little Washuu" gets very little play. Unlike in the OAVs, Washuu spends no time trying to act like a little kid aaside from the one-time request to be called "Little Washuu"--which no one ever does, by the way. At any rate, she'd still a grown woman, can certainly set her cap for a man when she chooses and can make herself attractive when she tires of winging through life solo. Nobuyuki may seem an odd choice, but, over time, folks do develop attachments and we know that Nobuyuki is far from being ready for the rocking chair brigade.

Well, I hope this helps answer some questions about "Tenchi Wakusei, Book One." In regards to whether there will be a "Tenchi Wakusei, Book Two"...well, anything is possible in the "world" of Tenchi! Cheers! And thanks for the kind and thoughtful feedback on the novel. It has made writing it well worth the effort. 


End file.
